Freshford & Winsley
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This walk starts from Freshford station and finishes at Bradford on Avon station. You catch the train to Freshford from BoA towards Bath, platform 1; Freshford is the second stop.
From the platform at Freshford station cross the footbridge and follow the track down for a short distance then turn left across the fields keeping the river on your right.
At the end of the field pass under the railway line, turn right onto the road then soon left up onto a footpath - now following the green waymarkers of The Walking Wheel for about 3 miles.
The path climbs steeply, eventually opening out onto a lane; turn left then almost immediately right to keep climbing up steps to cross the busy A36 (take great care).
Climb more steps then, at the top turn right onto the road. Follow this uphill for about 500m. At the bend go straight ahead onto a track that soon becomes a path that drops steeply (good views over to Monkton Combe) to a track. Cross this and keep descending.
Cross a footbridge then join a road to climb up to the junction by the Wheelwright's Arms. Turn right onto another road and follow this to the end of the school buildings. Turn right onto a footpath alongside a car park, soon bearing left to drop onto a rough access track. Turn left, passing the cricket ground then under the main A36 road.
Turn left away from the road through a gate to the start of a car park. Turn left up a slope just before the car park onto a canal towpath (The Angel Fish Cafe and toilets are on your left). This canal is the end of the disused Somerset Coal Canal, now a marina.
Turn right to follow the path for 100m or so, pass through a wooden gate then bear right onto a tarmac path to join the K&A canal path at Dundas. Turn left, over the metal bridge then turn right to pass behind the large stone building up to a wooden footbridge over the canal. Cross this then turn right to follow on the other side of the canal for about 100m.
Pass behind a low wooden building then over a stile and onto a dirt track. Now stop following the green waymarkers.
Continue straight ahead, steeply uphill over two stiles and at the top turn right. Follow the path, past some old fencing; down to your right is the old Conkwell Quarry then owned by the K&A Canal Company who used the stone for Dundas Aqueduct and other projects. Join the lane and after about 400m, at a bend turn off at the footpath sign to cross a field over a horse training track. Pass through another field going slightly right to follow the path to join a lane; turn right down to the main road and cross straight over.
Take the road almost opposite, follow it round left to the bend then turn off right onto a tarmac path that passes in front of some houses. It soon becomes a track that comes out by the church (notice the tower is not actually joined to the main building).
Turn left in front of the church onto a back road then right at the junction to pass alongside The Seven Stars pub. Keep left at the bend past the Bowls Club. Directly opposite the Village Hall take the tarmac road which bears left and soon joins a path that goes alongside the Cricket Club.
Follow this path downhill, cross the track at the bottom and keep going downhill on a fenced path to the left of the field. At the bottom you come out into a small car park, go straight ahead across Avoncliff Aqueduct.
Keep straight ahead on the canal towpath towards BoA then soon after the last house turn off left at the Barton Country Park sign (at this point it is possible to return to BoA along the canal towpath, particularly if it has been very wet, as the Country Park gets very muddy & sometimes floods). Follow the zigzag path downhill to the river at Avoncliff Weir then turn right to walk through the Country Park, keeping the river on your left.
At the end of the Country Park go through a wooden gate and the track ahead soon joins a tarmac access road. Follow this as far as Barton Bridge then take the riverside path just after the bridge that bears off left. Pass under the railway bridge, turn immediately right up the slope and into the station car park and the end of your walk.