How to get there - Batheaston is on the A4, two miles east of Bath. From the roundabout at the eastern end of the Batheason Swainswick Bypass turn north into London Road East. The free public car park is after a quarter of a mile on the left, immediately after the roundabout. For those with SatNav the postcode is BA1 7RL.
Get a map with driving directions to
start (enter the postcode of your starting point at A)
Suggested Launch Site - There is a set of concrete steps down to a good get in point.
General
Description - This trip combines the best of a section of the River Avon with a paddle on the Kennet & Avon Navigation offering fine views over the valley below and the hills above. There are no locks or weirs to negotiate but there are nevertheless two fairly lengthy portages, first from the toll bridge across the River Avon at Bathampton for about a quarter of a mile to the Kennet & Avon Navigation at the Gearge pub and second (slightly shorter) from the Canal near the Claverton Pumping Station over a railway level crossing to the River Avon below Warleigh Weir. A portage trolley is therefore very highly recommended for this trip.
After about one and a half miles is the site of the inclined plane which brought Bath stone from Conkwell Quarry at the top of the hill to the wharf at the bottom.
The Claverton Pump is driven by a waterwheel & pumps water (up to 100,000 gallons an hour) from the river up 50 feet into the canal. The Pumping Station is open to the public every Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday from early April to late October and, if you have the time, is well worth a visit.
The trip is of five and a half miles in total.
