Camping in Semington

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.