On Sunday we travelled from Aylesbeare to Seend, near Devizes, for a week at the Devizes Camping and Caravanning Club site – a 2.5 hour drive of some 87 miles.

From Huntisbeare it is a short drive to the A30 near Honiton which then becomes the A303 which we followed all the way to the A350 which runs South – North from Blandford Forum to Trowbridge. We headed up the A350 and then took the A361 towards Seend and as far as the Bath Road. Turn left on the Bath Road and the site is right behind the Three Magpies public house.

The campsite was recommended by some friends of ours from a Spanish trip, as one of the nicest sites they have stayed on in England. The wider area isn’t particularly known as a tourist trap but the site is excellent and the location is good. The site grounds are beautifully maintained but the toilet block whilst clean, is starting to look a little jaded in places.

We were watching this strange looking bird from the awning yesterday. We were wondering if it was some kind of escaped exotic bird – apparently not as it is an Albino Magpie! Perhaps it’s time for the pub, located just outside of the site to change its name to “The White Magpie”!

The site is two minute walk to the Kennet and Avon canal. Head West along the canal and after half an hour or so is the Barge Inn. A little further from the canal past the Barge Inn is the Brewery Inn which we haven’t visited – yet!

Head East and it’s a few miles to walk along the towpath to Devizes. We walked as far as the Caen Hill locks which dominate the landscape on the approach up the hill to Devizes.

This is the longest flight of locks in the country – a total of 29 locks with a rise of 237 feet over 2 miles. To keep the water balanced, a back pump at Foxhangers returns 7 million gallons of water to the top of the flight each day.

This steep incline at Caen Hill was the reason which caused Brunel to route the main London to Bristol line through Chippenham and Swindon rather than taking the line through Devizes. Devizes was served by a single branch line opened in July 1857 but retired as part of the Beeching cuts in 1966. One can still see remnants of the old line on the walk from the campsite to Devizes.

There’s also a large marina near to the locks – Caen Hill Marina.