kennet & avon canal devizes to reading distance?

i live in devizes and have always cycled on the canal to trowbridge,bath but have never tried going the other way yet (have only ever cycled as far as pewsey vale on towpath).

i would like to remedy that and cycle to reading and back on my new mtb but not being fit was wondering what the distance would be roughly? am guessing about 40 miles each way.

also how is the towpath to reading,am guessing a bit more unkempt compared to bath way.

thanks in advance 🙂

one of the my neighbours cycled it from Reading to Bath with her 8 year old daughter over two days…

Easy – apparently. It’s flat, gravelled (mostly), nice pubs etc etc.

on the following basis.

I have ridden the ridgeway from Avebury to Goring and back and someone i ride with rode the Ridgeway and returned on the K&A.

Both rides were about 90miles.

So yes the K&A is going to be about 40, depending on exactly where you get on, and being a canal the biggest climb your going to face is the locks in Devizes. I can’t comment on the whole route but the bits i have been on have a decent surface. may be a bit splashy in wet weather.

might be wrong but I think its a bit further, Reading to Kintbury 27 miles, Kintbury to Devizes 35 miles, so 60ish one way according to the K&A guide https://www.sustrans.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/files/migrated-pdfs/KAcycleguide.pdf

I’ve cycled from Reading to Chepstow via the K&A, was a couple of years ago so might have changed but worst bit of path was Devizes to Hungerford, normal canal towpath, other bits were hardpack gravel etc. No problem on a mountain bike though. Official cycle route comes off the canal to avoid that bit. You could cycle to Pewsey, get the train to Reading and cycle back if you’re not sure about fitness?

One way is about 56 miles (according to google cycle route planner). I’ve ridden between Reading and Bedwyn lots, and the surface varies from fairly narrow and bumpy gravel or dirt, to well kept towpath. The variation keeps it more interesting and it’s all fine in the dry. It can get puddly, gritty and muddy after a wet spell though. Going from Devices (top of Caen hill flight of course!) it is at the top of the canal so it’s all gently downhill, but of course it is just flat sections with a small blip up or down for locks, depending which direction you’re going.

If you’re not so fit then a 112 mile out and back will be fairly tough and a bit boring covering the reverse of what you’ve just done. Maybe try a return trip to Hungerford or Newbury instead, it’s lovely countryside the whole way and some nice pub/cafe opportunities to be had. If you need to bail or shorten the ride you can always catch the train to Bedwyn or Pewsey and cycle the rest home. For that length of time on the towpath, be sure to take a bell!

Out on the Ridgeway and back on the canal, with a nice pub lunch stop each day, sounds like a nice idea for a weekend tour. Might look into that for next year.

thanks for the replies 🙂

am going to build up to it as def not fit enough for 100 plus miles atm.

it is strange i have never ridden the reading way on the towpath (and have lived in devizes my whole life to boot lol).

Bath to Newbury is about 80km along canal.

I used to commute Bedwyn to Newbury on the towpath. It’s very pleasant but might get a bit dull if you look at it as a ride… lovely scenery and some quite remote bits over the full length though so very enjoyable. The alternate road routes are decent if you wanted to throw in a bit of variation, but personally I love the stretches from Pewsey Wharf to Wootton Rivers.

If you wanted to curtail it and use trains, a better bet is to look at Bedwyn than Pewsey – it’s the end of the line for the ‘Thames Turbos’  so easier to get a bike on and more trains available. I used to get the train from Bedwyn to Reading, change up to Goring and Ridgeway back to the Sanctuary, drop into Pewsey Vale and home along the towpath, nice vareed day out that.