The Kennet & Avon Canal passes through the very heart of Newbury town centre along its 87-mile journey from London in the east to the Bristol Channel in the west. The pretty towpath can be joined from Northbrook Street next to Costa, where it will take you alongside Victoria Park and onwards towards Thatcham. If you’d prefer to head west, you can walk towards the Lock, Stock & Barrel between Holland & Barrett and Cote Brasserie and pass under the archway to join the canal near Newbury Lock. This route will take you through picturesque West Mills, past the Monkey Bridge, and onwards towards Kintbury and Hungerford.

As you walk alongside the canal, look out for the variety of wildfowl which call it home, including swans, ducks, geese, moorhen, and cormorants.

You can see buildings linked to the canal’s history in Newbury Wharf and learn more about its past in the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust’s information centre above the Teashop by the Canal. The Trust also run regular boat trips from The Wharf, including on the Jubilee narrowboat.