NCR 4 and cycling the K&A
National Cycle Route 4 largely follows the path of the Kennet & Avon Canal all the way from Bristol in the west to Reading and the Thames in the east. It’s part of the National Cycle Network established by the cycling charity Sustrans.
NCR 4 actually goes 432 miles (695 km) from Fishguard in Wales to Greenwich near London
Sustrans, short for Sustainable Transportation, in fact, got its start back in the late 1970s with the establishment of the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, which connects the two cities using the abandoned line of the Midland Railway. NCR 4 follows the railway path, but the path loops far north of the River Avon (which also becomes the Kennet & Avon at Hanham), crossing the river twice before joining it west of Bath.
The Bristol & Bath Railway Path begins in Newtown, a subdivision of Bristol, and from there it’s 97 miles (156 km) to Lock No. 107 in Reading via NCR 4
The railway path ends at Brassmill Lane near Weston Lock west of Bath, but NCR 4 continues as West Bath Riverside Path, paralleling the river. The path and NCR 4, however, part north of Green Park, with NCR 4 continuing through the heart of Bath and crossing the Avon at Pulteney Bridge. The cycle route then skirts Sydney Gardens before joining the towpath of the Kennet & Avon.
NCR 4 more or less follows the towpath all the way to Devizes, past the Caen Hill flight of locks. Just east of Devizes, however, it leaves the towpath at Coate Road, passing through Coate, Etchilhampton, Beechingstoke and Pewsey, sort of paralleling the canal but to the south.
The National Cycle Network comprises some 16,575 miles (26,675 km) of routes, 5,273 miles (8,486 km) of which are traffic free
I’m not sure why the cycle route eschews the towpath here. From the Canal & River Trust accessibility map, it looks like the towpath is suitable for biking, but national cycle routes mostly opt for quiet for quiet, one-lane country roads. The towpath is also occasionally muddy, which is off putting for those using the cycle network for daily use such as commuting. It might also be that Sustrans and the CRT didn’t want to overwhelm the towpath.
After Pewsey, NCR 4 plays tag with the towpath, crossing it like a doodle drawn by a hyperactive 4-year-old armed with a crayon, before following the canal again, but at a safe distance, at Crofton. At Kintbury, for instance, it follows Station Road less than a thousand feet or 300 meters south of the canal.
At Hamstead Lock west of Newbury, however, NCR 4 again closely follows the canal, which has become inextricably intertwined with the River Kennet. There’s a slight diversion to the north of the canal at Thatcham, but otherwise the towpath and the cycle route continue all the way to Reading.
