Wilton Windmill - Kennet & Avon Canal

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Spy Mission around Wilton Windmill and the Kennet & Avon Canal, with Agents helping undercover operative Cam O'Flage stop Dr B. Low's plan to use the Breeze Blocker 3000 to stop the wind, by following the Trail, solving the clues and whipping up the secret code before the scheme succeeds.

The operation covers 2.5 miles and should take around 2.5 hours to complete. You'll begin at The Swan Inn in Wilton village, head out through lanes and countryside, follow field paths and towpath sections, investigate the canal side and Crofton area, then continue towards Wilton Windmill before looping back to the village.

Due to steep ascents and descents, this Trail is not suitable for wheelchair users or pushchairs, and may be difficult if you have limited mobility. The route also has stretches without clues, a field path, a weir crossed via railings, towpath sections, narrow lanes, roads without pavements, an uphill road stretch, and some sections are wet and muddy after bad weather.

Stay sharp around the watery canal side sections: keep away from the water's edge, watch out for tripping hazards, and stay vigilant around deep locks with moving gates and ageing ratchets. There is also a railway line to look towards at one point, but do not go onto the track, and take extra care on road sections where there is no pavement.

Getting There

By car: Start the mission at The Swan Inn in Wilton village (SN8 3SS), using ///nests.plausible.linked. Park your undercover vehicle along the roadside, outside the pub (SN8 3SS), using ///nests.plausible.linked.

By public transport: Make your way to The Swan Inn in Wilton village to begin the operation. The circular route returns to the village and The Swan Inn at the end.

Need the Loo?

Toilets are available at The Swan Inn at the start and end of the mission, so make a tactical comfort stop before heading out into the field.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Agents are welcome to join the mission. 🐾

The route includes narrow lanes, roads without pavements, towpath sections, deep locks, canal side stretches, a field path, steep ascents and descents, and ground that can be wet or muddy after bad weather. Keep canine recruits close around roads, locks and water, and be ready for muddy paws if the weather has turned against you.

Food & Drink Stops

Snacks are available at The Swan Inn at the start and end of the mission. There is also a cafe at the windmill, open seasonally.

If you'd rather bring your own rations, there are some good spots for a picnic between Clues 04-10 and 14-19.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Wilton Windmill

The mission leads you to Wilton Windmill, the last complete surviving windmill in Wiltshire. Built in 1821, it replaced seven local watermills made redundant by the newly opened Kennet & Avon Canal, and milled away until the 1920's, when it was overtaken by newer electric and steam-powered mills. It was restored by volunteers and opened to the public in 1976. In 2016/17, the sails were removed for restoration, for the first time since the original work in the 1970's. Two of the sails were removed in Oct 2024 for further work and were meant to be back in place by the end of 2025.

The windmill has some excellent undercover credentials too: it inspired Wallace and Gromit's 'A Matter of Loaf and Death', appeared in The Style Council's 1987 music video 'Heavens Above', and featured in BBC's 'Victorian Farm Christmas'.

Crofton Pumping Station

Across the canal, Crofton Pumping Station is a cracking optional detour if your Agents want extra engineering intel. The Kennet & Avon Canal was built in the early 1800s as a waterway between Bristol and London, and in 1807 Crofton Pumping Station, with its tall chimney that you can see opposite, was built to provide water to the canal's highest point between Reading and Bath.

On some days in summer, two of its Cornish beam engines - the 1812 Boulton and Watt and the 1846 Harvey - can be seen in steam from a coal-fired Lancashire boiler. The former is the oldest working beam in the world in its original engine house. Cross the lock to explore the Beam Engines on the opposite side of the canal; this is paid admission.

Kennet & Avon Canal

The route follows the canal side and passes the Crofton Engine Pound and Crofton Pumping Station area. The canal itself was built in the early 1800s as a waterway between Bristol and London, then reopened in 1990 thanks to the hard work of the Kennet and Avon Trust and dedicated volunteers.

Roman Road

The Trail follows a Roman road built as straight as a laser beam, linking Cunetio (Mildenhall, near Marlborough) and Venta Belgarum (Winchester). From the top, there are views over Crofton to Savernake Forest beyond - a fine lookout point for Agents keeping watch for suspicious wind-stopping activity.