Newbury Discovery Trail
Route facts
Waterways:
Kennet & Avon Canal »
Duration: 1.5 hours
Circular route from: Newbury Wharf
This trail is one of several along the Kennet & Avon Canal, a National Waterway Walk. The route follows public rights of way and is marked along the towpath with symbol A above and along Bowdown Wood with symbol B (should you want a longer walk).
Please follow the country code and not drop litter and close all gates.
The trail gives you the opportunity to enjoy the historical bustle of Newbury. You can choose to stroll around the town or take a longer walk.
Getting there
Parking: There is parking in Newbury.
Public transport: Newbury has a train station and trains from here go to Thatcham and London.
Waypoints
1. Newbury Wharf to Newbury Museum
The route begins at Newbury Wharf which was an extensive quay with two basins as well as riverside moorings. Many of the wharf buildings have been demolished, however, the Granary building is now home to the museum and the 'Stone Building' is now used by the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust. Turn right down Wharf Road, passing the Kennet Horse Boat Co. on your left. They offer 3 hour public trips departing from Newbury Wharf from mid-April to the end of September. The walk will take you right at this point and after a brief walk in this direction, you will see Newbury Museum. It is housed in a 17th Century cloth hall and the 18th Granary with an excellent range of displays on the history of the area. The building opposite the museum, Kendrick House, is another original wharf building.
2. Newbury Museum to St. Nicolas House
From the museum, the route will take you past the Market Place, where you will see the Old Wagon and Horses pub on your right which has a riverside beer garden which over looks the River Kennet. The route will take you down Bartholomew Street and then right along Craven Road. On your right, you will see St. Nicolas Church which was built between 1500 and 1532. It is a monument to the past wealth of Newbury. Further along the road, you will notice St. Nicolas House on the left, a blue-gre brick with red brick decoration. It is an important mid-18th Century house with a fine doorway.
3. St. Nicolas House to Newbury Lock
Continue along Craven Road, passing West Mills which was one of the wharves on the canal and is lined with period houses. Flats have now been built on the site of Town Mill. The tall building near the swing bridge was once part of the Hovis Flour Mill built around 1930 and has now also been converted into flats. The route will begin to go back on itself, this time along Kennet & Avon Canal. You will come to Newbury Lock on your right. It was the first lock to be built on the Kennet & Avon Canal, in 1796. It is broad, with a brick lock-chamber and is the only lock on the canal with lever-operated ground-paddles, called 'Jack Cloughs'.
4. Newbury Lock to Newbury Bridge
You can get excellent views of Newbury Lock from a pub further along called The Lock, Stock & Barrel which is an ideal place to get some refreshments. Just past the pub is Newbury Bridge which was built between 1769 and 172 by James Clarke to carry the old Oxford to Southampton road across the River Kennet. It replaced earlier wooden structures and is one of the oldest bridges on the canal. It is only a short distance from here to where you began.
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