What To Do When You Visit Swindon

Swindon is in the county of Wiltshire has good transport links to the rest of the country.  It lies around forty miles from Bristol and forty miles from Reading. Whilst 81 miles to the east of Swindon is England's capital, London. 

Certainly for those who wish to explore the myriad of attractions that the country of Wiltshire has to offer then Swindon makes an ideal place. There are plenty of good quality hotels in Swindon to stay in and also the surrounding area. As for places to visit there is Cotswold Wildlife Park to the north of the town along with Cotswold Water Park.  Other places to visit include Bowood House and Lacock Abbey. 

But there are plenty of wonderful sights to see that are slightly closer to this large town and below we take a look at just a few of these. 

The first place of interest that is only around a thirty minute drive from Swindon is Avebury Stone Circle. This is the largest of all the henge monuments to be found in Britain and is cared for by the National Trust. But you still have the opportunity unlike at Stonehenge which is short drive away to wander around the stones and get up close and personal with them. 

Avebury Stone circle encompasses part of the village where it is located. Not to mention the ditches and external banks that form part of this ancient monument. Originally the stones were left lying on the ground until an archaeologist by the name of Alexander Keiller decided to re-erect them in the 1930's. There is a museum on site including a seventeenth Century thatched threshing barn and you can find out more about the sites history. The story is an interactive one with great audio visual displays as well. 

As mentioned above to the north of Swindon is Cotswold Wildlife Park which houses a wide variety of animals from across the globe. There is a pride of Asiatic lions plus rhinos, leopards and assorted primates. There are also smaller mammals such as meerkats together with penguins and other tropical birds. All in all, the park makes for a great family day out.  For the children to help get rid of some of that energy they have they can try out the adventure playground. And in the summer months there is the chance to get close up with some animals and watch some birds of prey.

Another place of interest is Lacock Abbey which was converted into a house in around 1540. Fortunately the sacristy ceiling, chapter house, monastic rooms and medieval cloisters have remained largely intact. As well as the abbey and the 16th Century stable courtyard there is also a Museum of Photography for you to explore. This museum was established to commemorate the life of the inventor William Fox Talbot who resided at the Abbey between 1800 and 1877. If you think you recognize this building then it has been used a number of times as location for TV and film productions including the Harry Potter films.

When you next visit Swindon, book your Swindon hotel here.