Head away from the River Thames (canal on right), passing under two railway bridges. Pass the Jolly Anglers pub (0118 376 7823), Blake’s Lock and the Fisherman’s Cottage pub (0118 956 0432), following Kennet Side. There are 105 locks to pass, from Blake’s Lock (107) to Bristol’s Hanham Lock (1). Lock 98 is disused, and locks 8 and 9 have been combined.
Pass under two road bridges and ignore a footbridge, joining Duke’s Street beside a bridge. Cross slightly left and keep ahead, following the left-hand side of the canal through the Oracle Shopping Centre. This was the site of the former Simonds’ Brewery (demolished in 1983) and the narrow section of canal was known as the ‘Brewery Gut’.
At Bridge Street, cross over the canal to follow the right-hand side of the combined canal and river past the weir, with County Lock (106) over to the left. (The brick building on the right, now a restaurant, was once part of the Simonds’ Brewery.) Continue for 2.7km, passing under four bridges, keeping close to the canal. At Fobney Lock (105), follow the path past some buildings, then swing left across a bridge and turn right past the lock; a gate on the left gives access to Fobney Island Wetland Nature Reserve.
Leave Fobney Island via the bridge over the weir and turn right to continue alongside the canal, soon passing under the railway bridge. Turn right over the footbridge and go left, ignoring a footbridge (12) on the right, and pass Southcote Lock (104). Keep ahead for 1.3km to reach Burghfield Bridge (14); here, on the left, is the thatch-roofed Cunning Man pub (0118 959 8067).
Keep ahead and cross over the canal at the next footbridge (15), before continuing past Burghfield Lock (103). Cross a stile and continue through a large open field to a path junction on the far side near a pillbox (this is the first of many to be seen along the canal – see ‘Brief history of the canal’ in the Introduction). Turn left over Hissey’s Bridge (17) and then turn right, soon passing under the M4 to reach Garston Lock (102), beside two pillboxes.
Garston Lock is one of only two turf-sided locks along the canal; the other is Monkey Marsh Lock (Stage 2)
Continue along the canal past the lock (101), passing a sign that says it is 6 miles back to Reading and 13½ miles to Newbury (and a car park on the left, SU 648 705), to reach the road and bridge (19) to the south of Theale. Some 650 metres to the left along the road is the Fox and Hounds (0118 930 2295) at Sheffield Bottom; 550 metres to the right is the railway station, with Theale village 400 metres further on (pubs, shops, post office and accommodation).
Along the main street in Theale are a number of interesting buildings including the late 15th-century thatch-roofed Old Lamb Hotel (0118 930 2357). The more recent Victorian Gothic-style Holy Trinity Church, inspired by Salisbury Cathedral, is built of Bath stone that was brought along the canal in the 1830s. The village has four pubs: the Bull (0118 930 3478), the Crown Inn (0118 930 2310), the Volunteer (0118 930 2489) and the Falcon (0118 930 2523). The railway line, originally opened in the 1840s, now forms the line from London to the south-west and closely follows the canal as far as Pewsey (Stage 3).
Keep ahead alongside the canal, passing a flooded gravel pit, then a lock (100) followed by a swing bridge. The route then follows a meandering river section through a field to reach a minor road bridge (23) at Tyle Mill, where there is parking (SU 626 691). Some 500 metres north-west, at the junction with the A4, is the Spring Inn pub (0118 930 3440); 800 metres south-east is Sulhamstead (accommodation).
Continue along the south side of the canal, past Tyle Mill Lock (99) and soon passing through open fields. At Ufton Bridge turn right across the River Kennet and the canal before immediately turning left to rejoin the towpath beside the disused Ufton Lock (98); the canal and River Kennet are now separate for 4.3km.
The tea room and visitor centre at Aldermaston Wharf
Continue along the right-hand side of the canal for 2.5km, passing two bridges (26 and 27) and two locks (97 and 96) to reach the A340 and lift bridge (28) at Aldermaston Wharf. On the right, shortly before the main road, is the canal visitor centre and tea room (0118 971 2868), housed in a former canal worker’s cottage. For the railway station, turn right along the A340 then fork left along Station Road (200 metres each way); 200 metres to the left is the Butt Inn (0118 971 3309, accommodation).
Aldermaston Wharf dates from the 1720s, when the River Kennet between Reading and Newbury was made navigable (the Kennet Navigation). Aldermaston Lock was once known as Brewhouse Lock because the Aldermaston Brewery – later called Strange’s Brewery – was established just to the south of the lock; the buildings were demolished in the 1950s.
The picturesque village of Aldermaston (visited in Walk 2) lies to the south-west (2.3km using the cycleway that follows the A340) and is home to the Hind’s Head pub (0118 971 2194, accommodation) and shop. Just south of the village is the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), which became the focus of the ‘Ban the Bomb’ marches in the 1950s and 60s.
Cross the canal via the road bridge and continue along the south side for 1.3km passing the scalloped-sided Aldermaston Lock (95). Cross the canal at Frouds Bridge (29) and after passing a meandering section, where the River Kennet rejoins the canal, cross back over via a footbridge (30). Then keep ahead to the swing bridge (31) at Woolhampton beside the Rowbarge pub (0118 971 2213), named after the 19th-century passenger boats that operated on the canal hereabouts. To the right is Midgham station (150 metres); further on at the A4 are village shop/tea room, post office, the Angel Inn (0118 971 3827) and bus services to Reading and Newbury.
WOOLHAMPTON
Woolhampton is in two distinct parts, with the main village, formerly a stopping-off point on the coaching route between London and Bath, strung along the A4 or Great Bath Road. On the right, where Station Road meets the A4, is a listed Victorian drinking fountain (not working) built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee (1897). To the north is Upper Woolhampton, home to the visually striking Benedictine Douai Abbey. Construction of the abbey started in 1929 in a Gothic revival style; however, work was stopped in 1933 and it was not until 1993 that the abbey was finally completed, following a much more modern style.
STAGE 2
Woolhampton to Hungerford
| Start | Woolhampton Bridge (SU 572 665) |
| Finish | Hungerford A338 bridge (SU 338 687) |
| Distance | 24.9km (15½ miles); cumulative 45.6km (28¼ miles) |
| Total ascent | 180m |
| Time | 6½hr |
| Map | OS Explorer 158; Heron Maps: Kennet & Avon Canal |
| Refreshments | Woolhampton, Midgham (A4), Thatcham, Newbury, Marsh Benham, Kintbury, Hungerford |
| Public transport | Railway stations at Woolhampton (Midgham station), Thatcham, Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford; bus services at Woolhampton, Midgham (A4), Thatcham, Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford |
| Accommodation | Midgham (A4), Thatcham, Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford |
| Splitting the stage | The stage may be split after 10.6km (6¾ miles) at Newbury (SU 472 672), where there is a full range of facilities including a railway station. |
From Woolhampton, the route continues along the Kennet Valley, meeting up with the River Kennet on several occasions and passing Thatcham – a detour gives access to the Nature Discovery Centre – to arrive at Newbury. Greenham Common, once synonymous with the Cold War, lies to the south. After passing under the A34, the route becomes more rural, passing Hamstead Park and the ideally located Dundas Arms pub overlooking the canal at picturesque Kintbury. The final stretch continues parallel with the River Kennet to end at Hungerford, close to Berkshire’s western border. Along the length of the stage, the towpath passes a number of former World War II pillboxes.