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The entrance to the Kennet and Avon is diagonally opposite the entrance to the Thames and Kennet marina. A good place to moor before starting the canal is the Tesco moorings a few hundred yards upstream. Until recently these were free, but are now £4 for 4 hours or £9.50 overnight (as of April 2019), but it is worth it for the convenience of being able to stock up from the large Tesco adjacent to the moorings.

Just visible upstream is Better Boating, which is good place to stock up on diesel, gas and water. Their prices for diesel are probably the lowest on the Thames and they will accept your own choice of a percentage for propulsion versus heating. You can also buy a CRT key here, which you will need for swingbridges and refuse points on the K & A.

The first lock is Blake's lock, which you come to almost immediately. Although maintained by the Environment Agency, it is manually operated.

Before leaving Blake's lock, remove your chimney and lower your pram hood, as you will otherwise lose both under the bridges ahead.

A little further on is the one-way section, controlled by traffic lights. If the light is red, press the pushbutton below. The one-way section extends as far as County Lock. Once you get to County Lock, you can put your chimney and pram hood back up.

Just before the one-way section there are moorings at Queens Road moorings, which are a good place to stop if you need clothing etc from the shopping centre nearby. The moorings are ostensibly controlled by www.where2moor.co.uk and are the same price as the Tesco moorings. However, their website gives no way of paying for Queens Road (as at April 2019).

Above County lock, the canal is essentially a river. It winds past terraced houses and then through industrial estates, and there are no opportunities to moor. However, above Fobney lock there is a long, straight cut with piled banks that give extensive mooring.

After the straight cut, the canal reverts to a river character, with few opportunities to moor. However, about a mile above Southcot lock (no 104) just past bridge 14 is the Cunning Man pub which is a good place to stop. The pub is open all day, has a large garden and serves modern British pub food.

Theale

Above Sheffield lock (no 101) is Theale Swing Bridge, which has traffic lights and is operated using a CRT key. Just past the swingbridge there are 48-hour moorings, and the towpath is moorable for some distance after that. Half a mile south of the swingbridge is the Fox and Hounds pub and half a mile north is Theale railway station and a small Coop supermarket. If you turn right at the Coop and keep walking, the road eventually becomes a footpath that leads over a footbridge to Ikea, which is useful for bedding and kitchenware etc.

Tyle Mill

Below Tyle Mill swingbridge (no 23) and lock (no 99), there is a refuse point, pump-out and water point. However, there is nowhere to moor either above or below the lock as all available space is taken up with permit holder moorings.

Aldermaston Wharf

At Aldermaston Wharf, ABC Leisure offers pump-out, diesel, gas etc. Just past the lift bridge and before the lock, there are moorings on a short spur at right-angles to the canal. After Froud's Bridge marina, the canal becomes a river again and mooring becomes very difficult.

Turf lock at Thatcham. 05-10-2018

Woolhampton

Between Woolhampton swingbridge and lock, side currents are very fierce so take care going in either direction. Above Woolhampton lock there are 48-hour moorings on rings, and the towpath is moorable for a distance after that.

Between Woolhampton and Newbury, the towpath is intermittently moorable so it should not be difficult to find somewhere.

Thatcham

There are 48-hour moorings between Thatcham Bridge (no 42) and Monkey Marsh lock (no 90), but with the railway and main road very close these are likely to be noisy.

West Mills swingbridge in Newbury. 08-10-2018

Newbury

As you approach Newbury, the towpath becomes difficult to moor, but just before bridge 53 there is a boarded up pub and the bank is moorable. This is convenient for the nearby Tesco store and B&Q.

After Greenham Bridge (no 56), the towpath is moorable opposite the boatyard there, but you would be better off continuing through Newbury lock. As you navigate through the town, there are some tight bends and a low modern bridge that may need you to lower your pram hood.

There are 24-hour moorings between Newbury lock and the West Mills swingbridge, and further 24-hour moorings after that.