There can be few things as much fun as messing around on the water in the sunshine. There's ample opportunity to do just that on the stretches of the Kennet and Avon Canal and the River Avon which run through Wiltshire.

On a sunny day head for Barton Farm Park in Bradford on Avon. The waterpark is on the site of a medieval farm and here you can explore the River Avon and the Kennet and Avon Canal as they run parallel to each other.

Shops selling trinkets, crafts and arts have sprung up at the waterpark, where there is also a good selection of tea rooms and canalside pubs and some artists' workshops. Park in Bradford on Avon's station car park and take the river path until you reach the shops and magnificent tithe barn, which was constructed to store the taxes or tithes paid by the local peasants. Occasionally plays are held in this spectacular setting.

From here there is a magical walk that takes in watermeadows, the canal and its brightly-painted narrowboats, the River Avon, the Lock Inn and Cross Guns pubs, plus a tearoom, and the Avoncliff Aqueduct.

You can hire canoes and bicycles at the Lock Inn Cottage, contact (01225) 868068, on the canal, or choose to tackle the waters of the River Avon and hire a canoe.

The canal trust has worked tirelessly to restore damaged sections of the canal and it runs pleasure cruises from the Wharf Cottage. It's often buzzing with people enjoying walking, cycling or boating on the canal but in its heyday it was busy for different reasons. Evidence of its importance remains, with loading bays, a gauging dock, wharf buildings and the wharfinger's house still in existence. In fact, it was here that the canal started life, with the digging of the first turf taking place at Bradford on Avon in 1794.

Wharf Cottage is the centre for the west Wiltshire branch of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, which operates many of the tourist attractions on offer. From the wharfside you can relax, take a boat trip or just watch the many boats that come and go throughout the year. There are refreshments and a shop selling canal goods. The trust offers trips on the boat Barbara McLellan. For more information contact: (01225) 868683. For further details about the trust see opposite.

The canal's importance in transporting goods declined with the introduction of the railways. The railtrack runs parallel to the river for a stretch in the valley below the canal at Bradford on Avon as if to serve as a permanent reminder.

There is so much to keep you in the nearby wool town of Bradford on Avon you could extend your trip into a full day in which to explore. The town could hardly be prettier, and sits on a hill overlooking the River Avon. You can delve into its dinky shops, which include several exclusive antiques stores, interiors shops, delicatessen and gift shops, and have lunch in a number of smart eateries or pubs.

For the slightly more energetic, there is an uphill climb through winding flights of steps up to St Mary's Tory, a row of weavers' cottages, and the tiny Saxon Church of St Laurence, one of Bradford on Avon's hidden gems. From here there are panoramic views of the town laid out before you.

Must see...

Devizes Wharf

On the wharf, close to the spectacular Devizes flight of 29 locks and the town centre, with plenty of parking, is the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust Museum, a must for everyone with an interest in the waterway.

"The best little canal museum in the country" tells the story of the waterway from 1794 to the present day. The trust took on the task of restoring the canal to its former glory, tackling 86 derelict locks, 172 pairs of gates, a leaking canal bed, crumbling aqueducts and abandoned pumping stations. There is also a shop on the site selling books, videos, maps, souvenirs, and canal information.

Both are open seven days a week from 10am-5pm (4pm in winter). Entrance to the museum costs: adults £1.50, seniors £1, and children 50 pence.

Devizes Caen Hill Flight

The wharf is an excellent place from which to walk to the historic and spectacular Caen Hill, a series or flight of 16 locks. This is the middle section of the Devizes flight of 29 locks that give a total rise of 237 feet over 21 miles. If you're travelling by boat it is said to take a whole day to navigate the locks and no small amount of willpower!

About the Kennet and Avon Canal

The Kennet and Avon Canal stretches for 87 miles across the south from Bristol to Reading. It was completed in 1810 by the engineer John Rennie and passes through a rural landscape, over chalk vales and river valleys, winding its way through villages, market towns and the city of Bath.

The waterway is a thread linking many architectural and engineering triumphs, including aqueducts, pumping stations and lock flights. It is a combination of three waterways: the River Avon to the west and the River Kennet to the East, both of which are linked by 57 miles of manmade waterway.

The canal's towpath runs is designated as a National Waterway Walk and is a public right of way. For those wishing to walk the National Waterway Walk, it is recommended that you purchase a copy of the GEO projects map of the Kennet and Avon Canal, which indicates the towpath, main access points and car parks.

Fact file

Wharf Cottage, Bradford on Avon, from where you can take a trip on one of the trust's narrowboats: (01225) 868683

Bradford on Avon Tourist Information Centre, Westbury Gardens, St Margaret's Street: (01225) 865797

Kennet and Avon Canal Trust Museum and shop, Devizes Wharf: (01380) 729489

Lock Inn Cottage, bike and boat hire: (01225) 868068