tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030307825878445428.post8859599744360637368..comments2024-02-08T19:47:44.546+00:00Comments on Worthing Wanderer: Kennet and Avon Canal Section 5 Kintbury to BedwynWorthing Wandererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06171578542677248065noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030307825878445428.post-48967081746056572782013-08-29T21:43:24.355+01:002013-08-29T21:43:24.355+01:00Thanks Jon - I think if I was by myself this is pr...Thanks Jon - I think if I was by myself this is probably how I would do it too. However, with small legs of daughters I have to keep the distances a lot more modest and this introduces a good deal of difficulty from Pewsey onwards. I think I might be able to do it by dial-a-ride buses or by taking my bike along and using that to get back to the car :)Paul Willishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06069887969192184610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030307825878445428.post-45001294659328106152013-07-31T21:57:05.752+01:002013-07-31T21:57:05.752+01:00If it helps I looked up how I did the walk and I h...If it helps I looked up how I did the walk and I have listed the walks I did below. In most cases it is fairly easy, a train along the same line. Pewsey is the most awkward because the trains are infrequent (hence why I did one stretch in reverse, to start from there to avoid a possibly long wait for the train back). But the X5 bus does run hourly to Pewsey from Salisbury and Swindon both of which have stations which makes it easier. From Devizes again there is an hourly bus to Salisbury or Swindon (I wonder if all buses in Wiltshire go to one or both of these places!). After that there are trains as far as Bristol. I decided to continue to Clifton to enjoy the views of the gorge and the bridge. Subsequently I decided to extend the walk to the coast at Portishead but I wouldn't especially recommended the last walk after Pill, it is mostly around fields and busy roads and not especially pretty.<br><br>Reading to Aldermaston<br>Aldermaston to Newbury<br>Newbury to Hungerford<br>Pewsey to Hungerford<br>Pewsey to Devizes<br>Devizes to Bradford-on-Avon<br>Bradford-on-Avon to Bath<br>Bath to Keynsham<br>Keynsham to Clifton <br>Clifton to PortisheadJon Combehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637550215676063886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030307825878445428.post-3032705411428148532013-07-24T05:36:34.172+01:002013-07-24T05:36:34.172+01:00Thanks very much Jon. I really appreciate your co...Thanks very much Jon. I really appreciate your comments concerning rail tickets in particular. I have heard this before - makes for very strange economics that is for sure!<br><br>We are planning the next foray before the end of the summer, but after Pewsey we are not quite sure what we are going to do. The route looks a lot more difficult from then on.Paul Willishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06069887969192184610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030307825878445428.post-38296546319749419542013-07-22T21:45:01.687+01:002013-07-22T21:45:01.687+01:00Enjoying reading about your walks on the canal. Th...Enjoying reading about your walks on the canal. The thing I found interesting once getting west of Bedwyn is that the canals were largely replaced by the railways. But often you'll find the canal still exists but the railway has closed!<br><br>A useful tip if you are planning to travel to Pewsey by train (which as you've noticed doesn't get a very good service) is to book with two different tickets, as direct it can be very expensive. <br><br>For example from Guildford to Pewsey (the journey I made at the time) at off-peak times a return ticket costs £32.30. You have to change at Reading. But if you buy a return from Guildford to Reading and another from Reading to Pewsey, it costs £22.70. So you can save the best part of £10 by doing this. On weekdays (as I did), the prices can be horrific. For example to arrive before mid-day a Guildford to Pewsey return costs a whopping £99. But to travel on *exactly* the same trains you can buy 3 tickets, from Guildford to Reading (£14.30), Reading to Newbury (£8.90) and Newbury to Pewsey (£8.50), giving a total cost of £31.70, so saving almost £70! For this to be valid the train has to stop at all the stations where you change tickets. You can buy all these tickets from the ticket window at the station, but I usually book on the internet and collect from the machine when doing a journey like this - it avoids the hassle, as some ticket clerks can get a bit stroppy about it! The railway ticketing system is such a mess. I did complain to Great Western Trains about this pricing but it didn't make any difference.Jon Combehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637550215676063886noreply@blogger.com