Keynsham to Bath Canal Walk

9.6 miles (15.5 km)

This walk follows a section of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail from Keynsham to Bath. Starting from Keynsham Lock the trail heads east along the river towpath to Swineford and Saltford before heading along the canal into Bath.... The route runs for just under 10 miles along a flat, easy path that is also suitable for cycling.
The route begins at Keynsham Lock, a historically significant site where a brass mill once operated on the adjacent island during the eighteenth century, powered by the waters of the River Avon. As you head east toward Swineford and Saltford, you are technically walking along a modified river navigation rather than a man-made canal channel. Swineford features a historic lock and the remains of a nineteenth-century copper mill, while Saltford is famous for its ancient brass mill, built in the 1720s, which stands as one of the oldest surviving industrial buildings of its type in Britain. The final stretch of the journey takes you past the dramatic locks at Bathampton before the trail connects directly into the heart of the historic city of Bath, terminating near the magnificent architectural landmark of Pulteney Bridge.
The riverbanks and canal corridors along this nine-mile stretch provide a protected environment for a diverse selection of British wildlife and aquatic flora. The slow-moving waters and dense reedbeds are home to kingfishers, grey herons, and a healthy population of mute swans, while banded demoiselle damselflies can regularly be seen flitting across the water docks and hemp-agrimony lining the banks. Lucky walkers may also spot otters hunting in the quieter stretches of the river near Swineford. In the surrounding woodland and fields that border the path, ancient willows and alder trees dominate the shoreline, providing a secure nesting canopy for various songbirds and noctule bats that feed over the water at dusk.