Swindon Vacations, Swindon Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Swindon Vacation Guide

Swindon is a town on the M4 corridor, with a long history of engineering. It's home to the STEAM museum, dedicated to the Great Western Railway, and a totally different small steam railway. The town does not have much of a tourist trade, although it is in the throws of a major redevelopment programme. The only other attractions of note in the town itself are the football ground, the designer shopping village, and the legendary Magic Roundabout, a system of linked mini roundabouts that is so confusing for those from out of town that the tourist information markets t-shirts for survivers. It's also the subject of the song English Roundabout by XTC. Continuing the musical link. The band Oasis got their name from the leisure centre located in west Swindon.

Swindon's main attraction for both visitors and industry is its location. It is about an hour by train from London, and within an hours drive of Bath, Bristol, Oxford, Reading and Salisbury. Also nearby are Salisbury Plain, with its massive stone circles and standing stones, the Cotswolds, an area of outstanding natural beauty, South Wales, Gloucester and a little further south, the edges of the New Forest.

In late 2008 Swindon council controversially banned fixed point speed cameras. Much to the joy of local motorists.