Help, I'm in Swindon

417 Flyup ain't far..

Apart from that, you can come over for dinner if you want... we're 25 mins away 🙂

It's real, I've been there. And I've ridden The Trails.

Or have I......

Swindon is great. There is masses of top draw scenic off-road riding to the south, it's absolutely wonderful although not technical. Sadly unrideable in winter, but there's just as much road riding that's nearly as good.

^ he's right, you know. And I'd even say that the road riding is better than 'nearly as good', it's excellent.

I've you're happy to drive to ride then you've also got the trails at Badbury Clumps near Faringdon about 30 minutes away. Short but fun jumpy DH lines. For 'proper' riding I'd head to South Wales. Risca is about an hour and 15 minutes along the motorway.

I’d even say that the road riding is better than ‘nearly as good’, it’s excellent.

I find this even harder to believe than there being great mountain biking. At this point, it's sounding like Morzine: apparently fantastic, but no one that actually lives there.

Nobody is asking the big question. Why the heck are you in Swindon?

Yeah my initial reaction is '...on purpose?'

I find this even harder to believe than there being great mountain biking.

O ye of little faith. It's true - ride out North and you're pretty much straight into the Cotswolds; miles and miles of lovely little country lanes, villages and pubs. Ride out South and you're straight onto the Wiltshire Downs; miles and miles of little country lanes, villages and pubs, with added white horses carved into the hills and prehistoric stone circles for good measure.

but no one that actually lives there

Oh god no, you don't want to live there. Around it is nice.

I go to extreme lengths to ride around it rather than through it.

My Grandfather said that he missed Swindon, but he was in the Luftwaffe, so this is probably a good thing.

Get thee out to Uffington for a road pootle round the weird landscape of the white horse.

I’m not in Swindon, but am planning on being later this year, and wanted to find someone/people who actually live there to see if they might show me a good time/some trails.

to see if they might show me a good time

*insert coffee spitting gif here*

IHN - see Jermaine Stewart's only hit 🙂

Two very active MTB clubs in Swindon. MT Swindon and the Croft (look after the XC course near Nationwide) and Swindon MTB Enthusiasts. Loads of great riding to the south, up on the Ridgeway, hill forts, etc. Year round riding if a little sloppy. I belong to this one and I’m not even local:

The trails aren't simply BEHIND the Nationwide. You still have to go through the wardrobe.

Ah, I see, she wants to dance and party all night, and drink some cherry wine. Gotcha.

But seriously ...

I worked in Swindon for years, and still have a base there I go to regularly (it's a building society, have a guess). It's like all towns of that size/history/demography. In fact, seeing as it's near where I'm living now, it's very like Stockport. The central 60s/70s shopping parade bit is on its arse, but you don't need to go there, and there are some (in fact, really quite a few) nice bars, restaurants and pubs if you know where to look. Swindon's also lucky to have a decent theatre and arts venue, so plays/gigs/comedy are there if you want them.

Riding wise, road pretty much from the door is excellent, same for gravel type stuff.

Roughty-tufty MTB from the door is non-existent (the Croft trail in the woods near Nationwide is great for what it is, I'm not knocking it, but it's an hour's blast to do something if you're local, it's not a 'destination'). There's good stuff up at Leckhampton/Birdlip/Cranham/Flyup417, they're about 45 mins away, or it's off up the M4 to Wales, or the FoD is about an hour away too.

I find this even harder to believe than there being great mountain biking. At this point, it’s sounding like Morzine: apparently fantastic, but no one that actually lives there.

The town is crap, but as we all know the quality of a town is not related to the quality of its riding. We are very much talking gravel style here, mind.

I'm an hour away I'd show you one of my rides if you like. I worked there for 4 months and was out nearly every night.

There is masses of top draw scenic off-road riding to the south, it’s absolutely wonderful although not technical.

This is correct. Head for Barbury Castle or the Marlborough Downs (between Marlborough and Avebury). I lurk on Swindon MTB facebook group who might give you some inspiration. Or I'd be happy to share some routes, but they're mainly south of the A4.

Nobody is asking the big question. Why the heck are you in Swindon?

Well the only good reason to go to Swindon is you can't leave Swindon until you're there.

I seem to recall from my teenage years the consensus was that the only good thing about Swindon was Melinda Messenger and I'm assuming she doesn't live there any more.

I lived near Marborough for 7 years (hence the username). There is great, but not scary technical, MTBing all over the North Wessex Downs and also in the combes south of Hungerford. Unfortunately the clay and chalk make the trails unridable in winter but as previous posters have pointed out the road riding is great. Swindon is an ugly sprawl except for round the Old Town which is quite nice. I found Swindonians quite down to earth and friendly compared to the rest of Wiltshire which can be quite up itself. For some reason the Swindonians don't venture out of Swindon so you'll find the countryside around mostly empty. If looking for a place to live in Swidon don't go near any district that ends in hill like Penhill or Toothill 😉

Swindon has all you'll ever need, it has some fields you can cycle around, the magic roundabout you can use as a track circuit and no matter how long you drive in one direction you'll end up back in the same place in 30 minutes 😂

A mate lives nearby and I think was involved in the famous trails. I suspect he will see this shortly.

it has some fields you can cycle around

That's not what it's like at all.

In fact, seeing as it’s near where I’m living now, it’s very like Stockport.

Oh God, that bad?

The magic roundabout is definitely an odd beast.

I know someone who lives there and he seems to be complaining a lot about the housing developments but the lack of services and the continual roadworks.

There is is a discount outlet and some choo choos and Dick Lovett :-), last time I was there I’d been oddly kidnapped by the train on my way to bath from Bristol and ended up with a free taxi ride from Swindon to Bath.

We used to live in SN2 (had a view of the outlet centre from the kitchen window) and moved out 5 years ago this week.

Depending what you are after there are some decent shops, pubs, eateries etc, as well as plenty of cyclists of all persuasions in the area. Road and gravel best catered for, and summer much better than winter (as for most of the UK I guess).

If you find Swindon isn't to your liking come an hour down the road to Warminster. We have Windhill Bike Park and some good riding in the woods over the road from the park.

I know someone who lives [s] there [/s] anywhere and he seems to be complaining a lot about the housing developments but the lack of services and the continual roadworks.

Ftfy

The best thing to do if you find yourself in Swindon is to drive north for 15 miles, turn left and drive for another 10 miles until you arrive in Stroud. It's much nicer.

[i]My Grandfather said that he missed Swindon, but he was in the Luftwaffe, so this is probably a good thing.[/i]

I disagree

Swindon ? My sincerest condolences.

My wife got out of there more than half a lifetime ago, whilst she could (and before she got stuck with the hideous accent).

PLEASE LEAVE NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE FOR YOU.

... AND STAY ON THE PATH.

Help, I’m in Swindon

#prayforstwhannah

Firstly, ignore the modern eyesore that most people think of as Swindon. Old Town is far and away the best part of the town. From there you can both see and access the downland that gives you Marlborough, Avebury, Barbury Castle, The Ridgeway which will take you down to Avebury, West Woods, Devizes and the Kennet & Avon Canal, which in turn will get you to Bath and Bristol to the West, and the Thames and London to the East. The Ridgeway will also get you up to Uffington White Horse, an extraordinary Neolithic chalk hill figure, and ultimately up to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire.

It may not be ‘mountain’ biking, but the huge views and open skies make up for it, and it’s not too difficult to rack up good mileages. Get yourself a set of good OS maps of the area, and really study all the byways, BOAT’s and RUPP’s that cover the area. There’s lots of good country pubs around, as well as lots of good breweries, like Ramsbury Brewery, and stacks of others.

Welcome to Wiltshire, we’re glad to have you!

Just go shopping at the outlet centre# like everyone else lane does. And the Steam Museum. There’s a good climbing wall too at the leisure centre. We had a birthday party for Son2 there. Then leave.

#I am old enough and geeky trainspotter enough to remember Swindon Open Days. Nobody ever said “one day all this will be shops” as I climbed over the Class 33’s.

I remember the Steam Museum from the late 80s when visiting family. My mum’s dad’s family were Swindonians/Swindonites.

I think there was/is a pub called the Glue Pot in the town centre.

Avebury needs a visit, and the Ridgeway is a great ride as said for a cross country nice to be outside to see the views sort of vibe.

Hannah - Listen to CountZero, uponthedowns and Molgrips, ignore the others.

The magic roundabout is definitely an odd beast.

I used to drive round it anticlockwise just for the hell of it.

Ex-Marlborough resident & now closer to Newbury. Agree with with IHN's comment above. Hop over the M4 to Barberry Castle and there are miles of options.

You can also put a circular route together heading into Berkshire / Hampshire from Barberry Castle / Avebury though the Savernake Forrest and towards Coombe Gibbet, Donnington Valley which links back up to the Ridgeway. Lots of bridelways / byways & quiet backroads.

The bridelways are a mess at the mo. And won't dry out for a while. Happy to provide more info if needed.

Lots of xc stuff out to the east, (os map) dropping of ridgeway to south, that can be linked back towards Marlborough, cafe in lambourn, (and butchers does takeaway stuff), and nice cafe in east garston (Pricillas, *check opening hours as limited), coffee(and butty) hut at pub in great shefford, cafe/shop in aldbourne, or you can ridgeway and drop to reading and get the train back (*possibly, probably requires pre booking and a signature by elvis Presley)

My Grandfather said that he missed Swindon, but he was in the Luftwaffe, so this is probably a good thing.

I don't know about your Grandad but the Luftwaffe certainly didn't miss Swindon, up until about 20 years ago there were still streets with noticeable gaps in the rows of houses where bombs had hit.

The Castles mountain bike ride is a good event, hopefully it will run again in 2023, see http://www.castlesbikeride.co.uk/

The old railway line is worth a ride from the Swindon & Cricklade steam railway (toot toot), past the trails at Nationwide (check out the North Shore http://www.mbswindon.co.uk/croft-trail/ ) and on to Marlborough (tea & cakes, nom, nom). If you can get a local to show you around the Croft trail it is worth it as otherwise you'll probably just blast past a lot of the features, like trying to ride along the top of the rock wall.

The town has a reasonable network of cycle paths including a permanent bicycle orienteering route ( https://www.swindontravelchoices.co.uk/getting-around/cycling/cycleorienteering/ ) which is worth doing with a few mates. Round the back of the Oasis leisure centre is the bicycle speedway track (worth watching if you're passing, but not sure if its still running) and there used to be a BMX track which was a hoot for a few laps. There's pumps tracks in Wroughton and west Swindon if that floats your boat.

The town has a reasonable network of cycle paths

This is a good point actually, it is a very cycle friendly (at least in comparative UK terms) town. I used to commute from Cirencester regularly, so I'd hit the Northern outskirts of Swindon at pretty much the diametric opposite side from where I needed to get to on the Southern outskirts, and I could get across the town on dedicated, separated, cycle routes pretty much the whole way (in fact, I probably could have done it the whole way but I chose some more direct routes at points).

Blimey, there is a lot of anti-Swindon in this thread! 🙁

Just for some balance, life long Swindon resident here and I like living in the town.

Hannah, feel free to ping me a message if you have any questions or need any recommendations on the Peoples Republic of Swindonia. If you do end up heading this way, I'll get you a beer to welcome you too.

still not figured out if this is "Swindon" but not Swindon, we're talking about? The "Nationwide trails" cover 2 bloody counties.

I quite like Old Town. Have lunch there regularly, good cafes, walk the dog on The Lawns. Riding is mainly classic Ridgeway stuff with the odd bit in the woods. Suits me fine. Barbury Castle and back from Uffington is a regular.

And I’d even say that the road riding is better than ‘nearly as good’, it’s excellent.

It is. I live in the Cotswolds and will ride for 2 hrs to get over Hackpen Hill and south into the Marlborough Downs for a long road ride. Beautiful road and gravel riding along the hills there. The western half of the Ridgeway is pretty good old school XC and there's loads more of that kind of thing in the Andover-Warminster-Swindon triangle.

the only good thing about Swindon was Melinda Messenger and I’m assuming she doesn’t live there any more.

I didn't know she was from Swindon, I'd always associated her with the Bristol area.

I did a laugh 😀

On a more serious note, it depends on what you like.
The Ridgeway and Savernake forest are more gravel / XC and you can ride for miles.
If you are after something more challenging, there is:
- 417 Bike Park in Birdlip on the way to Cheltenham / Gloucester,
- Swinley Forest near Bracknell,
- Tidworth Freeride Bikepark, near Salisbury,
- Bike Park Wales, Cwmcarn trail centre and Afan Forest to the west.

The Glue Pot is still there! Wouldn’t enter it myself but fair enough if it’s your scene!

The climbing wall has been replaced by trampolines at the leisure centre, but there are at least 2 other climbing centres in town now which are pretty decent.

Blimey, there is a lot of anti-Swindon in this thread! 🙁

It’s not so much anti-Swindon, more the recognition that the new town at the bottom of the hill is a horrid 60’s monstrosity with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, whereas Old Town is a really nice area with decent pubs, a smashing little Arts Centre, and a proper village feel to it.

Don’t forget to visit the Swindon wonders https://jasperfforde.com/swindon/7wonders.html

Fear not Hannah, Wiltshire is a big county with plenty of Rights of Way to explore.

Take a look at this website which was started by a couple of local photographers. Scroll down to the bottom of the home page where you can load thumbnails of their pics. Views aplenty, huge skies, more history than you can shake a stick at.

https://www.hiddenwiltshire.com/

Ok. I’m really going to Swindon this time. Should be there Saturday morning ready to ride. Hoping to follow the advice of @natrix and explore the orienteering and train thing, plus of course the mystical Nationwide trails. If @eskimonumber1 or anyone else is around for a spot of navigation/posing for pictures/chattering drop me an email! Hannah@singletrackworld.com

Much as I’m sure it’s all lovely nearby, I’m doing a lap from Milton Keynes on Friday, then Swindon on Saturday, so there’ll be no room for driving anywhere else! I’m calling it the glamour tour. Might pop in to Wolverhampton on the way back just to top it off.

Being a member of the STW team sounds really glamorous!

Riding south from Swindon will bring you towards West Woods, west of Marlborough and close to Avebury, Silbury Hill and the Wansdyke, which runs through it, and which is the source of the Sarcen Stones that are the main feature in Stonehenge - there’s one in this photo, along with bluebells:

This is looking from close to the Wansdyke, near Furze Knoll, with West Woods on the skyline to the centre right, and Silbury Hill is roughly in the centre. Fantastic open skies, one of my favourite places.

Are you riding at Woburn on your ride from Milton Keynes Hannah?

I’m calling it the glamour tour.

Taylor Swift will be so jealous.

I think you need to add in Slough btw.

@ampthill Woburn is tomorrow, yes. Bit so much riding as writing though.

I’ll be interested to hear west Woburn is like from the perspective of some one who lives some where with actual music mountain biking. At least it’s rideable year round and in fact gets more traffic in the winter then the summer