The heavy rain forecast did not materialise when seventeen members of the Westbury Walkers set off from Bradford on Avon on a 9 miles walk led by Jim Day on 12th June.
Leaving the town from Ashley Road they eventually picked up part of the Hartley Farm Trail which led to Conkwell Grange where the group paused for coffee before heading along a lane towards Conkwell Wood and a disused quarry.
The route then took them down a steep incline – the remains of an old tramway built to transport stone from the quarry to the Kennet and Avon Canal. Crossing the Dundas Aqueduct which was busy people and narrow boats, the walkers followed the tow path to the Claverton Pumping Station where they stopped for lunch.
The walk leader, being a member of the volunteer restoration team, was able to give the group a guided tour of the station and explain all the work being undertaken. The Pumping Station, which is not yet ready to be opened to the public, was built by John Rennie in 1813. It is water powered and designed to pump water from the River Avon to the canal to make up water lost through leaks and the locks at Bath. This work is now done by a much smaller electric powered pump.
The Walkers retraced their steps back to the Dundas Aqueduct then crossed fields to reach a very steep and rocky path back up to Conkwell.
From there it was across open farmland following footpaths through waist-high mowing grass to Great Ashley and back to the start. A feature of this walk was the numerous stiles, about 20, many built of stone, which were negotiated without mishap.
Report by Jim Day
