Cross-Cotswold Pathway: Stage 12

Batheaston to Bath – Friday 15 December 2017

Our plan was to make this a short walk into Bath with a lunch stop in town. We took a later train, 10:43 departure from Didcot to Bath and then caught a bus out to Batheaston. We were impressed with the covered bus station which is only a short step away from Bath Spa railway station. For some reason GWR or Network Rail insist on calling this stop “Bath Spa” to distinguish it from all the other “Baths” in the country (?). After a ten minute wait (enough time for N to buy and mostly consume an upmarket “gourmet” hot pie, we caught the said bus and headed through the pre-Christmas traffic to Batheaston where we left off on our last walk.

Confluence of the By Brook and the Avon

Because this was to be a short walk we had left sticks and packed lunches at home and travelled “light” though P did admit to carrying a packet of supermarket sandwiches just in case we failed to find a suitable dining spot.

Our route headed across the Avon river by means of the path next to the railway bridge just downstream of the confluence with the By Brook. The path then headed across a soggy field and over (with care) a foot-crossing of the railway line to Bradford-on-Avon. This brought us into Bathampton where we joined the Kennet and Avon canal. This was our main route into Bath.

Canalside decorations

A variety of canal boats / barges were moored along the canal, some looking rather smart displaying examples of “bargee-art” others looking rather dilapidated and in need of major repairs and renovation. Most of the barges were occupied with wood-burning stoves adding a smoky haze to the watery sky. In amongst this mixture of water homes were a few larger “Dutch” barges offering (presumably) more comfortable living opportunities.

Swanning around on the K&A

The tow path was well used by dog walkers and cyclists and we were pleased to note that priority was given to pedestrians where the path was used by walkers and cyclists. “Pity certain other boroughs, like Reading, don’t do that”, muttered T.

Cyclists take note!

We left the canal at Sydney Gardens and crossed over the GWR line (Grid Ref: ST7583 6534) noting the problems that installation of overhead wires will cause and amused at the use of unattractive chestnut paling fence to stop people falling onto the line. Past the Holburne Museum and up Great Pulteney Street to Pulteney Bridge (ST7520 6495) where we declared this the end of the walk and P changed his boots for smart shoes. 

Pulteney Bridge, Bath

It was about 13:30 so time to find a pub / restaurant. Remember, dear readers, that this was a Friday, just before Christmas, so finding a place that suited (i) our dress-sense, (ii) our preference for reasonable beer, (iii) need for a table and (iv) importantly food that was edible proved to take some time.

Where's lunch?

... over there.

We headed past the Abbey (apologies the author referred to it as a cathedral at the time) though the busy streets around the Roman Baths but couldn’t find a place that met our exacting standards.

We eventually found the Griffin Inn (ST7477 6486), which offered a variety of craft beers, lagers and ciders. It was warm and we were thirsty so we agreed to have a drink. Normally they did food but they had a pre-booked Christmas lunch on so we decided to send N on ahead to seek out another place.

N returned with good news, he had found a suitable, sit-down, fish restaurant just up the road. So another drink in the Griffin Inn (I proposed we rate it 8 out of 10) and then five minutes up Monmouth Place to the Scallop Shell (ST7464 6493). We had an excellent fish and chip (late lunch) and can recommend this establishment. It’s off the main shopping drag in Bath but not too far from the Theatre Royal. Well-fed and warmed through we returned via a recently decorated pub (The Black Fox, a young person’s place, perhaps, 5 out of 10) and managed to catch an earlier train back home (busy again).

Pulteney Weir, Bath

Well that’s it for the Cross-Cotswold Pathway, we reached Bath by Christmas 2017 having set off from Banbury in February 2016. If we include the wandering around Bath in search of food and drink then we did 4.2 miles in total. Today wasn’t about the distance though, it was about celebrating that we had eventually walked from Banbury to Bath through (for much of the time) beautiful British countryside. B day indeed.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2018.

Nerdy stuff: The Cross-Cotswold Pathway is officially an 86 mile route, we deviated from this route to fit in with the ever declining number of buses that actually stop somewhere, to avoid stretches of pathway that we had walked on before (the nine miles between Sibford Gower to Chastleton House), we skipped the section between North Cerney to Cirencester and we used the Monarch’s Way rather than the Macmillan Way between Tunnel House Inn and Tetbury. According to our route measurements from Google Earth we walked 83.2 miles in 12 stages (days), an average of just less than 7 miles for each walking day.