Great West Way® Travel Magazine | Issue 01

Pictured left-right: Gardens and woodland at Stourhead, Wiltshire; Hampton Court Palace; The Roman Baths;
Calne and the Marden river; Trowbridge, Wiltshire’s county town
This route, now the A4, remains a major highway,
bringing you to Bristol from the heart of London in
just a few hours. And what an exciting city Bristol is.
Innovative, forward thinking and vibrant, this western
powerhouse has long been at the cutting edge; a
major port that is home to both Brunel’s SS Great
Britain passenger ship, today a museum, and his lofty
Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Bristol is a hotbed of artists and passionate locals,
with street art and many independent galleries found
in the city. Cycling is popular in Bristol too. With cycle
paths on most major roads as well as along rivers and
into the countryside it is no wonder Bristol was named
as the UK’s first ‘cycling city’. So why not let two
wheels take you into the city’s secret corners, where
you might find an early Banksy (there’s an app for that)
or a yet-to-be-discovered fashion designer, musician or
artist displaying their creations? However you choose
to travel, the web of trails and tracks that make up the
Great West Way mean you can meander off the major
routes and find your own favourite slice of England.
You might find it in Marlborough, home to one of
the country’s widest and grandest high streets, lined
with boutiques and cafés; or Malmesbury, England’s
oldest borough with a stunning 12th Century Abbey
and a Market Cross from 1490.
Take time out to enjoy the shopping destinations
too, from the iconic Jolly’s in Bath, one of the oldest
department stores in Europe to the Oracle shopping
centre in Reading, a hub for visitors throughout the
Thames Valley. (Enjoy more Shopping Destinations,
p62.) Or at the prehistoric and deeply mysterious
Silbury Hill, the largest man-made mound in Europe,
which covers some five acres, reaches about 130 feet
high and has no discernible purpose (read more in
Nature in High Definition, p41.)
Wherever you choose to stay (see A Warm
Welcome, p68) you’ll find friendly family-run hotels
and boutique B&Bs. Perhaps five-star grandeur at
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, proud to describe
themselves as “the only landmark building in the
world you can sleep in”, located in the historic centre
of Bath is for you, or check in to Whatley Manor in the
heart of the Cotswolds and cosy up to watch a film in
the cinema or immerse yourself in tranquillity at their
wonderful Aquarias Spa.
Like gardens? Call in to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
home to the world’s most extensive and diverse plant
collection. Here in London’s largest UNESCO World
Heritage Site you can stroll through an arboretum that
is like a living library of more than 14,000 trees and
step into a rainforest in the Victorian-era Palm House,
a stunning glass structure that shelters endangered and
otherwise-extinct tropical tree species.
Seven miles further south in East Molesey, you will
find the magnificent royal splendour of Hampton
Court Palace, the home of Henry VIII, his wives and
children. Walk in the footsteps of kings and queens
at the Chapel Royal, experience the splendour of the
Great Hall, and lose yourself in the spectacular 60
acres of formal gardens with over 8,000 trees and
Britain’s longest flower-filled border. Summer is a
10 GreatWestWay.co.uk