Bright blue skies. swathes of colourful wildflowers. Riverside walks. Lazy picnics. Walking through pretty gardens or sitting down to an alfresco lunch. Summer is a glorious time to explore the Great West Way - with beautiful sights to be seen and landscapes to be enjoyed as you travel the length of the route from Bristol to London. Here are 14 photos to show off just how pretty this quintessentially English part of the world can be in the summer months.

Sunny skies over Pulteney Weir in Bath

The Westbury White Horse in Wiltshire

A row of colourful houses in Bristol

The lake in the grounds of Bowood House near Calne

Bright flowers on a bright day in the market town of Newbury

Fields of poppies growing near Marlborough

The glorious green gardens of the American Museum, just outside Bath

A sunny summer's day in Marlow

A family of swans on the River Test near Whitchurch

Hot air balloons over Bristol

A flower-filled view over the Kennet & Avon Canal

Windsor Great Park on a hot summery day

A canal boat drifting over Dundas Aqueduct on the Kennet & Avon Canal

Exploring Reading in the summer sunshine
We hope we've inspired you to escape the everyday along the Great West Way this summer! Take a look at all the things to do and places to stay to start planning your summer Great West Way adventure today. For more inspiration, take a look at how to Escape the Everyday on the Great West Way.