Editing Kennet and Avon Canal (section)

==Canal today==
[[File:Devizes wharf.JPG|thumb|right|alt=Water with two narrow boats and bridge|[[Kennet & Avon Canal Museum|Canal Museum]] at [[Devizes]] Wharf]]
[[File:Newbury Avon Canal.jpg|thumb|right|[[Guyer's Lock]] and bridge near Newbury]]
[[File:Bridge on the Avon and Kennet Canal.jpg|thumb|right|Wickham Knight Bridge near [[Woolhampton]]]]

The canal today is a [[heritage tourism]] destination. Boating, with [[narrowboat]]s and [[Cabin cruiser|cruisers]], is a popular tourist attraction particularly in the summer months. It is a favourite haunt of several famous canal enthusiasts including canal boat veterans and original Kennet and Avon restoration supporters, [[Prunella Scales]] and [[Timothy West]].<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Donovan |first=Gerrard |title=Great Canal Journeys, episode one, More4, review |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/10688471/Great-Canal-Journeys-episode-one-More4-review.html |access-date=19 March 2014 |newspaper=Telegraph |date=10 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315143154/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/10688471/Great-Canal-Journeys-episode-one-More4-review.html |archive-date=15 March 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Timothy West and Prunella Scales in TV documentary about Kennet and Avon Canal |url=http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Timothy-West-Prunella-Scales-TV-documentary/story-20787738-detail/story.html |access-date=19 March 2014 |newspaper=Bath Chronicle |date=11 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322002047/http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Timothy-West-Prunella-Scales-TV-documentary/story-20787738-detail/story.html |archive-date=22 March 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kennet and Avon Canal |url=http://www.canalguide.co.uk/canals/britain_canal_kennet.htm |publisher=Canal Guide |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319134040/http://www.canalguide.co.uk/canals/britain_canal_kennet.htm |archive-date=19 March 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
Privately owned craft and hire boats from the range of [[marina]]s are much in evidence, and there are numerous [[canoe]] clubs along its length. The annual [[Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon]] starts from Devizes Wharf, the site of the [[Kennet & Avon Canal Museum]], at first light on [[Good Friday]] each year and the competitors have to negotiate 77&nbsp;locks in the {{convert|125|mi|adj=on}} route between Devizes and the finish at [[Westminster]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwrace.org.uk/overview.html |title=Mileage chart |publisher=Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race |access-date=6 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623020045/http://www.dwrace.org.uk/overview.html |archive-date=23 June 2012 }}</ref> The winning time is usually around {{frac|17|1|2}} hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dwrace.org.uk/main%20site/about_dw_write_up.htm|title=DW&nbsp;– What's it all about?|publisher=Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race|access-date=5 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005211616/http://www.dwrace.org.uk/main%20site/about_dw_write_up.htm <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=5 October 2008}}</ref>

Cycling is permitted along the [[towpath]] except for a {{convert|656|yd|m|adj=on}} section near [[Woolhampton]], and some sections have been improved and widened to make them more suitable for cyclists and disabled users. Under a partnership arrangement involving British Waterways, [[Sustrans]], and the riparian local authorities, two main sections of the canal have been improved, and, with a few short diversions, run from Reading to [[Marsh Benham]] and from Devizes to Bath as part of the [[National Cycle Network]] (NCN) [[National Cycle Route 4|Route 4]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/national-cycle-network/route-numbering-system/route-4 |title=NCR 4 |publisher=Sustrans |access-date=15 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518200824/http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/national-cycle-network/route-numbering-system/route-4 |archive-date=18 May 2011 }}</ref> Fishing for [[Common bream|bream]], [[tench]], [[Common roach|roach]], [[Scardinius|rudd]], [[perch]], [[Gudgeon (fish)|gudgeon]], [[Esox|pike]] and [[carp]] is permitted throughout the year from the towpath of the canal, but almost its whole length is leased to angling associations or fishing clubs. There are a variety of riverside [[Pub|public houses]], shops and tea rooms. The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust operates shops and tearooms at [[Aldermaston Lock]], [[Newbury Lock|Newbury Wharf]], Crofton Pumping Station, Devizes, and Bradford-on-Avon.<ref>{{cite web | title=Useful info | publisher=Kennet and Avon Canal Trust | url=http://home.btconnect.com/kenavon/usefulinfo.pdf | page=5 | access-date=15 May 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111150207/http://home.btconnect.com/kenavon/usefulinfo.pdf | archive-date=11 November 2011}}</ref>

===Ecology===
The canal and its environs are important for wildlife conservation. There are several [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|Sites of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI), which exhibit great [[biodiversity]]. Key sites that are home to several rare species include the [[Aldermaston Gravel Pits]],<ref name="aldermasten">{{cite web|title=SSSI citation sheet for Aldermaston Gravel Pits |publisher=[[English Nature]] |format=PDF |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002776.pdf#search=%22Aldermaston%20Gravel%20Pits%22 |access-date=23 September 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004447/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002776.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> [[Woolhampton Reed Bed|Woolhampton]],<ref name="woolhampton">{{cite web|title=SSSI citation sheet for Woolhampton Reed Bed |publisher=English Nature |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000370.pdf |access-date=22 September 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926231355/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000370.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2007 }}</ref> [[Thatcham Reed Beds]],<ref name="thatcham">{{cite web|title=SSSI citation sheet for Thatcham Reed Beds |publisher=English Nature |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002762.pdf |access-date=22 September 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000311/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002762.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref><ref name="x129"/> and [[Freeman's Marsh]], [[Hungerford]].<ref name="english-nature.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001426.pdf |title=SSSI citation sheet for Freeman's Marsh |publisher=[[English Nature]] |year=1986 |access-date=22 September 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926233802/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001426.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2007 }}</ref> There are also many non-statutory nature reserves along the canal.<ref name=vile8>{{harvnb |Vile |1991 |p=8}}</ref> More than 100&nbsp;different species of bird have been recorded in surveys over the length of the canal,<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814162306/http://ww2.reading.gov.uk/documents/ourenvironment/stateoftheenvironment/Chap003_Wildlife.pdf | archive-date= 14 August 2011| url=http://ww2.reading.gov.uk/documents/ourenvironment/stateoftheenvironment/Chap003_Wildlife.pdf | page=7|title=Chapter 3 Wildlife|work=State of the Environment Report|publisher=Reading Borough Council|access-date=15 May 2011}}</ref> of which 38 could be classified as specialist waterway birds, including [[grey heron]], [[reed bunting]] and kingfisher.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wiltshire birding sites |url=http://www.wiltshirebirds.co.uk/where-to-watch/wiltshire-birding-sites/ |publisher=Wiltshire Ornithological Society |access-date=22 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224023124/http://www.wiltshirebirds.co.uk/where-to-watch/wiltshire-birding-sites/ |archive-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref> Fourteen&nbsp;species have been confirmed as breeding including [[sand martin]]s, which nest in drain-pipes in the brick walls of the canal in the centre of Reading.<ref>{{harvnb |Youe |Tate |1998 |pp=68–77}}</ref> [[Wilton Water]] by [[Crofton Locks]] and the Kennet Valley [[gravel pit]]s provide habitats for breeding and wintering waterfowl.<ref>{{cite web|title=129. Thames Basin Heaths|url=http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/5535095565844480|website=National CharacterArea profile|publisher=Natural England|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref> Several species of [[Odonata]] ([[Dragonfly|dragonflies]] and [[Damselfly|damselflies]]) and other invertebrates have also been recorded.<ref name="katrade"/> [[Phragmites australis|Common reed]] is among the plant species growing along the edges of the canal.<ref name=haslam410>{{harvnb |Haslam |1987 |p=410}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Moatlands Sites |url=http://tabcg.webs.com/moatlandssites.htm |publisher=Theale Area Bird Conservation Group |access-date=22 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830104851/http://tabcg.webs.com/moatlandssites.htm |archive-date=30 August 2011 }}</ref> Measures to preserve and create [[European water vole|water vole]] habitat have had considerable impact on the restoration of the canal, and new "vole-friendly" techniques of bank protection have been developed.<ref name="katrade" />