Great Bedwyn - Canal & Village

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Detective Mystery around Great Bedwyn's canal and village, with Detectives helping DCI Rowan Boats investigate the collapse of leading narrowboat designer Brian Butty and uncover who is behind the sabotage plot before the prestigious Annual Narrowboat Design Award.

The investigation covers approximately 1.2 miles and should take around 1.5 hours to complete. You'll begin at the canal parking area, follow village pavements, lanes and footpaths, investigate grassy sections, steps and a stile, and continue along the canal towpath before returning to the start via the canal path.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The route uses pavements, lanes, footpaths, grass, steps, a stile and the canal towpath, and there are only partial pavements throughout.

Take great care where pavements are partial, stay alert for vehicles, and after Clue 18 take special care crossing high-speed rail tracks. There is also an unprotected deep water area at the lock, so keep Mini Detectives close near the canal.

Getting There

By car: Start your investigation at the free parking area at the canal (SN8 3PB), accessed from Brook Street opposite Frog Lane, south of the canal bridge.

By public transport: Make your way to Brook Street, opposite Frog Lane and south of the canal bridge, then head for the canal parking area to begin the case.

Need the Loo?

Plan ahead, Detectives - there are no public toilets in the village, so it is worth making arrangements before you begin this 1.5 hour investigation.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Detectives are welcome to join the investigation 🐾

The route includes lanes, partial pavements, footpaths, grass, steps, a stile, the canal towpath, high-speed rail tracks after Clue 18 and an unprotected deep water area at the lock, so keep canine colleagues close around traffic, crossings and water. Both local pubs welcome families and well-behaved dogs.

Food & Drink Stops

Sabotage investigations are best tackled with decent supplies.

There is a bakery in the village, a pub at Clue 07 and a small general store for snacks at Clue 13. Both local pubs welcome families and well-behaved dogs, and The Three Tuns is the only surviving village pub.

Want to Make a Day of It?

The Parish Church

Dating from 1092, the parish church is well worth a closer look once the evidence-gathering slows down. Its size suggests the village was once larger, the chancel has a memorial to Sir John Seymour, father of Henry VIII's wife Jane, and one of Wiltshire's heaviest rings means the tenor bell weighs over a tonne.

The Three Tuns

The Three Tuns is the only surviving village pub and opened in 1784. During the 1850s, when the Market House was no longer in use, it held a weekly corn market - a handy historic refuelling stop for Detectives piecing together Great Bedwyn's past.

The Great Fire of Bedwyn Area

In 1716, the Great Fire of Bedwyn destroyed 28 houses in High Street, Farm Lane and Church Street. The Cross Keys was rebuilt, and its sign, the arms of the Papacy, harks back to pre-Reformation England.

The Maltings

The Maltings adds another layer to the village's history. There were six hop yards in the village in 1675, the buildings housed German prisoners in World War II, and in 1975 they were converted to flats. Castle Cottage down the lane is worth a look too.