Great West Way® Travel Magazine | Issue 02

Did you know?
There are 200 bus
routes along the Great
West Way to help you
complete your journey
- Visit your nearest bus
station and/or tourist
information
THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY
One of England’s great long-distance railway lines, the
Great Western Railway runs along the full distance of the
Great West Way – from London’s Paddington station to
Bristol Temple Meads. It’s chief engineer was Isambard
Kingdom Brunel and you’ll travel the course he plotted
back in the 1830s, including his Box Tunnel, infamously
said to be impossible to build. Before he built it.
In one go, the journey takes just 1 hour 40 minutes,
but stopping en route to explore the Great West Way is
far more fun. First stop is Reading, for a cruise on the River
Thames, a stroll through Caversham Court Gardens and the
chance to watch a professional football match at Reading
FC’s Majedski Stadium. Next stop is Swindon, home
to STEAM, the Museum of the Great Western Railway.
Here you’ll see famous locomotives from throughout
the railway’s history, drive a train simulator and work the
signals in the interactive GWR signal box. Right next door
is the McArthurGlen outlet shopping village, where more
than 100 brands are on sale at up to 60% off.
Armed with your new skills – and perhaps a souvenir or
three to take home – head next to Chippenham, a historic
market town in the rural county of Wiltshire. On the banks
of the River Avon, Chippenham is a flourishing small town,
with an enticing market to explore on Fridays and Saturdays
on the High Street and plenty of proper English pubs.
It’s just 15 minutes by bus from here to Lacock, seen on
screen more often than Judi Dench. This picturesque village
has been the backdrop to film and TV titles such as Harry
Potter, Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey – see if
you recognise Lacock Abbey and the High Street from your
favourite scenes.
Your final calling point en route to Bristol is the
beautiful city of Bath. You’ll want plenty of time here, for a
stroll past honey-hued Georgian buildings and a dip in the
natural hot springs that bubble up from the ground.
Don’t miss the original Roman Baths, too, not to
mention the Jane Austen Centre, where afternoon tea is
served Regency style.
The Great Western Railway ends in Bristol, a vibrant
city where you can climb aboard the last Concorde ever
made (built right here in Bristol) at Aerospace Bristol, and
clamber up the rigging of one of Brunel’s other famous
creations, the SS Great Britain, the world’s first great ocean
liner. SS Great Britain celebrates two big anniversaries in
2020; 50 years since her epic salvage and homecoming;
and 175 years since arriving in New York City.
Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge is here too, beckoning
you on along the River Avon and out to Avon Gorge.
Set foot atop this world-famous bridge and quietly thank
Brunel for the journey he made possible – along the Great
West Way by rail.
34 GreatWestWay.co.uk