Bradford on Avon Voyage Tips and guide

Bradford on Avon is a small country town in England between Bath and Trowbridge. The handsome buildings which climb up the hills from the 'broad ford' (and, since Norman times, the bridge) across the river are mostly Georgian, the legacy of a few hundred years of prosperity as a centre of a textile industry making fine woollen cloth from Cotswold sheep.

Built in the same fine oolite limestone as Bath, the town was already a settlement in the Iron Age, and people have been living there ever since. The foundations of a large Roman villa - the centre of an estate many miles across - were uncovered in 2003 in the grounds of the town's secondary school, and it has one of England's few surviving Saxon churches and a magnificent medieval Tithe Barn, crowned with one of the largest stone roofs in the country. Towards the end of the Georgian period the industry and its money moved north to Yorkshire and Lancashire, and building largely stopped for around 100 years. The old textile mills were taken over in the 20th century by the rubber industry, making goods like tyres (and the small-wheeled Moulton bicycles, briefly famous in the 1960s and 70s as town runabouts), but that too eventually moved away. Today Bradford on Avon is largely a residential town with a population of 9,400 (2011).

• Bradford on Avon Town Council website

51°20′35″N 2°15′0″W

Map of Bradford on Avon

Trains from Bristol run every 20 min and take 25 min via Bath, Freshford and Avoncliff. They continue to Trowbridge, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton. From London Paddington change at Westbury, two hours.

51.3448-2.25271 Bradford-on-Avon station is central, south of the river. It has a staffed ticket office and machines. There's a sheltered waiting area but no toilets or cafe. There's step-free access to both platforms.

First Bristol Bus D1 runs hourly from Bath, taking 40 min, and continues to Trowbridge, Westbury and Warminster.

Everything in Bradford on Avon is within walking distance of the centre.

Fromebus 98 potters round town hourly M-Sa.

Bradford-on-Avon Taxis are on +44 1225 868111.

• 51.3427-2.25531 Bradford on Avon Tithe Barn, Pound Lane, Bradford on Avon BA15 1LF. Daily 10:30AM-4PM. A spectacular 14th-century monastic stone barn, 51 metres long, with an amazing timber cruck roof. Free.  (updated Mar 2018)
• 51.354401-2.201012 Courts Garden, Holt, BA14 6RR (3 miles east of Bradford on Avon), ☏ +44 1225 782875, [email protected].  
• 51.368198-2.199423 Great Chalfield Manor, near Melksham, SN12 8NH (3 miles north east of Bradford on Avon), ☏ +44 1225 782239, [email protected].  
• Freshford Mill is a complex with its oldest parts dating to the 17th century. It's being converted into residences but this project has stalled, so as of 2026 it's a construction site and worth a miss.
• 51.329399-2.270244 Westwood Manor, Westwood, BA15 2AF (3 miles south west of Bradford on Avon), ☏ +44 1225 863374, [email protected].  
• 51.3292-2.28765 Ilford Manor Gardens, Ilford BA15 2BA, ☏ +44 1225 863146. Apr-Sep W-Su 11AM-4PM. Stylish Italianate gardens. No tours of the Georgian manor.  (updated Jan 2026)
• 51.3175-2.2876 Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Farleigh Hungerford BA2 7RS, ☏ +44 1225 754026. daily 10AM-6PM. The remains of this very grand castle are in the Frome valley just 3 miles out of Trowbridge. The castle dates from the 14th century and was occupied by the Hungerford family for 300 years. It contains some rare medieval wall paintings. The surrounding village is the epitome of rural southwestern English charm. adults £4.10, children £2.50, concessions £3.70.  

Take advantage of the canal walks and soak up the atmosphere.

For scenic views take an energetic walk to Tory. The church here is the perfect spot for getting scenic shots across the town.

Bradford on Avon has many small independent shops. There is a small concentration of shops around "The Shambles" located between Silver and Market Street.

Bradford has two banks side by side: HSBC and Lloyds Bank. It also has a Stroud and Swindon building society.

For a self-catered visit, there is a Sainsbury's supermarket on the edge of town.

Bradford on Avon is well served for public houses.

• Lots of pleasant bed and breakfasts.
• Swan Hotel. The 15th-century hotel, steps away from the Saxon bridge, offers a high standard of accommodation with 12 en suite rooms, and has a restaurant and thriving pub 
• Timbrell's Yard, 49 St Margaret's Street BA15 1DE (by bridge), ☏ +44 1225 869492. Great bar and restaurant in stylish old building, the bedrooms are a blend of old and modern. Dog-friendly. B&B double £90. (updated Aug 2020)
• 51.353-2.2361 Woolley Grange, Woolley Green, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 1TX (along B3105), ☏ +44 1225 864705. Gorgeous upscale hotel in Jacobean manor house, child- and dog-friendly, with spa and pool, baby and child activities daytime. B&B double £180.  (updated Jul 2020)
• 51.332-2.242 Widbrook Grange, Trowbridge Rd, Widbrook BA15 1UH, ☏ +44 1225 864750. Comfy dog-friendly hotel in converted farrmstead, creative dining. B&B double £130.  (updated Jul 2020)

As of Dec 2025, Bradford and its approach roads have 4G from O2, and 5G from EE, Three and Vodafone.

• Short train ride to Bath, the Roman spa town.
• Walk west down the Avon valley. A pleasant walk following the canal towpath for 2 miles brings you to Freshford, a tiny little village with a very pleasant pub looking out over fields of sheep.