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TransWilts - some things to see and do

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2011-01-03 00:40:45 - Graham Ellis

Eight great places with plenty of things to do ...

Swindon is the home of the National Trust, of the Steam Museum, of the Outlet Centre ... these are well known. You can also see the Museum of Computing, The Oasis Leisure Centre, and the County Ground.


At Chippenham, the station is close to the town centre, to the Olympiad Leisure Centre and to Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. There's also connecting buses to the local towns of Calne, Malmesbury (where you can see the Abbey) and Corsham - where you can visit Corsham Court.


Melksham is a friendly town on the river Avon. It's the nearest station to the National Trust village of Lacock and The Courts at Holt. There are countryside walks along the Wilts and Berks Canal, and the River Avon ... taking you to either Chippenham or Trowbridge to connect with your train home. Buses to Devizes pass close by the station every hour, and there's free parking just off the main A350 and A365 road.


Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire. It's on the Kennet and Avon Canal and river Biss, and has plenty of historic buildings, including County Hall. There is a major business part at "White Horse", but never the less there is a major commuter flow out of the town - to Bath and Bristol, to Swindon and to Salisbury.


At Westbury is the home of one of Wiltshire's famous White Horses - you can see it on the hill from the station , and walk up there if you wish. Westbury is also a major railway junction - you can change here for trains to Frome, Yeovil and Weymouth, for Taunton, Exeter and the West Country, and for Pewsey, Newbury, Reading and London. Bus connections at the head of the station approach will take you to nearby villages.


Dilton Marsh station serves the village of Dilton Marsh, and the growing suburb of Westbury Leigh too. Famous for its place in John Betjamin poem, these days the station is commuter joining point for some of the many people who live very close to the station and work in Chippenham, Bath, Swindon, Salisbury and Bristol.


Warminster is the closest station to Longleat - home of Lord Bath, and a major railhead for the Army units based there and on the edge of Salisbury Plain. Spectacular countryside - such as the National Trusts's Hill fort at Cley Hill are close by too, and a regular bus will connect you to the pretty villages of the Wylye Valley.


At Salisbury, you can visit the City Centre, The Cathedral and Cathedral Close, including the National Trust's Mompesson House. You can shop, and you can take the tour bus from the station approach to Stonehenge. Onward train connections will take you to Anover, Basingstoke and Woking, to Southampton and Portsmouth, and to Sherborne, Honiton and Axminster. Bus connections from Salisbury will take you into the New Forest, to Ringwood, and to the old Wessex Capital of Wilton.


* Swindon to Salisbury - 40 miles; just 75 minutes by train.

* Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh and Warminster Stations are within an ramble of each othere, and through some lovely countryside.

* Wiltshire College has campuses at Chippenham, Trowbridge and Salisbury and the railway line is the logical link between them.

* There is a wide variety of pubs and restaurants near to most of the stations on the line.

* At present, train services are limited and you should plan your schedule ahead of time. See the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership for further details of our quest for improvement, and see First Great Western for current timetables.




At Well House Manor - from 12th May 2012 - The Well House Collection - a branch of the Museum of Melksham.