and Avon Canal towpath under the bridge and towards Little Bedwyn for about 1¼ miles (2km). Cross over the canal and railway using the footbridge and turn right along the road; at the junction bear right towards St Michael’s Church.
The Kennet and Avon Canal at Great Bedwyn
Little Bedwyn, a small village straddling the River Dun, Kennet and Avon Canal and the railway, was known as Estbedwinda in 1177 and Lyttelbedwyn in 1547. St Michael’s Church dates from the 12th century, though most of what is seen today is 15th century with 19th-century alterations. Much of the village was built around 1860, just before the arrival of the railway.
Just before the churchyard, turn right through the kissing gate and follow the hedge round to the left, keeping the church on your left. Continue ahead through Sandy’s Wood, cross the stile and follow the path along the right-hand field edge. Turn right at the field corner, cross the railway line (with care) and go over the canal. Continue straight on across the road following a gravel track, later a path, up past Jugg’s Cottage. Keep to the slightly sunken path as it first climbs and then descends, bearing left round Jugg’s Wood. At the track junction go straight over, heading eastwards up along the hedged bridleway.
2 SU305666 At the T-junction go left along the track, and shortly after the right-hand bend turn right over two stiles to follow a gravel track, Long Walk, gently uphill through Stype Wood. Shortly after passing a house on the right bear slightly left, away from the track, to reach a gate. Follow the white posts across the open field, keeping left of Stype Grange, and cross a stile in the field corner just right of some cottages to join a lane. Turn left and, at the junction, cross slightly to the left and follow a path over the field before bearing half-left through trees. Continue between the disused farm buildings and turn right along the lane for a short distance, and just after the last barn go right at the gate (overgrown stile). Follow the path, keeping close to the edge of Westcott Copse on the right and, at the end of the wood, keep ahead over the field to cross two stiles either side of a metalled drive. Follow the right-hand bank of the River Shalbourne and bear left at the junction, just before some buildings, to reach the road (A338).
3 SU317641 Cross the road and turn left over the bridge, then right to follow a path along the left-hand bank of the river. At the overgrown stile in the field corner cross the footbridge and continue through the field with the ditch on the right. At the junction turn right over the field aiming for the church. Cross the stile and follow the drive past the house down to Mill Lane in Shalbourne; continue along the lane opposite, up towards St Michael’s Church.
The name Shalbourne is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words scealde burna meaning ‘shallow stream’, and watercress was once grown here in the clear waters. The oldest part of St Michael’s and All Angels Church is the nave with two 12th-century lancet windows and a Norman doorway. Inside there are several interesting monuments, including a plaque commemorating Jethro Tull (1674–1741). Tull, who was born at Basildon and lived at Prosperous Home Farm, was a pioneer of British agricultural reform and invented both the horse-drawn hoe and drilling machine, forerunner of the modern seed drill.
Turn left at the church along the fenced path to reach Kingston Lane next to a school. Go right along the road through the village, and bear right at the Y-junction along Burr Lane; the Plough Inn is ahead on the right. Immediately after the last house cross the stile on the right, and follow the right-hand field edge; cross another stile and footbridge at the far side of the field. Continue uphill to the right of the hedge and then go through a hedge gap to reach the road (A338).
4 SU308631 Cross over and up the bank to follow a waymarked path over the field. Turn left along the concrete track passing the wood and bear left and right round the front of Newtown Farm, then left along the lane. Turn right along the metalled bridleway; ignore the bridleway off to the left, and continue ahead through the wood. Just after passing the open field on the left, turn left along the bridleway through the wood. On emerging from the trees, turn left along the field edge and at the corner go through the belt of trees and turn right along a path. Keep straight on to reach a field and then follow the edge of the pine plantation on your left downhill, bearing left. At the bottom of the field bear slightly right across the field to pass between the two stands of trees, and continue towards Folly Farm. Turn right along the lane (bridleway) to reach a road at a Y-junction.
5 SU290635 Cross both roads and follow a path on the left-hand side of a stand of trees, with hedges/fences on either side. Keep to the path as it bears left into Bedwyn Brail woodland and reach a cross-tracks junction.
Bedwyn Brail Several places in the area bear the name ‘brail’, a word used to describe an enclosed park, or wood, stocked with deer; Bedwyn Brail was once part of the great hunting forest of Savernake. The brail is the site of a home that Edward Seymour, Warden of Savernake and Lord Protector 1547–49 in the reign of Edward IV, was building at the time of his execution in 1552, and also of a former Roman villa; nothing remains of either.
Wilton Windmill built in 1821
Shorter walk
Turn right along the track and keep left at the split; leave the wood and follow the left field boundary. Later walk downhill and bear right to join the canal towpath beside a bridge, where you pick up the final section of the main walk.
To continue on the main walk, turn left along a well-defined track signposted to the windmill, ignoring any tracks off to right or left for about ¾ mile (1.2km). Go through the gate and turn half-right for about 40m to where the track splits; take the left-hand path, keeping close to the fence on the left. At the T-junction turn left along the track and then right along the road towards Wilton, passing Wilton Windmill on the left.
Wilton Windmill, which stands on a chalk ridge at 170m (550ft), was built in 1821 and is the oldest working mill in Wiltshire, still producing stoneground wholemeal flour (on sale). Built from brick, the mill has a fantail that keeps the sails aligned with the wind, acting as an automatic rudder. The mill is open from Easter until the end of September on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays 2–5pm (01672 870202).
Continue down to Wilton with its thatched-and-timber-framed cottages, and bear right past The Swan Inn along the road for Grafton and Burbage. Just before the left-hand bend, next to the duck pond, turn right for a few metres through the hedge gap and then left, following a track past Wilton Water to reach the canal.
Crofton Pump House on the Kennet and Avon Canal
Detour
Take a detour to visit the Crofton Pump House Museum (shop selling refreshments when open). Turn left and cross the canal via the lock gates, then follow the path under the railway and up the steps to the pump house, which was designed by John Rennie, the Kennet and Avon Canal company’s chief engineer. The two Cornish beam engines, built in 1812 and 1846, are driven by steam from a hand-stoked coalfired Lancashire boiler, making them two of the oldest working steam-driven pumps in the world. They were originally used to pump water up from Wilton Water (a small lake built in 1836) to the summit of the canal. After a considerable amount of restoration work, Crofton was officially reopened by Sir John Betjeman in 1970. The museum is open at weekends from Easter to October; on Bank Holidays one of the pumps is usually ‘in steam’ (01672 870300). Retrace your steps back across the canal to rejoin the route.
6 SU263622 Follow the towpath northeast towards Great Bedwyn for ½ miles (2.4km). On reaching Great Bedwyn Bridge, just after passing Lock 64, leave the towpath and cross the bridge over the canal (shorter walk
