As it flows its course from Reading to Bristol the Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the Wiltshire towns and villages of Devizes, Hilperton and Pewsey. The most famous feature on the Kennet and Avon Canal is The Caen Hill Lock Flight which consists of 16 locks and is thought to be the most impressive anywhere on the UK's waterways. They were engineer John Rennie's solution to climbing the very steep hill near to Devizes. The Caen HillLocks are part of a longer 29-lock flight all packed into just over two miles. The Bruce Tunnel is the only tunnel on the Kennet and Avon and named after Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury, the local landowner. When the canal was being built he would not allow a deep cutting through his land and insisted on a tunnel being constructed instead.
Hilperton in Wiltshire is one of the Uks largest villages and is separated from Trowbridge by only a few fields. The Kennett and Avon weaves through the village leading to spectacular scenery between the River Thames and the River Avon at Bristol. The market town of Devizes is located close to the Kennet and Avon Canal and situated in the Vale of Pewsey in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside. Sample the beers and take a tour of the Wadworth Brewery Visitor Centre and discover how the beer is still brewed by old fashioned methods today. Look out for the working shire horses who are a familiar sight in the streets of Devizes and visit their stables to meet them. Learn about the 200 year history of the canal at the Kennet and Avon Trust Museum.
Where the exhibits tell the story of life throughout the ages from construction to present day. The Vale of Pewsey is recognised as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and covers an area from Devizes to Avebury. Pewsey Wharf is a mile from the village centre, and has developed as a canal side settlement on its own, with a cafe, warehouses and cottages. The area is a hotspot for crop circles which are geometric and extremely complicated shapes that mysteriously appear overnight in fields. Pewsey is also famous for the white horse which is carved into the chalky hillside.
Aldermaston on the Kennet and Avon canal >
Alvechurch on the Worcester and Birmingham canal >
Anderton on the Trent and Mersey canal >
Blackwater on the Llangollen canal >
Falkirk on the Forth and Clyde canal >
Gailey on the Shropshire Union canal >
Gayton on the Grand Union canal >
Goytre on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal >
Hilperton on the Kennet and Avon canal >
Kings Orchard on the Coventry canal >
March on the River Ouse canal >
Springwood Haven on the canal >
Whitchurch on the Llangollen canal >
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