4 reasons to walk from Winsley to Bradford on avon in autumn

An English doctor who emigrated to Malaysia once told me the thing he missed the most was the changing of the seasons.

It’s easy to take for granted that gradual shift from summer greens to autumnal browns and oranges. Granted, it heralds the start of shorter days and darker mornings, but it also means walks through crunching leaves, trips to a cosy pub and evenings by the fire - Bliss.

The valley between Bradford on Avon and Bath is a great place to make the most of the changing season. The walk from the village of Winsley to Bradford on Avon takes you from the top of the northern side of the valley, down to the Avoncliff aqueduct and along the Kennet and Avon Canal to Bradford on Avon town.

It’s a route (just over two miles each way) that takes in far reaching views across fields and woodland, meandering canal boats and the odd pub and cafe.

If you want to walk the route, you’ll find a step-by-step guide at the bottom of this post. As an overview, here are some of the highlights:

1. The view from the top of the valley

Winsley Cricket Club has to have one of the best views of any cricket ground. Perched on top of the valley in front of Winsley Manor, it looks across to Westwood and Avoncliff Wood on the other side.

The footpath that runs down the side of the ground is a good place to start the walk to Bradford on Avon and there’s some stunning trees with bright orange leaves on the approach. The small metal stile to the right of the club’s entrance marks the start of the path. If you stand just to the right of it you should just catch a glimpse of the Westbury White Horse in the distance.

2. Avoncliff aqueduct

The Avoncliff aqueduct is where the canal, river and railway meet. It’s a jumble of paths and tracks, but a beautiful piece of architecture.

Stand in the middle of the aqueduct and watch canal boats pootle on by and kayakers negotiate the Avoncliff weir on the river Avon which runs underneath. If it’s good weather (and the grass isn’t flooded), it’s worth having a pint by the water’s edge at The Cross Guns pub down by the river. Alternatively, you can cram into the pub itself and sit next to the inglenook fireplace. It’s a casual pub with basic food, but worth a pitstop.

Alternatively, if you’re after tea and cake or a sausage roll, head to Number 10 Tea Gardens on the other side of the canal (accessed under the aqueduct). It’s one of my favourite places to stop on a weekend walk. The cake portions are generously sized and delicious - the blueberry, lemon and lime loaf is particularly good.

3. Crunching on leaves along the tree-lined canal path

The canal path ticks all the boxes when it comes to an autumnal hit list: it’s surrounded by an array of trees, which provide a carpet of crunching leaves to walk on, accompanied by the smell of smoke from roaring wood burners on house boats.

There’s a very cute cottage as you turn the bend after the viaduct with a flowerbed packed with brightly coloured autumn flowering plants.

The path can be very busy with dog walkers, bikes and runners, especially on the weekend. It can make it a bit risky having the dog off the lead, especially if yours like water! There’s usually a mix of day and weekend trippers out on hired boats and some permanent canal boat residents collecting firewood and making boat repairs.

3. Walking along the river and stopping for coffee by the Tithe Barn

The beauty of this walk is the fact you get to appreciate both the canal and river on one relatively short stretch. The two are separated by a wood which varies in depth as you walk along. Roughly half a mile along the canal path from Avoncliff, just after the footbridge over the canal, you’ll reach a branch which will take you down a tarmac path to the river.

Agnes enjoys tearing down the bank into the river for a swim, and there’s some good access points for a stick throw. The path then opens up to the main Barton Farm Country Park area and the Tithe Barn.

You can’t venture down this far without popping into the barn, which is one of the largest tithe barns in the country and has some outstanding beams and stonework. It was built in the 14th century to serve Barton Grange - a manor farm which belonged to Shaftesbury Abbey in Dorset.

It’s a good spot to stop for a coffee and a sandwich or a slice of cake from The Coffee Barn at The Granary, which is located in one of the small stone barns in the courtyard. It’s the kind of place that dog walkers flock to.

The sandwich menu is basic; think cheese and chutney and a good BLT, but the coffee and wide selection of cakes are delicious. There’s also a doggy biscuit tin full of gravy bones that the friendly staff offer to four legged visitors. Don’t expect a speedy service, but enjoy cosying up in the barn and watching people coming and going.

4. Exploring Bradford on Avon

Bradford on Avon centre is just a 10 minute walk from the Tithe Barn. It’s a great place to visit, whatever the time of year and has everything you could possible need in autumn: a selection of cosy pubs, plentiful amounts of cake, dog friendly shops and lots of independents.

Walk over the landmark town bridge and have a look at the 18th century building with a stone dome, which was the town’s lockup. At the top is a weather vane in the shape of the fish, known as The Bradford Gudgeon.

Visit The Dog House for a doggy treat and venture up to The Shambles - the site of medieval market stalls and now a pedestrianised walkway with a number of shop and cafes.

Once you’ve finished exploring, you can opt to take the same route back or jump on the train at Bradford on Avon to take you back into Bath. Alternatively, take the road route back to Winsley, along Belcombe Road and through Turleigh village. This is a smoother climb than the steep route up from Avoncliff and will reward with beautiful views back over the valley.

Step by step:

If you’re coming by car, park up on the road just down from Dorothy House Hospice on Limpley Stoke Road (opposite the small playing field) in Winsley.
Walk down past the Methodist Church and take the lane off to the right on the bend, past the bowls club.
Follow the lane past the village hall and then turn right down to the Winsley Cricket Club.
Follow the stony track down until you come to a metal gate that takes you onto a track.
When you get to the bottom of the path from Winsley Cricket Ground, cross over to the other side and down the the grass path.
Drop down into Avoncliff station’s carpark (This is another option for starting the walk - Avoncliff is about 12 minutes on the train from Bath Spa, so an easy hop from the city)
Carry on going along the canal path on the same level as the viaduct walkway.
It’s a straight route until you get to the footbridge which crosses the water (currently under repair).
At the canal footbridge, go through the gateway to the left of the bridge and walk down the tarmac path that slopes off to the left away from the canal path. This will take you along a pathway running adjacent to the River Avon.
The path will open up to reveal picnic benches and the Tithe Barn. After popping into the Tithe barn, return to the river path and carry on walking parallel to the river and into town.
Once you reach Timbrell’s Yard, go diagonally right through the carpark so you hit the main road and turn left to take you across the bridge and into town to explore.
After the bridge, turn right to take you up to the Co-op and into Lamb’s Yard to visit The Dog House or go straight on until you reach the zebra crossing. Go over the zebra crossing and turn left to go into The Shambles.