The Kennet & Avon Canal Walk
Reading
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Reading - old and new
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Reading to Calcot
Path near Southcote Lock
Sunday 22 November 2015
I dithered for quite a while over what walk I should do. I felt like starting a new walk (although the Thames Path is not yet half completed). In the end I decided to avoid travelling too far (both new paths I considered, the Capital Ring and Capital Loop, start on the wrong side of London and with the short days that are with us now I decided to start walking along the Kennet and Avon Canal. This walk very conveniently starts in Reading. Even more conveniently it passes near my home in Calcot.
So I took the bus to Reading railway station and started walking along the nearby Thames to the Horseshoe Bridge where the Kennet & Avon Canal flows into the Thames. This was all familiar territory for me but I looked at everything with different eyes as if I was a passing tourist. Lots of people were walking, cycling or feeding the ducks (or the greedy pigeons and sea gulls) along the paved path into central Reading. I passed Blake’s lock, the first of many locks I will pass on this route and soon reached the Oracle shopping centre and canal side development. Here you’ll find a large number of restaurants (from fine dining to fast food), pubs, coffee shops, and there are public toilets in the shopping centre. You can walk on either side of the canal here and there are a couple of footbridges to cross over. It all depends where you want to stop for a break or a bite to eat or you may even want to shop!
Leaving this busy shopping and entertainment hub behind continue on the north side of the path (you will pass in front of the Loch Fyne Restaurant) by County Lock and soon you will have the path to yourself as you follow the pleasant path out of Reading. First you will enjoy the back gardens of the old Victorian terraced houses of Elgar Road opposite. These narrow but long gardens extend right to the river and of course the residents make full use of this with, e.g. seating areas right by the canal. I simply love looking into other people’s gardens despite not being a keen gardener myself. I wonder how much this riverside location adds to the house prices?
The canal tow path continues southwards for a while before turning right and after passing through the tunnel beneath the busy IDR (A33) the walk soon takes on a more rural feel. I often cycle here either on my commute to the office or on my way to a football match at the Mad Stad. The island at Fobney lock has been turned into a pleasant nature reserve – particularly lovely in early summer when the wildflowers are at their best. Unfortunately, I have to have a whinge here. Fobney Lock has become a popular picnic and meeting place for young people and I often find the area badly littered with empty crisp packets and beer cans. The council have installed a bin here but I think that is completely counterproductive. Has littering in the countryside ever been improved by litter bins? My opinion is that it makes the problem worse (over-flowing bins, scavenging rats and gulls etc). Surely it is not too much to ask people to take their rubbish home with them?
Leaving Fobney Island behind the path now continued pleasantly to Southcote Lock. This is a pretty spot and here a footbridge takes you to the other side. Next you reach the boat club and moorings at Burghfield Road and after crossing under the bridge the conveniently located and popular ‘Cunning Man’ pub and restaurant invites for a meal or a drink. There is also a transport café nearby. Of course I had to press on – had to get home before dark! The path continues alongside the gently flowing waters of the canal past Burghfield Lock and then I had to share it with a herd of grazing cows. They were friendly and got out of the way when I needed to get past them. At Hissey’s Bridge I left the path for the short walk home.
My highlights:
Wildlife:
Useful information
Transport:
I dithered for quite a while over what walk I should do. I felt like starting a new walk (although the Thames Path is not yet half completed). In the end I decided to avoid travelling too far (both new paths I considered, the Capital Ring and Capital Loop, start on the wrong side of London and with the short days that are with us now I decided to start walking along the Kennet and Avon Canal. This walk very conveniently starts in Reading. Even more conveniently it passes near my home in Calcot.
So I took the bus to Reading railway station and started walking along the nearby Thames to the Horseshoe Bridge where the Kennet & Avon Canal flows into the Thames. This was all familiar territory for me but I looked at everything with different eyes as if I was a passing tourist. Lots of people were walking, cycling or feeding the ducks (or the greedy pigeons and sea gulls) along the paved path into central Reading. I passed Blake’s lock, the first of many locks I will pass on this route and soon reached the Oracle shopping centre and canal side development. Here you’ll find a large number of restaurants (from fine dining to fast food), pubs, coffee shops, and there are public toilets in the shopping centre. You can walk on either side of the canal here and there are a couple of footbridges to cross over. It all depends where you want to stop for a break or a bite to eat or you may even want to shop!
Leaving this busy shopping and entertainment hub behind continue on the north side of the path (you will pass in front of the Loch Fyne Restaurant) by County Lock and soon you will have the path to yourself as you follow the pleasant path out of Reading. First you will enjoy the back gardens of the old Victorian terraced houses of Elgar Road opposite. These narrow but long gardens extend right to the river and of course the residents make full use of this with, e.g. seating areas right by the canal. I simply love looking into other people’s gardens despite not being a keen gardener myself. I wonder how much this riverside location adds to the house prices?
The canal tow path continues southwards for a while before turning right and after passing through the tunnel beneath the busy IDR (A33) the walk soon takes on a more rural feel. I often cycle here either on my commute to the office or on my way to a football match at the Mad Stad. The island at Fobney lock has been turned into a pleasant nature reserve – particularly lovely in early summer when the wildflowers are at their best. Unfortunately, I have to have a whinge here. Fobney Lock has become a popular picnic and meeting place for young people and I often find the area badly littered with empty crisp packets and beer cans. The council have installed a bin here but I think that is completely counterproductive. Has littering in the countryside ever been improved by litter bins? My opinion is that it makes the problem worse (over-flowing bins, scavenging rats and gulls etc). Surely it is not too much to ask people to take their rubbish home with them?
Leaving Fobney Island behind the path now continued pleasantly to Southcote Lock. This is a pretty spot and here a footbridge takes you to the other side. Next you reach the boat club and moorings at Burghfield Road and after crossing under the bridge the conveniently located and popular ‘Cunning Man’ pub and restaurant invites for a meal or a drink. There is also a transport café nearby. Of course I had to press on – had to get home before dark! The path continues alongside the gently flowing waters of the canal past Burghfield Lock and then I had to share it with a herd of grazing cows. They were friendly and got out of the way when I needed to get past them. At Hissey’s Bridge I left the path for the short walk home.
My highlights:
- Horseshoe Bridge
- Oracle
- Fobney Lock
- Southcote Lock
Wildlife:
- Ducks, geese, swans, gulls, songbirds and lots of cows
Useful information
Transport:
- Bus to Reading Station
- Reading (Oracle riverside)
- pub/restaurant and transport café at Burghfield bridge
- Oracle shopping centre, Reading
Elgar Road
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Burghfield Road Bridge
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