Swindon

Swindon town centre, viewed from Radnor Street Cemetery

Swindon [1] is a large town in Wiltshire, in southern England, with a population of approximately 200,000 people. The facilities and attractions on offer within Swindon itself are largely commensurate with its size.

Understand

The town began its existence as a Saxon village, and it is likely that its name is derived from the Saxon words 'swine dun' meaning 'pig hill'. The small hilltop village subsequently expanded around the site of a quarry and a new canal facilitated trade.

During the mid 19th century, the introduction of the Great Western Railway and the associated railway works fully transformed Swindon from a village into a thriving industrial town, which drew workers from across the United Kingdom.

Swindon experienced a population boom following World War II. A number of new housing areas were built due to a shortage of housing in London following the mass destruction caused by the war. This population growth has continued and the town remains one of the fastest growing in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Get in

By plane

Swindon is served by international airports in the south of the United Kingdom. For travellers coming directly to Swindon, the following airports are most convenient:

Airport	Car	Public Transport
Heathrow Airport [2]	70 minutes via the M4 motorway	1 hour and 25 minutes using National Express coach service NX403
Bristol Airport [3]	70 minutes via Bristol city centre, the M32 motorway and the M4 motorway	1 hour and 20 minutes, using the shuttle bus to Bristol Temple Meads railway station and the train to Swindon thereafter.
Southampton Airport [4]	70 minutes via the M3 motorway, the A34 and the M4 motorway	1 hour and 15 minutes by train, via Reading railway station.

Arrival points entailing greater travel times include London Gatwick Airport, London Stansted Airport, London Luton Airport, Bournemouth Airport, Birmingham Airport and Cardiff Airport.

By train

Wikivoyage has a guide to Rail travel in the United Kingdom.

Swindon has one railway station, located centrally within the town - Swindon Station. It is located on Station Road, immediately north of the town centre, offering four platforms for arrivals and departures.

• From London and the South East of England - Swindon has a direct rail connection to London Paddington, a major railway terminus in Central London, situated a short distance north of Hyde Park. Services from Paddington take approximately 1 hour to reach Swindon, travelling via Reading (the halfway point of the journey). Some services also call at Didcot Parkway.
• From South Wales and the West Country - Services arriving into Swindon from the west originate at a number of stations, such as Swansea, Cardiff Central and Bristol Temple Meads.
• From Gloucestershire and The West Midlands - Arrivals from Kemble, Cheltenham Spa and Gloucester.

By bus

National Express Coaches from all major airports.

By car

The Magic Roundabout

Driving along the M4, take junction 15 or 16 into Swindon. There are Park and Ride buses now available National Park and Ride Directory. If you are going into the town centre, watch out for the Magic Roundabout. Five roads converge onto the roundabout; at each of these roads is a mini-roundabout which is connected to its neighbours. In the centre is the result of the five mini-roundabouts: a mega-roundabout that goes around anti-clockwise (the wrong way). It's a tad scary to travel through, but not as bad as Coventry.

Get around

Foot

The town centre is small enough to walk through on foot, as is the shopping areas of Old Town, Orbital Retail Park and the Shaw Ridge Leisure Park & West Swindon Shopping Centre.

Bus

Swindon has an extensive local bus network, with the vast majority of routes radiating outward from the town centre (either from the bus station or the Fleming Way bus stands).

The two main bus operators in the town are Thamesdown Transport[5] and Stagecoach West[6].

A full list of routes can be found at the Swindon Borough Council bus information website

See

Museums

• Steam: The Great Western Railway Museum Kemble Drive, SN2 2TA. This museum is located in a restored railway works building. The building is a treat in itself. As well as having a wealth of information about the railways, it also is an invaluable source of social history. There are plenty of events for children, and it is right next to the 'Shopping Village' outlet centre, and the National Trust Headquarters, so anyone in the family who doesn't want to visit the museum has plenty of other options. Both the Steam Museum and the National Trust centre have excellent shops and cafes. Telephone 01793 466646 (By car, follow brown tourist signs for the Outlet Centre "Great Western Heritage Area" or "M for STEAM Museum"), 01793 466646 [7]. 10AM until 5PM. Adults £5.95, Concessions(+Students): £3.95
• Museum of Computing @ Swindon. Educational museum with excellent collections, guided tours and admission is free.
• Swindon Museum. Interesting displays on local history, geology and archaeology. Admission is free, Open: Mon-Sat: 10AM-5PM; Sun: 2PM-5PM.

Galleries

• Swindon Art Gallery. Very important collection of 20th century British Art and includes work by Henry Moore and L.S. Lowry. Admission is free, Open: Mon-Sat: 10AM-5PM; Sun: 2PM-5PM.

Architecture

• Railway Village
• Former Great Western Railway Works
• Former Renault Distribution Centre, designed by Sir Norman Foster. The building is now known as Spectrum.
• Wood Street, Old Town

Parks and Woodland

• Town Gardens
• Queen’s Park
• Lawns Park
• Faringdon Road Park
• Lydiard Country Park
• Coate Water Country Park
• Hagbourne Copse
• Shaw Forest Park
• Peatmoor Lagoon
• Mouldon Hill Country Park

Do

• Swindon Mela [8]. An annual festival celebrating Indian culture. Held in August in the Swindon Town Gardens.

• Coate Water [9]. was originally built to supply water to the Wilts & Berks Canal but is now a popular country park.

• Wilts & Berks Canal (See Main Article [10]). Built between 1795 and 1810 very little of this canal now remains. Its course can be traced by following Canal Street from Kingshill into the town centre but the section between Kingshill Road and the M4 was partially restored a few years ago and is popular with Dog walkers and cyclists.

• Museum of Computing (See Main Article [11]). The Museum of Computing is devoted to the history of computing and digital development. It was the first physical museum of it's kind in the UK dedicated to the history of computing.

• Swindon Festival of Literature

• Swindon & Cricklade Railway

Cinemas

• Cineworld [12]. near the Link Centre
• Empire Cinemas [13]. Greenbridge Retail Park
• Swindon Arts Centre [14]. Old Town.

Buy

Swindon town centre [15] contains the main retail core of the town, primarily served by four pedestrianised shopping streets (Bridge Street, Regent Street, Canal Walk and The Parade [16]). The shops are around 150 metres from the bus station and approximately 300 metres from the railway station.

The Brunel Centre [17] is accessible from Canal Walk, comprising a two-story indoor shopping area.

At the end of western end of Canal Walk is the Swindon’s Tented Market [18].

Two shopping destinations exist within walking distance of the town centre. 0.8km west of the town centre is the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet [19], Europe's largest indoor designer outlet in the unique setting of restored Victorian railway engineering buildings. 1.1km south-east of the town centre is Old Town.

Further afield are Greenbridge Retail Park, the West Swindon Shopping Centre and the Orbital Retail Park. These are accessible from the town centre by bus, taxi or car.

Eat

There are plenty different types of places to choose from, including traditional English and Irish pubs, Chinese and Indian restaurants, and cafes and bars.

• <eat name="Poms Thai Cuisine" alt="" address="24 High Street" directions="Old Town" phone="01793 480046" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Authentic Thai cuisine in a light, airy setting. Certainly the oldest and best Thai restaurant in Swindon.</eat>

• <eat name="Cosmo" alt="" address="Linden Ct, Holbrook Way" directions="opposite Holiday Inn Express" phone="01793 495666" email="" fax="" url="http://www.cosmo-restaurant.com/cosmo/swindon.html" hours="" price="">Chinese and pan-asian buffet. The restaurant boasts 5 live cooking stations, incorporating a teppanyaki hotplate, barbecue grill, dim sum bar, fresh noodle bar and freshly prepared sushi counter. These are in addition to the popular and sumptuous Cosmo buffet choices.</eat>
• <eat name="Los Gatos" alt="" address="Wood Street" directions="" phone="" url="http://www.losgatos.co.uk/" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">A real, spanish-owned tapas bar which uses fresh ingredients </eat>

• <eat name="Jewel in the Crown" alt="" address="14-16 Victoria Road" directions="" phone="01793 522687" email="" fax="" url="http://www.jewelinthecrown.co.uk/" hours="" price="">Indian restaurant in Old Town.</eat>

Drink

For really good pubs it is advised you head out of town into the countryside a bit, however several of the more popular pubs are:

• Big Fish, 20 Fleet Street. An independent, quirky pub with friendly staff - good food too. They recently had a makeover, but it's still a bit dirty. Known locally as 'The Sweaty Fish'.
• <drink name="The Glue Pot" alt="" address="5 Emlyn Square" directions="" phone="01793 523935" url="http://www.hopback.co.uk/our-pubs/the-gluepot.html" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">Probably one of the better places to find good real ale in Swindon, although that's not saying much. </drink>
• <drink name="Groves Company Inn" alt="" address="22/23 Fleet Street" directions="" phone="" url="http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-groves-company-inn" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">The ubiquitous Wetherspoons: Cheap beer, no atmosphere. </drink>

• <drink name="The Victoria Pub" alt="" address="Victoria Hill" directions="" phone="" url="http://www.thevicswindon.com/get/main" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">Great food, a brilliant laugh free pub quiz on Wednesdays which involves snakes and ladders and cheating is encouraged! They are also a great music venue for all types of music encouraging unsigned bands. They also show films and have a great atmosphere. </drink>
• <drink name="The Old Bank" alt="" address="18 Wood Street, Swindon " directions="" phone="" url="www.tobb.co.uk" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">The Old Bank comprises a bar and brasserie on the ground floor and on the upper floors, bar areas.</drink>
• <drink name="McKenzies Bar" alt="" address="Wood Street" directions="" phone="" url="http://www.mackenzies.co.uk/" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">Reasonable bar; food served. </drink>
• <drink name="Longs Bar" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" url="http://www.longsbar.co.uk/" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">Reasonable bar with good drinks selection, conservatory and outdoor areas. </drink>

Sleep

The hotel sector in Swindon has seen increased growth in the past decade as the town continues to urbanise and establish itself as a base for tourism in the centre of southern England.

Town Centre

For many years there was only one hotel in the town centre but competition has since arrived and there are now four big players, with more rumoured to be on the way. This increased competition ultimately benefits you, with reduced room rates on offer.

• <sleep name="Holiday Inn Express" alt="" address="Bridge Street, SN1 1BT" directions="" phone="+44 1793 602001" email="info@exhiswindon.co.uk" fax="+44 1793 602001" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://www.exhiswindon.co.uk/"></sleep>

• <sleep name="Jurys Inn" alt="" address="Fleming Way, SN1 2NG" directions="" phone="+44 1793 445600" email="" fax="" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://swindonhotels.jurysinns.com/"></sleep>

• <sleep name="Menzies Hotels" alt="" address="Fleming Way, SN1 1TN" directions="" phone="+44 1793 528282" email="swindon@menzieshotels.co.uk" fax="" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://www.menzieshotels.co.uk/hotels/south-central/swindon/"></sleep>

• <sleep name="Travelodge" alt="" address="Princes Way, Princes Street, SN1 2SF" directions="" phone="+44 8719 846328" email="" fax="+44 1793 496727" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/335/"></sleep>

Bed & Breakfasts can be found on Manchester Road and County Road.

West Swindon

Another cluster of hotels can be found in West Swindon, a convenient stopover point due to the proximity of the M4 motorway at Junction 16.

• <sleep name="De Vere Village" alt="" address="Shaw Ridge Leisure Park, Whitehill Way, SN5 7DW" directions="" phone="+44 8712 224620" email="" fax="+44 8712 224619" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://www.village-hotels.co.uk/hotels/swindon/welcome"></sleep>

• <sleep name="Hilton Hotel" alt="" address="Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, SN5 8UZ" directions="" phone="+44 1793 881777" email="" fax="" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/hilton-swindon-hotel-SWIHNHN/index.html"></sleep>

• <sleep name="Holiday Inn Express" alt="" address="Frankland Road, Blagrove, SN5 8UD" directions="" phone="+44 1793 818800" email="info@expressswindon.co.uk" fax="1793 818888" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://www.expressswindon.co.uk/"></sleep>

• <sleep name="Premier Inn" alt="" address="Great Western Way, SN5 8UB" directions="" phone="+44 8715 279068" email="" fax="+44 8715 279069" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/SWILYD/swindon-west"></sleep>

Old Town

The pace of life in Old Town is much slower due to its distance from the station and town centre. However, one large hotel does exist:

• <sleep name="Marriott Hotel" alt="" address="Pipers Way, SN3 1SH" directions="" phone="+44 1793 512121" email="" fax="+44 1793 513114" checkin="" checkout="" price="" url="http://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/swidt-swindon-marriott-hotel/"></sleep>

Bed & Breakfast accommodation can be found on Bath Road and Victoria Road.

Elsewhere

Other places to sleep include:

• <sleep name="Mercure South Marston Hotel" alt="" address="Old Vicarage Lane, South Marston" directions="from Exit M4 (J15) and follow A419 to Cirencester, straight over roundabout, then take exit on left signposted Oxford (A420), turn right at next two roundabouts, stay on A420, cross the roundabout, pass the police station on left, pass the Esso garage on left, hotel is next turning on left, signposted to South Marston" phone="+44 1793 833700 " url="http://www.southmarstonhotel.com/" hours="" price="From £55" lat="" long="">Hotel just outside Swindon with fully equipped gym and 23 metre indoor swimming pool, as well as health and beauty spa. Special Spa Break from £75.00 per person for one night including three course dinner, full English breakfast and choice of beauty treatment.</sleep>
• <sleep name="Stanton House Hotel" alt="" address="The Avenue, Stanton Fitzwarren, Swindon SN6 7SD" directions="" phone="+44 0870 084 1388 " url="http://www.stantonhouse.co.uk/" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">Cotswold stone house overlooking Stanton Lake and park just outside Swindon. Mt. Fuji Yakiniku-style Japanese restaurant is on the grounds of the hotel, and the hotel also hosts a Japanese market from time to time. </sleep>

Go next

• Visit White Horse Hill in Uffington.
• Head towards Cirencester, Bath, Bristol, Salisbury or Reading.
• Cotswold Water Park, [20]. The United Kingdom's largest water park consists of over 150 lakes which were formed by filling old gravel quarries. It is located about 8 miles north-west of Swindon and offers many water sports and activities.

Routes through Swindon

Cardiff ← Bristol ←	W  E	→ Reading → London
Bristol Temple Meads ← Bath Spa ←	W  E	→ Reading → London Paddington

Outline