After we made an sudden transfer to the Wiltshire-Oxfordshire border after a few years dwelling overseas, we discovered ourselves with the chance to play vacationer in our personal yard. Learn on to find the enjoyable household points of interest, moist day actions and free locations we’ve got visited in and round Swindon to this point.
We haven’t seen all of it but! There’s additionally an inventory of locations I need to go to earlier than we make our subsequent transfer.
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STEAM in Swindon
This can be a sensible museum is my high advice in the event you’re on the lookout for issues to do in Swindon on a wet day. It tells the story of the Nice Western Railway (GWR) and the individuals who made it occur.
There’s a great deal of interactive shows, actual locos and historic scenes to stroll by. You positively don’t should be a practice spotter to take pleasure in it. My dad is a mannequin railway fanatic so was in his factor. However my teen and pre-teen ladies had been equally within the fingers on actions and storytelling of STEAM.
Give yourselves a few hours to go searching and hold an eye fixed out for youths provides within the faculty holidays. Use the parking for Swindon’s Designer Outlet which is correct nextdoor.
Discover out extra about visiting STEAM.
Eastcott Pottery Studios
This pretty little Swindon studio is someplace we’ve got visited after faculty for a artful hour pottery portray. You can even e book in for pottery throwing workshops and full day experiences.
There’s free parking exterior on Eastcott Hill and you will get refreshments from Mams Cafe alongside the studios.
Discover out extra about opening occasions and activites.
Lydiard Park
Lydiard Park on the West of Swindon was one of many first locations we visited for a stroll. We discovered a great deal of households there having fun with picnics on the lawns round Lydiard Home Museum. There’s additionally playgrounds for tiny tots and larger youngsters.
The grounds are free to discover – simply pay for parking. If you wish to splash some money you possibly can pay for entry to the museum, the walled backyard and the Jungle Parc excessive ropes course.
Discover out extra about visiting Lydiard Park.
Butterfly World & Farm Park
We spent an hour or so assembly the mammals, birds, bugs and reptiles at this small, no frills zoo and farm attraction that comes with a backyard centre, eating places, comfortable play and craft workshops.
The lizards and snakes had been a spotlight for our reptile-loving 11-year-old, however she additionally wished to undertake the child goats, otters and rabbits.
Full your journey with a go to to one of many eating places for toasties, jackets or pasty meals or a beneficiant slab of cake. Discover Butterfly World and Farm Park at Studley Grange to the South West of Swindon.
Discover out extra about Butterfly World at Studley Grange.
White Horse Hill
Simply throughout the Wiltshire border, Oxford’s highest hill is a 20 minute drive East from Swindon and is the perfect place to get the lay of the land.
You can even bag the trig level, storm the stays of Uffington Citadel and stand up shut with the enduring Bronze Age chalk horse.
However there’s rather more to this panorama than first meets the attention. The hill was carved by a glacier within the Ice Age leaving plains throughout. And it noticed pre-historic individuals move by on Britain’s oldest street effectively earlier than the horse and chateau appeared.
It’s additionally a spot of myths and legends. The battle between Saint George and the Dragon is claimed to have taken place on an outcrop beneath the hill’s 262m peak. Another principle is that Uther Pendragon was buried right here.
At present White Horse Hill watches over six English counties. The 360 diploma views are beautiful, making it a reasonably good place for a wander, roll or picnic.
We use the Nationwide Belief carpark (use SN7 7QJ to seek out it). The hill is free to go to. Simply pay for parking or it’s free for Nationwide Belief members.
Discover out extra about White Horse Hill.
This charming village and sprawling parkland are a delight to stroll round, however there’s extra to Coleshill than meets the attention. In the course of the Second World Battle this was the Normal Headquarters for Winston Churchill’s Auxiliary Models – a top-secret military tasked with forming a resistance motion ought to the Nazis invade.
Historical past walks can be found on chosen dates (we haven’t made one but) or you possibly can discover the property and refuel with a lightweight lunch or, my high advice, espresso and cake from Blake’s Kitchen within the Carpenters Yard. There’s additionally a Nationwide Belief truthfully bookshop right here and boards recording latest wildlife sightings.
Discover out extra about visiting Coleshill Property.
Millets Farm
This place is a little bit of an area legend. Nevertheless, after we had been model new to the realm, we haphazardly stumbled throughout it whereas on the lookout for a backyard centre. It’s that and a lot extra!
Now we have returned to Millets Farm a number of occasions for seasonal occasions just like the maize maze, pumpkin selecting and Illuminate Oxford at Christmas.
It’s additionally price a go to on any extraordinary weekend for a beautiful lunch at The Farmhouse Kitchen, a spin across the fairground and to say good day to the livestock.
Entrance to see the livestock, the out of doors the playground and picnic space is free. Simply pay for further actions just like the fairground, Wildside animal park, Wild Wheels off street course and Sprouts play barn.
It’s very uncommon that we depart with out treating ourselves to yummy Purbeck Ice Cream from The Snack Shack.
Millets is half an hour North East of Swindon.
Discover out extra about what’s on at Millets Farm.
Day journeys to Oxford
Transferring to West Oxfordshire supplied us with an incredible springboard for exploring the countryside and in addition Oxford itself – someplace I final visited in my teenagers.
There are good bus connections from Swindon to Oxford – Stagecoach’s S6 Gold runs each quarter-hour at peak occasions – or you would catch the practice.
Now we have chosen to make use of the park and trip every time we’ve got visited as we stay exterior Swindon itself. Redbridge or the Sea Court docket park and rides are those to intention for when driving from Swindon.
Throughout our first go to we spent a really unplanned day meandering by Harry Potter filming spots among the many college schools, shopping the lined market and visiting the free Pure Historical past Museum.
I extremely advocate the espresso and cake at CHICK PEA; it’s additionally on my checklist of locations return for his or her salad bar.
Followup journeys have been much less about sightseeing and extra about Westgate Buying Centre – the women insisted! Teen mother and father: warn off you financial institution supervisor!
Mapped: locations we’ve visited round Swindon
Extra issues to do in and round Swindon
Our work right here is just not carried out! Earlier than our inevitable subsequent transfer (due to Mr Tin Field’s army job), these are a couple of of the locations on my bucketlist:
The checklist retains rising!
Attending to and round Swindon
Swindon is rather well linked with a mainline practice station. You may be in London Paddington, Tub or Bristol in below an hour. Trainline is my go-to app for checking occasions and ticket costs.
Flixbus supply coaches to Swindon. Within the city itself, Swindon Bus Firm and Stagecoach run buses. Examine timetables and plan journeys utilizing Traveline.
There’s a spread of unbiased taxi firms in Swindon in addition to Uber.
The place to remain in Swindon
In order for you someplace within the city centre, Leonardo Lodge will get nice evaluations. It’s a useful alternative if you’re utilizing public transport as it’s 5 minute’s stroll from the practice and bus stations. It additionally has household rooms.
Funds alternate options within the city centre embody Vacation Inn Specific and the ibis Funds Swindon.
Searching for one thing out of city? Blunsdon Home Lodge is simply 4 miles from the city centre however has a countryside really feel. There’s household rooms and friends all the time touch upon the pleasant workers.
Have to know: FAQs about Swindon
Let me be fully sincere, Swindon is just not a vacationer vacation spot. However it does sit in an advantageous location between the Cotswolds and the North Wessex Downs with loads of rolling countryside and points of interest inside straightforward attain by automobile. There’s additionally some distinctive locations to go to within the city centre and low cost purchasing on the Designer Outlet.
There’s been a settlement right here for the reason that Roman occasions, however Swindon owes its notoriety to Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s nineteenth Century Nice Western Railway mission. What had been a small market city, quickly grew with the opening of the GWR Works which was the railway’s major manufacture, restore, and servicing centre, using 14,000 individuals at its peak.
Extra UK days out and vacation spot guides
We’ve gotten round lots through the years and have an enormous information to our really helpful UK household points of interest. I’ve additionally received a dog-friendly information to days out in the event you’re on the lookout for locations that welcome the entire household.
Right here’s some extra of our information to issues to do in England with youngsters:
Need extra concepts for household holidays and days out? Learn my ideas for smashing household journey and join my e-newsletter.