Kennet & Avon, Wiltshire

Best for: Tranquillity

Is this the finest of them all? Start walking east from Bath and you’re heading into rural Wiltshire and towards the Thames and eventually London. That was the point of the Kennet and Avon Canal: to join the River Severn to the capital. You might not go that far, but a couple of days walking from Devizes to Hungerford takes you along mile after mile of peaceful towpaths. Start just west of Devizes to tick off the impressive flight of 29 locks at Caen Hill (pictured) and then stroll through dozing villages and past, or into, some memorable canalside pubs. The Barge at Honeystreet has food, music and is a hub for cropcirculists. After you’ve crossed over the top of Bruce Tunnel there are more locks to enjoy, and you can gawp at the 200-year-old Crofton Beam Engines that drove the pumps that supplied water to the highest point on the canal. The massive steam engines still work and are fired up on a number of weekends a year, whilst the engine house and excellent café are open from Easter to September except on Wednesdays. www.croftonbeamengines.org. WALK HERE: See Walk 3 in this issue.