Kennet & Avon Canal Walk, 11 miles
“We did it!” read the message from Ash, one of my work buddies announcing on LinkedIn that his local pub had been saved by the community and was finally due to re-open.
As I travel to various pubs, I’ve developed a growing respect for the people who are the quiet backbone of village life, people that become the custodians of the community where they live.
They’re also the ones with a fire in their belly to protect a way of life by keeping their pub open.
The good people of Limpley Stoke have just done something remarkable, and this glorious walk from Bradford‑on‑Avon to Bath along the Kennet & Avon Canal is dedicated to them — all 800 of them.
The Pub: The Hop Pole Inn, Limpley Stoke
Last visited: January 2026
These community‑run pubs aren’t just heart‑warming stories. They’re proof that the social fabric of rural Britain still holds because ordinary people quietly hold it all together.
And they rarely get the credit.
Threatened with closure and a change of use conversion to housing, the people of Limpley Stoke didn’t just sigh and start to reminisce. They raised the money, bought the building, and brought their pub back to life.
Eight years closed, three years of graft, 800 shareholders, 200 volunteers later — and now The Hop Pole Inn stands open again, warm, welcoming, and humming with the life it was built for.
Rescuing this place wasn’t just about recreating the pub that was here before though. It was about creating a pub that matched the village as it is now, reflecting the evolution of the community it serves.
Step inside and you’re walking into five centuries of English pub history, although the transformation is so exquisite you'd barely know.
The Hop Pole began as a single‑storey hall in the 1500s, its name drawn from the medieval ale‑stirring stake once hung above the door to signal that you can get a good drink inside!
Since reopening in January 2025 it's already a foody place of some (Good Food Guide) renown, but it's not a gastropub.
It feels exactly as a village pub in this area should: lived‑in, loved, slightly eccentric in all the right ways, a jewel reset at the heart of a well appointed village. Walkers like me drift in from the canal towpath, locals gather in the bar, families settle down to lunch, everyone getting together, like Christmas.
The pub has been a film star too — it featured in the big screen adaptation of Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.
I suggest that The Hop Pole isn’t just a backdrop in the film — there's a tangible connection to the storyline. Stevens, the butler in the film, is the embodiment of dignity and sacrifice, reflecting a lifetime of quiet service. And those are precisely the qualities that should be celebrated in my friend Ash, and his friends in Limpley Stoke who saved this pub.
Pub Information
| WEBSITE | https://www.hoppoleinn.uk/ |
| ADDRESS | Woods Hill, Limpley Stoke, near Bath, BA2 7FS |
| PHONE | None listed! |
| WHAT3WORDS | ///towns.both.dome |
| PARKING | Small car park near the pub, and then pot luck along the lanes of the village, but this route is based on a stop off during the Bradford-on-Avon to Bath canal walk. |
| LOCATION | Limpley Stoke is a village on the southern side of Bath, close to the A36 Bath to Warminster road. |
| HANDY FOR | Plenty to see in Bath of course, and Bradford-on-Avon is a super place to visit. I once saw otters playing in the river there. The Circuit of Bath challenge walk is worth a look. And also near this route is the American Museum & Gardens at Claverton Manor. |
The Walk: Quick View
There are multiple ways to consume the route described below.
- Either follow the online instructions, or download and print a copy of the route.
- If you have the OS Maps app, you can follow a saved route directly in the App.
- Or download the GPX file for use on your chosen GPS-based navigation application.
Walk Information
| START/FINISH | This is a linear, point-to-point walk that starts at Bradford-on-Avon railway station and then follows the Kennet & Avon Canal to Bath Spa railway station, taking in The Hop Pole Inn along the way. |
| PARKING | Avon Street Car Park or South Street Car Park are near to Bath Spa. If you choose to do the path in reverse, there's parking at Bradford-on-Avon station. |
| GRID REFERENCE | ST 826 607 is Bradford-on-Avon station. |
| WHAT3WORDS | ///whiplash.evoked.fully is Bradford-on-Avon 'station approach' |
| DISTANCE/TIME | 11 miles / 17.6 km; approx 4 hours. A stop at The Hop Pole is perfect! |
| ASCENT | 500 feet / 150 metres |
| PATHS/TERRAIN | Canal towpaths all the way. My route deviates slightly for variety to include one short section uphill through a field into woodland. And a steep downhill on a road back to the canal. |
| DIFFICULTY | Moderate. A long walk with the opportunity for refreshment stops along the way. |
| PUBLIC TRANSPORT | This is a rail-based walk which also includes an opportunity to shorten it. Trains run on the Bath to Bradford-on-Avon line through Freshford Station. It's about a mile to The Hop Pole Inn from there. So you could add some flexibility with your route: -11 miles for the full walk. -5 miles for Bradford-on-Avon to The Hop Pole Inn, returning via Freshford Station. -7.5 miles for Bath to Freshford Station via The Hope Pole Inn. |
| TOILETS | Available at both ends of the walk, plus pubs at Avoncliffe, Limpley Stoke & Bathampton. |
| OTHER PUBS TO VISIT | The George Inn, Bathampton; Wheelrights Arms, Monkton Combe; Stumble Inn, Bradford-on-Avon. The Cross Guns at Avoncliff has been closed for maintenance but plans to re-open. It's owned by the same people as The Inn at Freshford. |
Overview
This is a linear, point-to-point walk starting at Bradford-on-Avon railway station and follows the Kennet & Avon Canal to Bath Spa station, taking in The Hop Pole Inn at Limpley Stoke along the way.
Highly recommend that you take some time to explore Bradford-on-Avon.
You can follow this path, which is well signposted, entirely along the level Canal tow path.
My directions add in a short diversion uphill just outside Bradford-on-Avon, before dropping back down to the canal at Avoncliff.
Directions
- From Bradford-on-Avon station, take Station Approach to the main road. Turn right, continuing to follow signs to the Kennet & Avon Canal. When you see the Kennet & Avon Canal, follow it to the right!
- And that’s pretty much it, all the way to Bath!
- As you join the towpath, you’ll soon see the Tithe Barn at Bradford-on-Avon. Built in the 1340’s this Great Barn is one of the largest medieval barns in the country.
- Passing moored canal barges, you soon leave Bradford-on-Avo and see the riverside path along the River Avon running in parallel below you, and slowly rising up towards the canal towpath.
- Where the paths connect, a wooden bridge crosses over to the other side of the canal. Take this bridge and turn right.
- For a short time you’ll follow the canal from the other bank before breaking into a field through a kiss gate. Follow the fields uphill, the way is clear from regular use.
- You’ll leave the 2nd field at the top of the hill to the right-hand side of the field, entering into a small wood.
- A well-marked path winds through the wood before eventually emerging onto a country road. Bear right to follow the road all the way down until you reach houses close to the canal.
- This is Avoncliff, where an aqueduct takes the canal over the River Avon & the railway line. There’s a pub here – The Cross Guns – which was closed for some winter maintenance when I did this walk. Check their website for re-opening plans.
- With the canal on your right, navigate over the viaduct. The path bears to the left once you’ve crossed.
- Now continue all the way until you see Limpley Stoke on the hillside to your left. A bridge over the canal carries the B3108. On the other side, you can leave the towpath to make your way to the pub.
- Emerge onto the footpath by the B3108 and follow downhill, all the way to the railway bridge. You’ll be going under it. Cross the road to take a lane into the village on the other side of the railway bridge.
- After a short walk uphill, The Hop Pole Inn will be seen on the right.
- [If you want to go back to Bradford-on-Avon by train from here, you need to make your way to Freshford Station a mile away. You’ll know where the railway line is now, so follow your nose through the village in the opposite direction to the way you came to find Freshford and its station. People at the pub will be able to help!]
- Return to the canal the way you came to continue the journey to Bath Spa station. You still have 2 ½ to 3 hours to go!
- Continue now on the towpath for c.6 miles, across Dundas Aqueduct, past The George, a canal-side pub in Bathampton, and eventually into the heart of Bath.
- You’ll see Bath Narrowboats HQ on the opposite bank. Beyond the upcoming tunnel you cross over to the other side and continue to follow the canal until you see an ‘exit’ – a path off to the right.
- It takes you through a residential area before dropping underneath the railway. Cross the road onto North Parade heading into the centre of Bath, with the cricket pitch on your left.
- Cross the river. You’ll soon pick up signs for the station now another 5 minutes’ walk to the left.
The best pub walks are meant to be shared.
If you’ve followed this route, found a better path, got lost, uncovered a standout pint somewhere else, or simply have a story to tell, I’d be delighted to hear from you.
This site is as much about shared discoveries as it is about the walks themselves.
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