In preparation for the Cotswold Way, I took on the official Circuit of Bath route. I was curious to see whether writing about it here would get me ranking well for this topic on le Google.
How far can I walk in a day? It was a question I needed to answer so I could plan my Cotswold Way walk next week. The Circuit of Bath, a route by Bathscape, seemed like a good test. It is a 20.5 mile loop that passes through loads of villages on the outskirts of Bath, drawing a rather satisfying circle around the city.
Yesterday, I did the walk. It ended up being a mammoth 42km day out, and in this blog I’m going to give some tips and info just in case you want to walk it too.
Circuit of Bath RoutE Summary
The route is 20.5 miles or 33km, officially starting and ending in Lansdown. I joined the route at the nearest point in Englishcombe, a pretty little village a short way from my house, and walked clockwise from there.
Overall, the Circuit of Bath route is interesting and quite pretty, but there are moments of frustration: despite walking for hours, you never leave Bath and never arrive; you are floating around the peripheries. At times, this means beautiful countryside or villages. At other times, it means crossing transport arteries or walking through new build estates. Don’t let that put you off though. Most of the time, you are in open countryside. Even when the going is good though, there are times when I wished I was going from A to B, making real progress, rather than spending all day basically going nowhere.
There is no need to pack loads of water or food. Since the route regularly passes through villages, there are ample cafes, pubs and shops to go at. I’ve listed options further down.
There are also loads of churches. I popped into all that were open for a look around. Two of them – Bathampton and Monkton Combe, had pianos that are playable. The Monkton Combe piano is lovely, actually. Video of me playing it at the bottom of this page.
Some Points of interest
Beckford’s Tower
Beckford’s Tower, built in 1827 on Lansdown Hill, is a neo-classical folly built for son-of-wealth William Beckford. Beckford inherited a fortune built on plantations. Ie. slavery. The Grade I listed tower served as Beckford’s library and retreat, with surrounding landscaped grounds. It’s now a museum, which I haven’t visited, but the gold-topped building is impressive, as are the views across the countryside.
Founder of Australia’s grave
Yet more colonial history! (This is Bath, after all.) The grave of Arthur Phillip, founder of Australia, is inside the Bathampton church. There is a memorial and gallery of sorts talking about his life and work. Interesting stuff, and a lovely church to look around.
Remnants of Somerset Coal Canal
The Somerset Coal Canal was a 10 mile canal through the Cam valley. The route follows the valley closely, and the remnants of the canal are quite impressive. A staircase of locks looks like the entrance to a classical temple – it really is quite a sight. These locks are being restored, and the ladders, tools and ropes at points really make this feel like an archeological dig in 18th century Athens.
Little Solsbury Hill
This hill gives a fantastic view of the city of Bath from the east. From here you can see all the major landmarks, and watch the city flowing out westwards towards Bristol.
Refuel
There are lots of chances to refill bottles, buy food and go to the bathroom on the circuit of bath route. The only two sections where that becomes more difficult is between Weston and Batheaston and between Monkton Combe and the A36.
The Boathouse – west end of route
Weston Tesco – ever so slightly off route. After this there isn’t any shops, pubs or cafes until Batheaston!
Batheaston Spar – there is also a Nisa and a couple of pubs
The George Inn, Bathampton
The Angelfish – really lovely canal-side cafe near Monkton Combe
The Wheelwrights Arms, Monkton Combe. After this there is nothing on the route until the Boathouse!
How to do the whole thing in a day
Walking over 40km is a physical test, even if the route is relatively flat like this one. I am no expert, but here was my approach when setting out on a walk of this length:
Before you set off:
- In the weeks beforehand, break in your shoes/toughen your feet gradually. Your feet will be the reason you give up.
- The day before, eat lots and get a good night’s sleep
On the walk:
- Eat regularly, almost constantly in fact, especially for the first half.
- Stop for no more than about 20 minutes at a time
- Eat some real foods, not just sweets and chocolate, otherwise you’ll finish with a stomach ache
- Walk fast when the trail allows
- Wear long sleeves, trousers and a hat to avoid wasting time reapplying suncream
- Don’t stop to faff around. Get things in and out of your bag while walking
- As the day goes on, listen to music/radio/podcast to take your mind off your tired and painful feet
And now I will finish off this post with a video of me attempting to remember Chopin Nocturne No. 9 in the church in Monkton Combe. Lovely piano in there! Get more route info by looking at my walk on Strava.
