Swindon Hotels

Swindon’s success is mainly down to being chosen by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the site for railway works for the Great Western Railway. Swindon Junction station opened in 1842 and all trains passing through stopped at Swindon for at least 10 minutes – which is why the station possessed the first railway refreshment rooms every recorded. ( Thus starting the enduring British tradition of soggy, expensive sandwiches on the go).

Swindon saw the writing on the wall as regards the demise of steam and managed to make the transition to business centre by attracting some of the UK’s biggest companies into the area.

P.S. Little known Swindon fact – Liam Gallagher chose the name for his band after seeing Swindon’s Oasis swimming pool and leisure centre on a poster.

SWINDON'S TOP 10

SWINDON EVENTS

The Swindon Bicycle Carnival in May is where people in crazy costumes dress up their bikes and enjoy all things pedal-powered.

The Swindon Kite Festival takes place in May where you can see colourful kites of all shapes and sizes take to the air.

Bookworms flock to the Swindon Festival of Literature in May for 12 days of literary fireworks with the best brains of our times.

There’s fun for all the family at the Swindon Railway Festival in September, with famous locos, stalls, real ale and a celebrity DJ.

The Swindon Old Town Festival in June is a great traditional event with jazz bands, street entertainers and parades. And you can’t miss the crowning of the Festival Queen.

Swindon Mela in June is a colourful celebration of all things Asian with music, dance and exotic stalls.

You cannot miss the Swindon Beer Festival in October if you are in town, but be wary of local brews named Pig Swill and Old Stoatwobbler.

Join 5000 revellers at the Swindon Invincible Festival in August for dance music mayhem with world class DJs.

Swindon’s Summer Breeze in July is family-friendly and a great place to chill out. Enjoy the live music, yoga in the healing field and vintage stalls.

Festival on the Farm in July is the Swindon’s version of a mini Glastonbury with fields of music and plenty of fun-seekers.

WHEN TO GO

· Swindon has a temperate climate, with summers and winters of roughly equal length. Winters are generally mild, with summers a little chillier than might be expected from its latitude.

· The maximum temperature recorded is 34.9°C, but summer days do not usually experience temps of above 25°C or so. The minimum temperature during winter is around 3-4°C, however night frosts are a common occurrence.

· Swindon experiences around 1600 hours of sunshine a year which is typical for an inland Southern town, with 123 days a year when it rains, quite a lot so don’t forget to pack appropriately.

GETTING THERE

· Regular train services run into London Paddington from Swindon – a journey of less than an hour. There’s also a direct rail connection to Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Cheltenham. First Great Western are the operator.

· National Express runs a coach service from Swindon to London via Heathrow, as well as to Gatwick airport. Swindon is bordered by the M4 motorway at junctions 15 and 16.

· Swindon’s nearest airport is Bristol – but Heathrow is only 75 minutes’ drive away too.

General Information

Attractions & Activities

Restaurant & Nightlife

Climate