Crofton and Savernake is about 4 miles on from The Bedwyns, with 9 locks is a good 3 hours and with the views that follow of the summit of the canal and rolling hills is a very enjoyable leisurely stretch.
Crofton makes you realise with its original Pumping station preserved and restored how much effort, engineering and ingenuity went into making the canal route work. The original two engines could lift two tons of water to the summit every stroke. Wilton Water was eventually enlarged to be a reservoir in 1836 and it provided the large volume of water needed to make Crofton work. Crofton Pumping Station is open to the public and after restoration by the Crofton Society was reopened officially by Sir John Betjeman in 1970.
Wilton Windmill is still a working mill and was built to replace those in the area originally because the reduction in waterflow caused by the impact of the canal and pumping to reach the summit had rendered others untenable.
