As a cyclist, l have pretty much given up using the towpath link into Bath at the moment.
A month of rain has turned the canal-side approach path from Grosvenor Bridge into a quagmire and the towpath itself looks like a miniature (and repeating) Lake District.
It’s my understanding work will start on improving things at the end of February/beginning of March – but no definite date has yet been fixed.
The contractors who will do the job are – apparently -specialist river engineers who regularly do a lot of towpath and river bank work for the Canal & River Trust.
Reblogged this on CycleBath and commented:
How this will work based on what happened with Devizes
1) The towpath will have a bitmac (tarmac) smooth surface laid down (6 week process).
2) Then they have to wait for a dry warm spell.
3) Local residents who opposed the towpath upgrade will complain about how bad it looks and how it enables speeding cyclists as they did in Devizes (http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/12968960.Tow_path_resurfacing_causes_waves_in_Devizes/ )
4) Around May the final surface will be applied, at which point everyone should calm down. The final Devizes surface really only allows slow cycling. It’s a gravel finish.
5) Finally the towpath will be useable whatever the weather.