The perfect choice for a canal boat holiday in the UK, the Kennet & Avon Canal links the Bristol Channel in the west with the River Thames in the east, winding its way sedately through some of our best loved countryside, including areas of outstanding natural beauty and the southern tip of the Cotswolds. A delightful array of attractions adorns your route and the graceful aqueducts designed by John Rennie at Avoncliff and Dundas are fine examples of the canal's beautiful architecture.
Cutting through wooded hills and the dramatic Avon Gorge, passing historic towns and villages on its way – don't miss the 14th century Tithe Barn at Bradford on Avon – the most popular section for canal boats connects the elegant city of Bath with Bristol. Both cities offer so much to see and enjoy, from Bath's stunning Georgian architecture, Roman Baths and fine shopping to Bristol's Floating Harbour Marina and rich maritime history.
Between the amazing two mile flight of 29 locks at Caen Hill at the historic town of Devizes and Newbury, your canal boat holiday takes you through a wonderfully peaceful and secluded landscape including the lovely Vale of Pewsey's 15 miles of lock free canal – look for the White Horse cut into the chalk hillside – before entering the Bruce Tunnel, the only tunnel on the waterway. And you'll find good towpath walking and a more open landscape from Newbury to Reading, where the new Oracle Shopping Centre has the waterway as its centrepiece.