Barton Farm Country Park

Barton Farm Country Park offers a wonderful 3-mile circular walk that follows the River Avon from Bradford-on-Avon to the impressive Avoncliff Aqueduct and the much-loved Cross Guns pub, before returning along the Kennet and Avon Canal.

This delightful 36-acre parkland has something for everyone, with opportunities for gentle riverside walks, dog paddles, rowing, fishing, nature watching or simply relaxing with a picnic by the water. The park has been owned by Wiltshire Council since 1971 and is open all year round, free of charge.

Around half of the route — from Barton Farm along the River Avon and onto the canal path — is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. There is no livestock on the main route, although there were sheep in a fenced-off field during our visit (clearly marked on the map). The walk is popular, particularly along the canal section, so we did put Bella back on her lead at times due to cyclists and other dogs passing through.

After your walk, it’s well worth exploring the picturesque town of Bradford-on-Avon. Dog-friendly Timbrell’s Yard makes a great lunch stop, followed by a visit to DOGHOUSE — a brilliant dog shop that feels like an Aladdin’s cave.

Want a longer walk? You can extend the route by continuing on to Dundas Aqueduct and Warleigh Weir.

Walking directions
1. Park at Station Car Park – Zone B (BA15 1LF), make sure you take coins for the machine or you can pay over the phone. From the car park, walk to the back of the car park where you will see a footpath leading to the water, and turn left, under the bridge, towards Barton Farm. For wheelchair access, you will need to access Barton Farm from Pound Lane.

2. Barton Farm is a lovely little area with a few shops, cafe, great children’s play area and the medieval Tithe Barn (which you can walk through with your dog). Nearby is the River Avon, which has a ramp into the water, perfect for dogs to ease gently into the water, or kids to splash around, we saw quite a few SUP launching from here too!

3. From Barton Farm, follow the path closest to the River Avon, which has plenty of places for your dog to run into the river. The path will soon split into two, stay on the path closest to the river, which will become more uneven, and in winter, muddy. When we visited in September, there were some sheep in an enclosed field near the path. The field is secure, but we put Bella on lead whilst we walked past just in case.

4. Eventually, you will reach an area where the river goes into a weir, the path next the river will zig-zag uphill, meeting the Kennet and Avon Canal. Once you reach the towpath, turn right and walk towards Avoncliff Aqueduct. The views from the aqueduct are amazing, and we spent a little while wandering around here before heading to the Cross Guns pub, which has one of the best pub gardens we’ve ever seen!

5. After, walk back along the towpath, but be careful of cyclists that frequently cycle on the path. Bella was mostly off the lead, but we put her on the lead occasionally if there were a lot of cyclists or other dogs on the lead closeby. Eventually, you will see a path on your left that will take you back to Barton Farm.

 

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