Bath: A Scenic Walk to the University

Join me for a scenic walk from Bath to the University. It will take about half an hour, a little longer than the bus, and it might be useful to wear solid shoes. As a reward you will enjoy some of the most stunning views over the town. We start at the train station...

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We take a side exit by the end of the station platform, and walk down via the parking lot. At the bottom, we turn left onto the pedestrian bridge across the river Avon. One the other side, we make a sharp turn left to walk along the Avon, and then into the Kennet & Avon Canal.

If you follow the Kennet & Avon Canal all the way, you will eventually reach Newbury and Reading. But we only follow it for a few hundred yards. Walking on the right-hand side of the canal, we pass by the first lock, then under two road bridges, and up a steep staircase after the second bridge to reach the level of the second lock.

Cross the canal at the second lock to the left hand side, note Widcombe church on your right, but follow the footpath on the left of the canal past several locks. Often you can observe narrow-boats here, a popular way of spending holidays on England's waterways.  

We pass by the boats on the river, and boaters working hard to navigate the locks. After the sixth lock, we reach a white bridge over which we cross to the right.

We cross the bridge and follow a narrow footpath between the houses up the hill, cross a road, and then head up a flight of stairs until we see on our right the National Trust sign for the Bathwick meadows.

We follow the footpath diagonally across the meadows. On rare occasions, you might meet cows here...

While walking across the meadows, be turn to enjoy the views over the town. Clearly visible from up here are the train station, the Abbey and the former grand hotel overlooking the river Avon.

At the tope end of the meadows, we pass a small gate, follow a path to the left for a few yards, and then turn right onto Bathwick Hill Road. Now, we walk up the road...

At the top of the hill, we turn left by the bus stop and reach the university via a pedestrian entrance. If you come back in autumn, the trees will be very colorful...

click here for pictures of Bath.