Posted on by Jennifer

Kennet and Avon Canal Boating

Note: Click on any photo to get a larger version.

About a year ago, YouTube got Zach interested in the extensive canal system in the UK. These canals were built starting in the Roman era, and were used for transportation until the advent of the railroads provided a more reliable and cheaper form of transportation that could carry more goods and people. In modern times, the canals have been rehabilitated, and many people enjoy boating on them in narrowboats, which are typically 6 feet 10 inches wide and 30 to 72 feet long; some canals can accommodate boats up to 12 feet wide. There are several companies that rent out narrowboats equipped with beds and kitchens, and there is also a large community of people who live on their boats, occasionally moving them from place to place, and using the canal-side towpaths for walking or bicycling transportation to shops and other services. There was also a British TV series called Rosie and Jim about canal boat living, which featured some very silly puppets that came to life when no one was looking, which aired in the 1990s (you can find episodes on YouTube).

With this in mind, in late May we flew to the UK to experience the canal system for ourselves. We rented a narrowboat for a week from Wiltshire Narrowboats, met up with Zach’s mom (Virginia) and his older sister Valinda in Bath, England, and after a short orientation, set off for a week of learning how to cruise the canal, turn the boat around, operate the locks and swing bridges, moor for the night, etc. on the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Boat galley
The boat we rented had two cabins, two bathrooms, and a galley with eating space (removable table)
Swans on Kennet and Avon Canal
Most days we saw swans, usually with cygnets. We sometimes had to be careful not to let them into the locks with us.
Kennet and Avon Canal
Much of the time, we were cruising quietly through the English countryside. There was a towpath alongside, and the boat was going at a slow strolling pace, so you could easily get out and walk along and keep up with the boat.
tunnel near Bath on Kennet and Avon Canal
We went through two short tunnels near Bath. Some canals have much longer tunnels.
Dundas Aqueduct
We went over two picturesque aqueducts. This is the Dundas Aqueduct, as viewed from below.
Tithe Barn, Bradford on Avon
On our third morning, we came back to the lock at Bradford on Avon that we had started from, and found out that it was closed for the day due to lack of water. So we spent the day wandering around the town, and visited this medieval landmark called the Tithe Barn
mooring a canal boat
Most nights we moored the boat at a random spot on the side of the canal. We tried to find places that weren’t too covered in weeds and get as close to shore as we could without getting stuck, but in case of weeds or shallows we had a plank we could put out to get from the boat to shore.

Here’s a video of us opening a swing bridge on the canal so we could go through — you have to push it out of the way, go through, and then push it back into place so people can use the bridge:

Caen Hill lock
We went up (and back down) the famous Caen Hill flight of 29 locks. All the locks on the Kennet and Avon canal are operated by boaters and volunteer lock keepers, and operating them involves cranking some paddles up and down to allow water to enter or leave the lock, and pushing the gates open and closed — it can be hard work!  Sometimes we had to maneuver around other boats that were coming out of the lock we were going into and vice versa. Each lock could hold up to two narrowboats, so sometimes there were four boats to play Tetris with in a small space.
Caen Hill locks
An overview of the 16 central Caen Hill locks

Route Statistics

Start/End: Bradford on Avon Wharf
Route: West to Bath, turn around at winding hole near the Tesco, back to the east, up Caen Hill Locks to Devizes, turn around at winding hole near Devizes Wharf, and back to Bradford on Avon
Locks: 37 each direction
Aqueducts: 5 each direction
Tunnels: 2 each direction
Swing bridges: 9 each direction
Miles: 21 each direction
Weather: Mix! We were glad for our rain gear, but we also had many periods of sun. The wind blew us around some days and made steering a challenge.
Wildlife sightings: Swans, moor hens, a fox, ducks, herons
Issues: Bradford lock closure (1 day when we couldn’t go anywhere), and 1 of our 2 toilets backed up due to tank filling up

Useful Apps

  • Open Canal Map — shows the canal and facilities such as locks, bridges, and pubs
  • OSMAnd — Open Street Map application for Android, which includes boat-based navigation

Stay tuned… after turning in the boat, we headed to Stonehenge and then on to London, which we’ll post about later!

Trip: UK 2026Tags: , , States/Countries: United Kingdom

Map: The green marker shows the beginning of the route. Click on red markers to see a note or information about that spot. Hover over, tap, or highlight a section of the elevation profile to see where it is on the map. Elevation profile and maps are approximate.


3 Replies to “Kennet and Avon Canal Boating”

  1. I never heard about those narrow boats before. Cosy :-)
    Seems like a good way to “practice” a holiday. Comfortable as your accommodation is moving, you are active and challenged aswell. Nice !

  3. Great experience! A unique adventure. What fun! Thanks for sharing. I got a taste of what it was like.

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