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Swindon in General

Newest Review: ... south) in 10-15 mins, but they clearly decided that was too efficient and are scrapping it at the end of this month. There are also buses which go to Cheltenham, Oxford and similar areas. Again these are very restricted and take at least double the time of trains or driving. The train station is reasonably good, but again trains don't go very late. It's good if you are travelling east (London, Reading etc.), or west (Bath, Bristol etc.), but anywhere else and the journeys are more restricted and complicated. The trains are, however, efficient. You can get from Bristol Parkway to Swindon station (approx. 40 miles) in about half an hour.... more

Read Reviews for Swindon in General

Swindon in General: Hell on Earth (1076 words)
by - written on 27/05/09 (Very useful, 98 readings)
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If you've heard of Swindon recently, it's probably because Radio 1's Big Weekend was hosted there. I grew up in Manchester and Nottingham, and have been all over the country for day trips, holidays, short breaks and otherwise. And I would be hard-pushed to find anywhere worse in the UK to stay longer than a day than in Swindon. Firstly, I should point out here that I don't have a car, and if you do have a car you will have a slightly different perspective (and will also be able to make your getaway quicker, a definite advantage). You might be thinking my opinion is partly based on a city girl's experiences, but not really. I like the ... Read the complete review

Swindon: A Visitors Guide (3693 words)
by - written on 16/03/09 (Very useful, 428 readings)
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Swindon has a bad reputation. It's known to be a miserable place that has little to offer. Well, I'm here to tell you that that is just not true. Now, Swindon is certainly not as exciting as London, it's not as beautiful as Swansea and admittedly there are probably places around Swindon that I would recommend visiting before Swindon. However, Swindon does have a lot to offer and if you do find yourself in Swindon, for whatever reason, hopefully this guide will be useful to you. This guide is written based purely on my experiences of Swindon (I lived there for a long time and still visit at least once a month) so it may not include absolutely everything that ... Read the complete review

Swindon in General: Better than it's reputation (464 words)
by - written on 25/12/08 (Very useful, 62 readings)
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After the abundance of roundabouts, I'd say the most notable thing about Swindon is the leisure facilities. I live a 10 minute walk from the Link Centre which has, to name a few; Ice skating, indoor & outdoor football (x4), swimming, badminton, squash, trampolining, rock climbing and a snooker room. The only thing I really think it lacks is Tennis courts, which can be found 3 minutes up the road at the Delta Tennis Centre. On the North side of Swindon, theres the Oasis (apparently the inspiration for the name of the band), which has pretty similar facilities to the link, geared at a slightly younger group. Plenty of other centres are dotted around, though I'm ... Read the complete review

'Swine-town' (865 words)
by - written on 30/12/03 (Very useful, 997 readings)
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I've lived here for 15 years, not by choice as my parents moved here. There are certainly far worse places to live. Today the population of Swindon is 180,000. Swindon is now one of the fastest growing towns in Europe apparently. History:-Most people think of the railway connection...but Swindon's earliest settlers were a stone age community living on Swindon Hill. The location afforded an excellent defensive position against attack, with the added advantage of a water supply. Interesting or what? The Romans came next and then the Saxons. They gave Swindon its title. The town's name derives from the Saxon's reference to its burgeoning livestock ... Read the complete review

Swindon in General: Swindon - Should it be given City Status? (975 words)
by - written on 27/11/01 (Very useful, 138 readings)
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As a life long Swindonian, I would like to think that I know the Town pretty well. Unfortunatly I do not share the point of view that Swindon should be given City status. I'm not saying that Swindon is a bad pace, because it is not. I'm sure there are far worse places to live in the UK than Swindon. Although I do not think that this ever growing Town should be given City status. To start with you only have to compare Swindon with our main rivals we are fighting for City status with, Reading. My wife comes from Reading, and I have visited the town on several occasions, and for me, Reading has far more attractions than Swindon. ... Read the complete review