Locks, Fox(hangers bridge) and Lunch (Big South Christmas)

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Join Chris on this easy, 9km walk along the Kennet and Avon Canal, taking in the Caen Hill Locks, a pub lunch and the 17th century village of Rowde.

Our relatively flat walk will start from the Braeside Education Centre, follow alongisde the Caen Hill Locks then the Kennett and Avon Canal to The Three Magpies Pub for lunch.  After lunch we will doubleback slightly, to pick up the path across the fields to the village of Rowde, where we might have time to stop at The George and Dragon for a quick drink.  After this brief warm-up stop we will head back to Braeside, passing through the Diamond Jubilee Woods, rejoining the Caen Hill Locks.

The Caen Hill Locks is a series of 15 locks, completed in 1810 and used to ascend and descend the 1 in 44 gradient.  There are large "pounds" to assist in regulating the water levels throughout the flight of locks.  After falling into disrepair and disuse due to the advent of rail travel, the locks were cleaned up, repaired and turned over to British Waterways and are now used by hundreds of canal boats exploring the K&A Canal.

The 140km long Kennet and Avon Canal runs from Bristol to Reading, and the Caen Hill Locks section was the last to be completed, linking the entire length of this historic waterway.  It would take 2 to 3 weeks to traverse the entire length in a narrowboat.

The 17th C. village of Rowde now consists mostly of modern, brick-built houses, but the village hall was built in 1887, the George and Dragon pub is a 16th C. Grade II listed building, and the Church of St Matthew has a 15th C, bell tower.  The current population stands at just over 1,200!

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Photos: Courtesy of unsplash and OutdoorLads and used with permission and thanks.

Dogs: Furry friends are more than welcome on this easy walk!

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