A quick stroll around Bradford

I thought I’d share with you a few delights from my earlyish morning walk yesterday. The walk, as they all do in this beautiful Wiltshire town, helped settle me so much. I hope it might have the same effect on you.

I didn’t walk far, just up from the Avon to the top of Budbury Hill and back down again on Bradford’s ancient paths and roads. The stroll was only 2 miles but for those who know the town you’ll appreciate the climb I took in places.

These days Bradford-on-Avon is a small and pretty historic town beloved of locals and tourists, but it once was a noisy industrial centre. Like the Bradford in the north of England, Bradford-on-Avon’s industrial heritage began with wool. Both have also experienced periods of industrial growth and decline, including riots. Many of the small cottages were once part of the weaving cottage industry, and the apartment blocks were once mills. The last major factories in Bradford-on-Avon were mostly rubber and they only closed here in the early 1990s, but many visitors may not even notice its industrial heritage with the exception of the canal perhaps. The county council certainly tends to describe as a market town, but that is not its history nor what makes it special. I look forward to sharing with you more of its fascinating history and the beautiful walks.