Spokes 6 & 7
START: What3Words - sheepish.plotted.toothpick
Add 1.1 miles to the distance to start and finish at Explore BoA (Tourist Information).
This walk follows spokes 6 and 7 of the Bradford on Avon Walking Wheel, linked by the outer circle, going clockwise. The spokes are waymarked with blue roundels and the outer circle green roundels.
It starts on the K&A Canal towpath at the Tithe Barn and follows the blue roundels all the way to Avoncliff. At the aqueduct the route starts to follow the green roundels of the Outer Circle for several miles.
Cross the aqueduct, go straight through the small car park onto the path ahead and climb immediately right up some steps into a field; ascend to the track and turn right along the track. At the junction turn left, then left again at the end onto a road.
Continue climbing for about 300m then turn left up some steps to a footpath. Follow this to the end, continue straight ahead past the war memorail and follow the road around to the left to pass The Seven Stars pub. Go straight ahead to leave the road, walking past the Bowls Club and Village Hall.
Turn right at the opening in the wall onto a footpath and follow this downhill towards the canal. Cross the bridge then turn right to follow the towpath for a considerable distance.
About 200m from the road bridge over the canal cross the stile on the left to enter a field and cross this diagonally left to the road bridge over the river.
Turn left onto the road then left after passing under the rail bridge up Crowe Hill. Follow the road uphill for about 400m and turn right onto a footpath which you climb first to another local road, turn left then almost immediately right to climb steps again this time to reach the busy A36.
Cross with care to ascend more steps to reach another road. Turn right, again uphill and leave the road at a bend to join a footpath which descends steeply to Monkton Combe.
Cross the Midford Brook on a wooden footbridge climb yup to the road and turn right at the top to walk through the village. Turn right at the end of the school buildings a to drop downhill to a proivate access road. Turn left and follow this to the end where you turn off left to walk through the car park, up a tarmac path and onto the canal towpath at Dundas.
Turn left and follow the path behind the large stone building to the wooden bridge over the canal. Turn right and follow the path round to the left then alongside a long, low, wooden building.
Cross the stile onto a track then climb the bank to the left to cross the field diagonally left aiming for the next stile by a water trough. Follow the path round to the left then up into the woods on a stony, muddy track which is wet all through the year due to the spring at the top.
Keep climbing onto the road as far as the junction. Here you leave the Outer Circle to follow the blue roundels of Spoke 7 all the way back to BoA.
Turn right then keep to the left and follow this narrow, winding lane. Soon after Parsonage Farm (now holiday lets) turn off left to cross two fields.
At the lane turn right to the staggered crossroads where you turn left and after about 150m look out for the sign in the hedge on the right. You now follow the waymarkers across several fields, finally arriving at the St Laurence School playing fields. Go through the gate to cross slightly left across these and aim for the gate in the green metal fence on the other side.
Go straight ahead to the finish point at the junction of Magnon Road and Downs View.
FINISH: What3Words - bungalows.steps.frames