Barton Farm Country Park

Barton Farm Country Park is a wonderful 3 mile circular walk that takes you along the River Avon from Bradford on Avon, to Avoncliff Aqueduct and the impressive Cross Guns pub, then back along the Kennet and Avon Canal.

This delightful 36-acre countryside parkland offers something for everyone – places for doggy paddles, walking, rowing, fishing, nature study or just relaxing with a picnic by the River Avon. The park was acquired by Wiltshire Council in 1971 and is open to visitors all year round, free of charge. There are wheelchair and pushchairs friendly paths on half of the walk, from Barton Farm, past the River Avon and onto the canal path. There is no livestock on the route, however, there were some sheep in a fenced-off field (marked on the map). The walk is quite popular and along the canal, so we did put Bella back on her lead a few times as there are cyclists and other dogs on the lead.

After, you can wander around picturesque Bradford on Avon, stopping by dog friendly Timbrell’s Yard for lunch, before visiting DOGHOUSE, a brilliant dog shop that seems like Aladdin’s Cave.

Want a longer walk? You can extend this route further by walking 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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