City strolling
My heart sank when into my ‘Amazon recommendations’ came a book entitled Bristol & Bath Hidden Walks. I had a suspicion it was the same old suspects, rehashed and creatively rewritten so as to give the impression of new walks. Keen walkers know them all: Wellow to Stony Littleton Barrow, Northend to Solsbury Hill, the K&A Canal from Bradford to Avoncliff. you get the picture. But I was pleasantly surprised.
This is a book of essentially urban trails in and around better and lesser-known parts of these two great West of England cities. Twelve of the walks are in Bristol, the other eight in Bath and, despite being a Bristolian by birth, there were some real surprises here, such as the southern suburbs around Bedminster, Knowle and Totterdown. Bath is equally well covered with less well-known walks that take in Lansdown, South Twerton and Bathampton. As the saying goes, ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’.
With that in mind, I decided to test drive the book by tackling walk 18, entitled The Village Within the City. This was a stroll around Widcombe, starting from
Bath Spa Station, and I was not disappointed. The directions were impeccable, the mapping first-class – it uses A-Z street maps – and the descriptive background prose was both informative and helpful. There was no messing around – when a road was described as being steep (Rosemount Lane), it was steep!
From Widcombe’s lively shopping centre, the walk follows the K&A Canal through a series of locks to Bathwick Hill. Beyond lies Sydney Buildings and a few views of the city before the old heart of Widcombe appears with St Thomas’ Church and the adjoining manor. That 25 per cent (or 1-in-4) ascent of Rosemount Lane follows before a relaxing descent back to the station by way of historic Lyncombe Hill.
So much more could be written about the buildings, locations and places along the way, but space does not permit. This is an excellent addition to my bookshelf of walking guidebooks, written by a local expert. Michael Wilberforce is a professional town planner and bona fide Bristolian. And the book is a snip, given a RRP of just £6.99 – less than the price of a pint in London!
Bristol & Bath Hidden Walks is published by the A-Z Map Company and is readily available online.
Directions
The walk starts outside of Bath Spa Station, so using the train or bus to the adjoining bus station is highly recommended. The nearby Southgate Shopping Centre does have a car park.
1. Leave Bath Spa Station via the city centre exit and turn right, pass under the tunnel below the railway tracks and walk ahead to cross the River Avon by way of Halfpenny Bridge. Cross the main road ahead before turning left to walk along Widcombe’s bustling main street with its variety of independent businesses. At the end of what is officially Widcombe Parade, turn left and walk along to a bridge that crosses the K&A Canal. Turn right and follow the towpath up through the Widcombe Locks for ½ mile to a flight of steps on the left that leads up to Bathwick Hill, crossing a road called Pulteney Gardens along the way.
2. Turn right on reaching this main road and, in a few paces, right again into Sydney Buildings. Continue for 650 yards before walking around a right-hand bend where the road becomes known as Horseshoe Walk. In 150 yards, just before a grassy slope, follow a Tarmac footpath on the left uphill to reach Abbey View. Follow the road to the left, keeping right at an early fork into the Tyning and continue to Widcombe Hill.
3. Cross over into Church Street and continue to Widcombe Church. Follow the road to the right of the church, shortly passing Widcombe Manor on the right, and continue to a junction with Prior
Park Road. Turn