Swindon lies in the heart of historic Wiltshire. This green county is home to some of the UK’s most iconic sites – spanning centuries and even millennia – as well as swathes of magnificent scenery. With a rental car, you’ll be able to explore the town and its surroundings at your own pace, making the most of your time in this fascinating corner of England.
First-class attractions
Swindon is famous for being Wiltshire’s railway town. Until the mid-1800s, it was little more than a small market town, but its location – halfway between Bristol and London – made it a key location on the Great Western Railway, created in the 1830s by the engineering pioneer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The town became a center for steam-train production, and one of its former railway buildings is now a popular visitor attraction, the Museum of the Great Western Railway. Here you can learn about the men and women who worked on the railways, see some of the original locomotives, and even see how monarchs throughout history traveled, with a look inside a royal carriage.
Swindon’s history plays a big part in its attractions, but today its town center is a lively and modern space. You will find many stores and restaurants in the old town, and there are a number of large malls, including the Brunel Shopping Centre and the Orbital Shopping Park. If you’re keen to experience some culture, head to Swindon Arts Center or the Wyvern Theater, where you will find exciting performances taking place all year round.
Historic estate
One of Swindon’s other popular attractions lies just a short drive outside the town center. Lydiard House is a grand 17th-century building set in a scenic country estate. The park and walled garden are open to visitors all year round. Inside the house, you’ll find impressive rooms, packed with original artworks, providing an insight into life for England’s aristocracy in centuries gone by. Just to the north, you’ll find St Mary’s Church – it’s all that remains of the once-thriving medieval settlement that once stood on this site.
Stroll around Lydiard Park to enjoy the idyllic lake and woodlands as well as the walled garden, before stopping off at the cafe for some refreshments. This space is also an important cultural venue, and – if you’re visiting in the summer – you might have the rare chance to see an open-air theater performance or some live music taking place in the grounds.
A mysterious monument
Renting a car in Swindon gives you the freedom to explore the town and the plentiful attractions beyond. Just over an hour’s drive away, down the A4361, you’ll find Stonehenge, one of the world’s oldest and most mysterious attractions.
No one truly knows the origin of these gigantic standing stones – but that just makes the mystery even greater, especially when you start to wonder how those ancient druids would have assembled the spectacular formation. The stone circle itself is the highlight of any trip to Stonehenge, but there is also a visitor center – from where you’ll access the circle – which is full of history about the site and the Neolithic houses that would have once surrounded it.
Renting a car in Swindon means you can explore all this and much more during your stay.