Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
Kennet and Avon: Reading to Hungerford
This section of the walk begins where the River Kennet meets the Thames near the centre of Reading before proceeding through reading and, once past Theale, running parallel to the A4 before a more urban aspect at Thatcham, passing through industrial estates into Newbury, where the canal proper begins. Once clear of Newbury and passing under the A34 trunk road the scenery is decidedly rural until the small town of Hungerford.
Section Length: 29.29 miles (47.14 km)
Time Taken: 10 hrs 5 mins
Dates Walked: 5th, 18th and 26th April 2018
Logistics: This section of the walk was completed in three parts.
The first from Reading to Theale (8 miles). For this I parked at Theale station (alf a mile from the canal) and caught a train to Reading (two trains an hour).
The second part was Theale to Newbury (12.6 miles). For this I parked at Newbury station and caught a train to Theale (twice hourly service).
The final leg was Newbury to Hungerford (8.69 miles). Here I parked at Hungerford station before catching a train to Newbury (hourly service)
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The walk begins at the confluence of the Rivers Kennet and Thames in Reading. To be honest a pretty nondescript and ugly place as the vista is dominated by the Great Western Railway passing over the river.
The first couple of miles of the walk isn’t particularly inspirational, passing through probably one of the least salubrious parts of Reading and certainly not somewhere you would want to walk after dark.
Indeed, it isn’t particularly pleasant walking through this part in the day time either with groups of eastern Europeans aimlessly sitting swigging from cans of lager and strong cider.
However the gloom lifts as you past the old Huntley and Palmer building on the opposite bank as, once long ago, Reading was home to a biscuit factory.
From here on the canal passes through a rejuvenated part of town, dominated by the Octagon shopping centre and, although only a short way into the walk, there are plenty of restaurants along this stretch of the canal if you need refuelling, which could be a good idea as it will be a long way before the next potential refreshment stop.
Once past the shopping centre the path crosses to the other side of the river as you encounter the first of many weirs along this stretch.
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After passing under the Burghfield Road bridge you will find The Cunning Man pub, which has a pleasant garden overlooking the river.
Shortly after re-crossing the river at Burghfield lock, there is a change in going as the reasonably good path disappears and you climb a style to enter a farmer’s field, which on the day I walked was very muddy and boggy.
As you proceed along the field the hum of traffic becomes more and more pervasive and crossing the river again you will get your first glance of the M4 motorway.
Once under the motorway you do, at least, have the benefit of a wide and reasonably well made path which will take you past the grass lined Garston lock towards Theale. If you want to 'bail out' here Theale station is a short walk away with a twice hourly service to Reading or Newbury.
Leaving Theale the scenery is attractive with the route being tree lined with the added bonus of a wide and relatively well maintained towpath.
Crossing the river at Ufton the route continues towards Aldermaston Wharf, the final approach being a relatively boring walk past a small industrial estate before passing a busy boatyard before arriving at the wharf itself, which is OK but nothing to get really excited about. There is a small tearoom with seasonal opening times but, be warned, it is only open certain days of the week, even in peak season.
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It's time to cross the water again at Aldermaston Wharf but, be warned, it also means crossing a relatively busy road. If the cafe is closed there are some benches by the lock which make for a good rest point to have your packed lunch.
From here it's a pleasant two mile stroll to Woolhampton, although some of the route does go through fields, as opposed to a more traditional towpath, so be prepared for some muddy underfoot conditions if the weather has not been clement.
At Woolhampton you will reach The Rowbarge, which is a pleasant but very expensive riverside pub. I was charged £3.30 for a pint of orange juice and lemonade which consisted of 75% lemonade from the squirty pump machine, a somewhat excessive mark-up in my opinion. I'm not sure about the quality of the extensive food menu but it struck me as being on the overly expensive side .... having said all that the pub did seem popular, even midweek outside school holidays, so it's obviously a case of supply and demand and as a committed Capitalist I cannot really blame them for optimising their profits - I would just prefer it wasn't at my expense.
The next stage, towards Thatcham, is actually quite depressing and very boring with the scenery being mainly open fields and even they were not that attractive.
Approaching Thatcham it becomes even more dire with the river passing depressing, cheap looking, sometimes seemingly dodgy, industrial units.
Unless you have a thing about car safety then, frankly, Thatcham has no redeeming features whatsoever, even the railway station, next to the river is one of those boring, modern, open plan stations with something looking like an unloved bus shelter providing the only shelter.
Leaving Thatcham the scenery is slightly better, then again it couldn't be much worse than its eastern approach.
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Coming into Newbury there is a tricky bridge / road crossing at the busy Hambridge Road but once past this obstacle the scenery becomes surprisingly very attractive again with trees providing much needed shelter on a very sunny day.
If you have been walking for a while your legs will feel the steep bridge crossing the river close to a large Tesco store, a good place to refuel if needed.
After nearby Ham Lock the waterway effectively switches from being a river to a more traditional canal whilst the River Kennet meanders parallel to the north.
In contrast to Thatcham the approach into Newbury from the east is truly delightful culminating in Victoria Park, a large green expanse in the town centre. As an added bonus there is a delightful tearoom on the south side of the canal, as luck would have it just by the point where you need to cross the canal.
If the view entering Newbury from the east is good then the scenery leaving to the west is more stunning, none more so than just after crossing West Mills swing bridge and looking back towards the town with St Nicholas church in the background.
It's also clear you are now walking along a canal rather than a river as the number of moored canal boats suddenly increases.
The area west of Newbury is a little bit of a disappointment, especially after having been spoilt by the delightful scenery in the town. On the plus side there is a pretty reasonable towpath along this stretch.
This stretch is steadily uphill with locks appearing with increasing frequency, most of them attractive in their own way.
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It's also a stretch where you will not be alone as there are plenty of dog walkers and plenty of canal traffic. Most of the locks also have seats which make for good resting places.
There are also plenty of delightful and typical brick canal bridges along this stretch which add to the atmosphere, especially when you come across a canal boat approaching the bridge.
The canal runs alongside a Great western branch line serving the Devon coast, although you are aware of the trains there are only a small handful passing by each hour so it's not as obtrusive as, for example, the West Coast line passing by the Grand Union canal.
The towpath does become changeable, varying between well made to dried ruts worn in the turf and I can see these becoming boggy after it rains.
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Soon you will reach the beautiful village of Kintbury, with a railway station yards from the canal if you've had enough walking, bear in mind there is only an hourly service at this station. There is also a pub, however if you want to eat alfresco and you have bought your own vittles there is a picnic table by the lock.
Continuing towards Hungerford the towpath does become rather hit and miss and very uneven, you need to lift your feet to avoid tripping over stones or tree roots and it's not the ideal stretch if your feet are heavy after a long days walking.
The path crosses the canal at Dunmill lock, one of the more attractive locks along the canal and, from here, it's just under a mile to Hungerford.
Hungerford is a delightful market town with plenty of independent stores and a couple of delightful tea shops, or if you prefer something stronger, some nice, historic pubs.
Of course Hungerford became renown for all the wrong reasons when, on 19th August 1987, Michael Ryan went on a rampage in the town, killing 16 people.
There is a railway station in the town.
Next: Hungerford to Bradford On Avon
Return to Kennet and Avon home page
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