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About Swindon

Swindon's distinctive location is key to its success. Fast, frequent trains to London in less than an hour; immediately north of the M4 between junctions 15 and 16; easy access to major airports and proximity to the port at Southampton connects Swindon based businesses with valuable UK and overseas markets.

Travel times:

Road
London - 90 minutes
Bristol - 40 minutes
Cardiff - 65 minutes

Train
London - every 20 minutes, approx 55 minute journey
Bristol - every 20 minutes, approx 44 minute journey

Airports
Bristol - 60 minutes by road
Heathrow - 60 minutes by road

Swindon is a lively town with a varied mix of restaurants, bars and shops. The local theatre has an excellent programme of shows throughout the year, whilst the beautiful Victorian Parks provide a peaceful green setting. All of this is surrounded by the contrasting tranquility and exceptional beauty of the Cotswolds and Wiltshire Downs.

The excellent transport links and close proximity to the M4 makes for an easy commute to and from the neighbouring towns of Reading, Bristol and London. Swindon is now considered to be one of the fastest-growing commercial areas in Europe and is home to a number of large companies including Intel, Zurich Financial Services and Honda.

Leisure in Swindon

Swindon has many sports centres, museums, theatres, cinemas, parks, great shopping, restaurants and nightlife. The following is a brief summary of the highlights:

Parks, gardens and stately homes

Swindon has a selection of beautiful parks and gardens such as Queen's Park located in the heart of the town centre and Town Gardens located in Swindon's historic Old Town. In addition there are a number of parks in the close vicinity of Swindon town including Coate Water Country Park, Stanton Park and Barbury Castle Country Park.

Lydiard House is situated in beautiful countryside on the outskirts of Swindon. Here you will discover a wealth of paintings including paintings of Lady Diana Spencer. In addition the impressive 17th Century stained glass window makes for a great focal point for all visitors to this beautiful stately home.

Museums and galleries

One of Swindon’s key attractions is Steam - the Museum of the Great Western Railway. Housed in a beautifully restored Grade II railway building in the heart of the former Swindon railway works, the museum pays homage to the famous GWR engineering works that was established in Swindon back in 1843 and tells the story of the many Swindonians who worked on the railways. The museum has on display a number of Swindon-built locomotives along with exhibitions, events, actors and an education programme closely linked to the National Curriculum.

Leisure centres and sport facilities

There is a wide range of sporting activities on offer in Swindon including horse riding, swimming, ice-skating, quad biking, golf, ten-pin bowling and tennis. The town boasts 12 leisure and sports centres, which are listed below.

  • The Link Centre - Facilities include an ice rink, swimming pool, climbing wall, gym, squash courts and an eight-court sports hall
  • The Oasis Leisure Centre - Facilities include a lagoon swimming pool, three giant water slides, a hydro-slide, wave machine, elephant slide for the under-fives and a water cannon. In addition there is a gym, an eight-court sports hall, indoor bowling green and two squash courts
  • The Health Hydro - Facilities include Turkish baths, a gym, a 33-metre swimming pool and a smaller and warmer pool for beginners
  • The Highworth Recreation Centre (The Rec) - Facilities include an outdoor swimming pool with a three-metre diving board and a one metre spring board. In addition there is a gym, a four-court sports hall and two squash courts
  • The Dorcan Recreation Complex - Facilities include and outdoor synthetic grass area for hockey and football. In addition there is basketball, netball and tennis, a 20-metre swimming pool, squash courts and an four-court sports hall
  • The Haydon Centre - Facilities include a four-court sports hall for badminton, short tennis and indoor football
  • The Delta Tennis Centre - Facilities include four indoor courts and three outdoor courts
  • The Croft Sports Centre - Facilities include outdoor pitches for football, cricket and rugby, a five-court sports hall and two squash courts
  • The County Ground Lifestyle Centre - Facilities include a gym consisting of a range of loose weights and an athletics track
  • The Broome Manor Golf and Gym Complex - Facilities include a nine-hole golf course, a par-71 18-hole golf course and a driving range with 'golftee' the automatic golf ball tee system

Shopping

The Town Centre has a wide range of national brands and is currently enjoying a large public realm investment programme.

Swindon is also the home to Europe's largest indoor designer outlet centre, the Great Western Designer Outlet Centre. Here you will find a selection of stores stocking a range of designer and high street brands including Polo Jeans Company, Burberry, Thomas Pink, Ted Baker, Gap, Next and Marks & Spencer.