Where did Finn and I stop for lunch today, 18th July 2019?

[whole diary]

[froome]

Very nice little tea shop and garden next to the aqueduct.

It's a nice garden but I wasn't that impressed by the cheese and stuff sandwich I had there last Sunday. Probably should have gone to the pub instead!

Oh dear. Sounds like standards may have slipped. Mind you it was more than two years ago since we last ate there.

Yes, it has gone through a few changes of owner in the last few years, and food standards have changed accordingly. It used to be wonderful, but last time I stopped there I wasn't impressed.

[froome]

The K and A lends itself to railway linked walks. Train to Trowbridge, walk to Devizes, bus to Bath.
Train to Pewsey, walk to Devizes and bus to Bath.
Pewsey to Bedwyn is another
Nice level walking with plenty to see.

Unfortunately I didn't spot this thread before someone else came up with the right answer, so I'll go off on a tangent and respond to this instead 

I have cycled the complete length of the K&A towpath from Bath to Reading, and walked a fair bit of it as well. Going east it is reasonably well-surfaced from Widcombe locks at Bath to the eastern outskirts of Devizes (although even on that section there is a dodgy length around Seend). From Theale into Reading it is also reasonably well surfaced, although part of the "towpath" is nowhere near the canal as it passes by the M4 Reading Services. There is a bit of private land there that causes the diversion.

Between Devizes and Theale it is generally only surfaced at the locks and wharves, and the rest of it is grass. Or mud... You can have excellent walks along it as long as there has not been any substantial rain lately, which tends to preclude the winter months because it won't dry out much even if it hasn't rained for a week.

One particularly lousy section is between Froxfield and Hungerford, where it essentially runs along the edge of a field. This field usually contains cattle and, when they want a drink, you can guess where they go to get the water from. Heavy buggers, cows...

There is also a tunnel at Burbage and the towpath leaves the canal for a bit and starts again on the other side.

In case anyone is interested, here s the the view that Streetview gives of that bit of railway at Avoncliff: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3391305,-2.283005,3a,53.4y,244.92h,86.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3RFZGUu3H-tFey_KUmYMuw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

From experience, I wouldn't recommend going along it out of Bath in icy weather. It can be a sheet of ice and absolutely treacherous.

Any other time, though, it is a wonderful cycle or walk.

[johnneyw]

Avoncliffe aqueduct with lunch at the Cross Guns, which my gran used to keep a long time ago.
It is a pleasant walk from Bradford on Avon, we used occasionally wander all the way to Bath. The good thing about the K & A is that there are pubs every four miles!

Correct. Well, there's a redundant 'e' in your answer. Avoncliff.

Lunch was indeed partaken in the Cross Guns. I drove down the lane to the pub. Losing my passenger side wing mirror in the process. A partially fallen woodeb fence post hidden by greenery took out the mirror.

But what a fantastic location to have lunch and leisurely shandy. I sat by the riverside, watching the trout in the shallows. With barges crossing the aquaduct and trains passing through Avoncliff Station across the river.

Another location I'd highly recommended. And whilst I drove there, I'd suggest taking the train and then doing the walk along the canal to Bradford-on-Avon.

So annoying, I thought I had a head start on one of BNMs fiendish quizzes and I had to go out before the solution was revealed. It's an area I've walked a lot. I do salute your choice of day out location though, it's almost unreasonably lovely there.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Losing my passenger side wing mirror in the process. A partially fallen wooden fence post hidden by greenery took out the mirror.

Been there: done that. 

With barges crossing the aquaduct ...

It's an aqueduct, and they are narrowboats, not barges. 

[grahame]

With barges crossing the aquaduct ...

It's an aqueduct, and they are narrowboats, not barges. 

The picture is a narrowboat (width just under 7 foot) but there are also some barges (width just under 14 foot) that will pass across Avoncliff Aquaduct on the Kennet and Avon canal.  The majority of canals in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) have locks and other structures just 7 foot wide, hence the prevalence of narrowboats even on broad canals such as the K&A; narrow boats can pass through locks side by side on such a broad beam canal.

[johnneyw]

It's also a do-able walk from Avoncliff to Iford (although with a bit of climb out of the valley) where one can experience the delights of the Peto Italianate Gardens. It's a real gem, even from the outside with the ornate bridge over the river at the front. The Iford Estate is also home to Iford Cider but at present it seems to be online ordering only although I first came across it at the Bath Christmas Market. It's rather nice! 😁

[Bmblbzzz]

The K and A lends itself to railway linked walks. Train to Trowbridge, walk to Devizes, bus to Bath.
Train to Pewsey, walk to Devizes and bus to Bath.
Pewsey to Bedwyn is another
Nice level walking with plenty to see.

Unfortunately I didn't spot this thread before someone else came up with the right answer, so I'll go off on a tangent and respond to this instead 

I have cycled the complete length of the K&A towpath from Bath to Reading, and walked a fair bit of it as well. Going east it is reasonably well-surfaced from Widcombe locks at Bath to the eastern outskirts of Devizes (although even on that section there is a dodgy length around Seend). From Theale into Reading it is also reasonably well surfaced, although part of the "towpath" is nowhere near the canal as it passes by the M4 Reading Services. There is a bit of private land there that causes the diversion.

Between Devizes and Theale it is generally only surfaced at the locks and wharves, and the rest of it is grass. Or mud... You can have excellent walks along it as long as there has not been any substantial rain lately, which tends to preclude the winter months because it won't dry out much even if it hasn't rained for a week.

One particularly lousy section is between Froxfield and Hungerford, where it essentially runs along the edge of a field. This field usually contains cattle and, when they want a drink, you can guess where they go to get the water from. Heavy buggers, cows...

There is also a tunnel at Burbage and the towpath leaves the canal for a bit and starts again on the other side.

In case anyone is interested, here s the the view that Streetview gives of that bit of railway at Avoncliff: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3391305,-2.283005,3a,53.4y,244.92h,86.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3RFZGUu3H-tFey_KUmYMuw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'm impressed that you've cycled the whole length. I've cycled it from Bath to Devizes and also odd bits around Hungerford, but those were so bumpy and muddy it put me off trying the rest. West of Devizes it's great. Slow progress but speed is not what canals are about, either on the water or the tow path. I love seeing the herons which stand impassively as you pass a couple of feet from them!

[CyclingSid]

Cycled Hungerford to Newbury last Saturday. Better than last time I did it. Seem to have solved a particularly bad bit of "surface dressing" i.e. filling a hole with two inches of gravel (which the Brompton didn't like). Rest of Newbury to Reading is reasonable, but the detour round Burghfield Mill is not very attractive as you say.

[Robin Summerhill]

Cycled Hungerford to Newbury last Saturday.

Did you spot the bit of broad gauge rail being used for bridge strengthening at Kintbury?

[CyclingSid]

No I didn't, more attention being paid to looking for the horse barge.