Thinking of cycling from Reading to the in-laws in Bath over Xmas.
I know Devizes to Bath is predictable, well surfaced tow path, but anyone know what Devizes to Reading stretch is like these days?
Is it surfaced or dodgy mud footpath strewn with freshly trimmed hawthorn hedge?

Cheers

Devizes to Hungerford can be pretty muddy in places but not all the way not to bad in places up to Newbury don’t know what it is like after Newbury like you say Devizes to Bath is the least muddy mind Devizes to Newbury is much quieter people wise.

Reading to Newbury is a good surface almost all the way, on to Hungerford is a bit mixed in places but should be fine.

Thanks both – good to know Reading-Newbury has improved since I last did it…which was about 12years ago at least.
cheers

I don’t ride the canal that much in the winter as it gets very puddle-y in places, especially either end of Newbury where it gets lots of use. After this rain it’s going to have some pretty wet spots. There are still unsurfaced field paths either side of Tyle Mill/Sulhamstead which might not be good if there are animals in them, and some of the stuff north of Hungerford is narrow and bumpy non-surfaced stuff. Why not do strategic detours around some of the bits that will inevitably be slow and horrible? Route 4 from Hungerford to Burbage is very pleasant even in winter, you could use it to get to Devizes?

As above, it’s mostly fine to Newbury. There are a few sections that are fields rather than paths, and a few bits of towpath are unsurfaced. But not to the point of being a problem unless you expect to be averaging road bike speeds. I’ve done it on the road bike in the summer. This time of year I’d suggest a cross/gravel bike at a minimum, and some tread on the tyres.

Follow the NCN route, not the towpath as in a few places the towpath deviates off into a boggy field and the NCN uses side roads and access tracks.

Yeah, use the NCN between Burghfield and Sulhamstead swing bridge, the towpath disappears for a while, and it’s all flooded there at the moment too!

Would anyone have a route file for Bath to Reading (ideally with diversions avoiding any boggy fields)? 🙂 Ta!

Thatcham to Kintbury should be OK, they have resurfaced quite a bit of it. It does get pretty bad from Kintbury to Bedwyn but the Sustrans route diverts around that.

If the weathers good I’d be inclined to get off at Benham Locks & head up to Coombe Gibbet / Walbury Hill & pick a route to Great Bedwyn to pick up the canal again. I’d even consider detouring from Great Bedwyn through Savernake Forest, across Marlborough Downs to Avebury & then onto Devizes

Would anyone have a route file for Bath to Reading (ideally with diversions avoiding any boggy fields)? 🙂 Ta!

I’m only familiar with the bit from Newbury to Reading, but literally just follow the towpath and blue NCN signs and you miss the boggy bit. Past the cunning man pub and the cycle path goes left into the trees and the towpath becomes a footpath that eventually crosses a bridge to the boggy bit. If you do somehow miss it then it’s no biggie, the cycle-tracks is mostly puddles at the moment anyway.