Semington

Semington has no hotels of its own, so a stay here usually means basing yourself in one of the nearby Wiltshire towns and treating the village as a peaceful stop on a wider canal-country trip. Trowbridge, the county town just a few miles southwest, has a decent spread of budget and mid-range chain hotels along with pub accommodation, while Melksham to the north offers similar options in a smaller, quieter setting. Both are within a five-to-ten-minute drive of Semington itself.

For something with more character, Bradford-on-Avon and Devizes are both within easy striking distance and sit directly on the Kennet and Avon Canal, giving you the option of a canalside guest house or boutique B&B rather than a standard hotel room. Bradford-on-Avon in particular has a good selection of independent places to stay set among its steep, historic streets, while Devizes combines canal-side charm with the dramatic Caen Hill Locks flight right on its edge.

Wherever you base yourself, Semington works well as a short stop on a driving or cycling route rather than a destination in its own right — the aqueduct, locks and wharf are best appreciated on a walk or cycle along the towpath before continuing on to Trowbridge, Melksham, Lacock or Devizes for the evening. Booking ahead is sensible in summer, when canal-side towns are popular with boaters and towpath cyclists alike, but otherwise availability in the surrounding towns is generally good year-round.

Semington itself is compact, but it sits within easy reach of some of Wiltshire's best-known attractions and the towpath right on its doorstep.

• Kennet and Avon Canal towpath — Walk or cycle the towpath through Semington's own locks and wharf, or follow it further afield; the canal offers flat, well-surfaced routes ideal for an easy afternoon out.
• Caen Hill Locks, Devizes — A dramatic flight of 29 locks on the same canal, roughly a 20-minute drive east, is one of the most photographed feats of canal engineering in the country.
• Lacock and Lacock Abbey — The National Trust village of Lacock, with its medieval abbey and unspoilt streets used in numerous film and TV productions, lies a short drive north.
• Trowbridge — Wiltshire's county town, a few miles southwest, has a museum dedicated to the area's wool and textile heritage plus a compact town centre for shopping and cafes.
• Melksham — The neighbouring market town, just north of Semington, has its own stretch of the Avon river, parks and a regular market.
• Bowood House and Gardens — A grand stately home and landscaped parkland near Calne, within easy reach for a half-day out.
• Longleat — The safari park and stately home near Warminster makes for a popular full-day trip from the area.

Semington's own historic pub, the Grade II listed Somerset Arms on the High Street, has been closed since 2023, with a local community group campaigning to bring it back into use — so at present the village has no pub of its own. Visitors are better served heading into Trowbridge or Melksham, both a few minutes away, for a proper choice of pubs, cafes and restaurants, or stopping at one of the canalside pubs found at intervals along the Kennet and Avon towpath towards Devizes.

Semington sits inland in west Wiltshire, so this is canal and farmland camping country rather than coastal — think towpath walks, quiet fields and the sound of moorhens rather than sea air. As with anywhere in England, wild camping without the landowner's permission is not legal, so pitching up on the canal towpath, in fields or on any other private land requires the owner's consent; stick to licensed campsites and caravan parks, of which west Wiltshire and the surrounding Kennet and Avon corridor have a reasonable number, particularly around Trowbridge, Melksham, Devizes and Bradford-on-Avon.

The terrain around Semington is gentle and low-lying, following the course of the canal and Semington Brook through farmland, which makes for easy, flat walking and cycling from a campsite base but offers little in the way of dramatic scenery compared with the Wiltshire Downs further east or the Cotswolds to the north. What it does offer is genuine quiet: this is a working agricultural landscape threaded by a historic canal, popular with narrowboaters, anglers and towpath cyclists rather than with big touring crowds, so campsites in the area tend to be smaller and more relaxed than those near Wiltshire's bigger draws like Stonehenge or Salisbury.

Late spring to early autumn is the best window for camping here, when the canal towpath is dry underfoot and evenings are long enough for a walk out to the Semington Aqueduct or up towards Caen Hill Locks. Wiltshire's weather is unremarkable by UK standards — expect a mix of sun and rain through the summer months — so a decent tent or an awning is worth having regardless of season. For those who prefer a roof, a growing number of glamping options — shepherd's huts, pods and small static setups — have appeared around the wider Trowbridge and Melksham area in recent years, offering a more comfortable alternative to a tent while staying close to the canal.