River Avon Trail - Pulteney Weir - Bath, Somerset
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SMacB
N 51° 22.959 W 002° 21.398
30U E 544772 N 5692575
An information board situsted on the banks of the River Avon at Pulteney Weir. The board marks the beginning / end of the River Avon Trail, depending on which direction you are travelling.
Waymark Code: WMWY23
Location: South West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/28/2017
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"Managed by the Avon Frome Partnership, the Trail (in this case) runs from Pulteney Bridge, Bath in England’s west country to Pill in North Somerset. It is a medium-distance path of about 23 miles enjoyed by walkers, and in some sections, cyclists and horseriders.
Although the Avon continues upstream to its source in the Cotswold Hills, the River Avon Trail begins/ends here. Pulteney Weir is the Head of the Avon Navigation beyond which no boats may pass. The part the River Avon has played in the success of this famous city has been little recognised. But as you reach this end of the River Avon Trail, you can still see what little remains of the mills, factories and warehouses of the working city.
The economic prospects of the area boomed when the stretch of water between Hanham and Bath was opened for navigation. Weirs had long since existed to power the 30 or so water mills between Bristol and Bath but boats could only move on a high tide. The Avon Navigation created six locks to control the tidal river and conduct boats uphill and upstream to Bath.
The first barge sailed upstream from Hanham in 1727. Almost a century later this lock was to become the first of over 100 on the Kennet & Avon Canal, linking the region with London. These developments enabled Bath to experience a boom time, particularly as one of its greatest exports – Bath stone – could then be shipped all over the world."
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