Great West Way Travel Magazine | Issue 07
Follow the paths through England’s idyllic countryside, quaint villages and elegant towns where our best-kept secrets from the past meet twenty-first-century hospitality.
Follow the paths through England’s idyllic countryside, quaint villages and elegant towns where our best-kept secrets from the past meet twenty-first-century hospitality.
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<strong>Way</strong>s to travel the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong><br />
BY CAR<br />
A road trip adventure along the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong><br />
allows you to linger as long as you want in each<br />
destination, and even venture off on a complete<br />
tangent if the mood takes you – take a look at our<br />
suggested itineraries to help you make a start.<br />
The main road between London and Bristol is the A4<br />
<strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> Road, based on an ancient horse track<br />
and later, one of King Charles I’s <strong>Great</strong> Roads, which<br />
facilitated the establishment of the British postal<br />
service – The Royal Mail.<br />
The A4 cuts a fairly direct path between the two<br />
cities, allowing you to travel the distance in less than<br />
2 hours 30 minutes if you wanted to. Of course, if<br />
you’re travelling by car, half the pleasure is being<br />
able to pull off and explore whenever you like.<br />
Wherever you decide to base yourself along the<br />
touring route, there’ll also be charming country lanes<br />
and winding rural roads to enjoy. Jump in the car and<br />
see where you end up.<br />
You may find the AA’s Route Planner tool useful for<br />
planning your road trip. Also, our pages on car hire<br />
and travel tips could be of interest – especially if this<br />
is your first time driving in the UK.<br />
If you want to hire a car for your <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong><br />
adventure, you’ll find plenty of car hire companies<br />
in just the places you’d expect – airports, larger train<br />
stations, cities and towns, for example Auto Europe<br />
and Practical Car & Van Rental.<br />
Did you know? The first mail coach was introduced<br />
between Bristol and London in 1784.<br />
BY TRAIN<br />
Making tracks on the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong> can point you<br />
at endless amounts of history and fun facts to be<br />
discovered along its length from London to Bristol. In<br />
one go the journey is just 1hr 40min, but by stopping<br />
off you can explore the route in your own time<br />
turning it into a holiday adventure of a lifetime.<br />
Relax and journey along the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong> using<br />
the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong> Discoverer pass. It includes<br />
unlimited Off-Peak train travel from London<br />
Paddington with <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern Railway along the<br />
route to Bristol Temple Meads via Reading and<br />
Swindon, or Newbury and Pewsey, with options<br />
to branch off towards Salisbury via <strong>West</strong>bury (or<br />
London Waterloo to Salisbury with South <strong>West</strong>ern<br />
Railway). It also includes unlimited travel on listed<br />
bus services along the routes. The rail route is<br />
marked on the map with a green line. Choose from<br />
an East, <strong>West</strong> or Global one-day or seven-day ticket<br />
to enjoy your <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong> adventure.<br />
You can purchase the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong> Discoverer<br />
pass online at GWR.com or from your local station.<br />
They come in the form of a standard orange ticket,<br />
clearly showing the route you have purchased<br />
and whether it is valid for one day or seven. If you<br />
are travelling from overseas, international passes<br />
(similar to a BritRail pass) can be purchased online<br />
at ACPRail.com or via your travel agent, where<br />
discounted international rates apply and with no offpeak<br />
travel time restrictions.<br />
Did you know? The <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern Railway runs<br />
along the full distance of the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong><br />
– from London’s Paddington station to Bristol<br />
Temple Meads.<br />
82 <strong>Great</strong><strong>West</strong><strong>Way</strong>.co.uk