New Swindon trails bring history and nature to all

By Barrie Hudson - 22 July 2024

CommunityHealthAttractions

People can discover more of Swindon with six new walking trails across the borough.

  • Coate Water

    Coate Water

  • Lydiard Park

    Lydiard Park

On Friday 26 July Swindon Travel Choices will officially launch the six trails, which are: 

- The Butterfly trail - along Old Town Railway Path from Mannington to Old Town
- The Fish trail - a loop of Coate Water
- The Bear trail - around Swindon’s Railway Village to Steam
- The Dragonfly trail - along the canal from Wichelstowe to the town centre
- The Pig trail - along the Eastern Flyer from Greenbridge to the town centre
- The Squirrel trail - around Lydiard Park

Six different trail leaflets will be available to pick up from Swindon’s core libraries - Central, West, North, Highworth and Park - and partner locations.

Partner locations include:

- Coate Water café, Coate Water Country Park
- Old Town Library, Devizes Road, SN1 4BJ
- Forest café, Lydiard Park
- Steam, Firefly Avenue, SN2 2EY

People can also download trail leaflets from the Swindon Travel Choices website.

Cllr Chris Watts, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said “We’re delighted to have six walking trails running this summer for everyone to take part in and we’d love to see as many families as possible discovering more of Swindon’s local arts, heritage, and historical sites that can be seen on the routes.

“Don’t forget that as well as improving your health, you’ll also be in with a chance of winning prizes including, t-shirts, STEAM Museum family passes and walking books.”

The trails, which are all between one and three miles long, will take families to some great local arts, heritage, and historical sites, as well as places of natural beauty. There is a limited edition badge available for the first 200 people to complete each challenge, while everyone who completes one of the trails will gain an entry into the grand prize draw.

Wherever possible, the routes have been designed to be accessible, with alternative suggestions provided if this is not the case. Details for getting to the start of each of the walks by public transport is also provided.

One lucky winner will receive £100 supermarket voucher in the grand prize draw, while five runners-up prizes for each trail will also be given out including t-shirts, Steam family passes, walking books and food hampers.

Residents can enter the prize draw online from the Swindon Travel Choices website, by scanning the QR code on the trail leaflets or by posting their entry form in the post box at the partner locations when collecting a badge.

The challenge will finish on Sunday 8 September, with the grand prize draw taking place on Monday 16 September.

Your Comments

Be the first to comment on this article

Login or Register to post a comment on this article

Subscribe to The Link
Health
Will Sperrin, Physiotherapist at Kube Medical

Swindon-based Kube Medical expands to Faringdon

Leading integrated musculoskeletal care provider Kube ...

Health
Richard Collinge, Chief of Staff, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board

Local NHS salutes military colleagues for Armed Forces Day

The NHS in Swindon and Wiltshire, ...

Health
You can book a ride between any two locations within the shaded area shown on the map. (The maximum journey length that can be booked is approx. 12 miles as the crow flies). Rides within Malmesbury are not permitted and where a timetabled bus service is available for your journey.

New rural bus route links to Great Western Hospital

Wiltshire Connect on-demand buses now serve ...

Health
Official hot weather warning runs until Monday

Official hot weather warning runs until Monday

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) ...

Little Foxes
Health
Care home manager's advice for keeping older people safe during heatwave

Care home manager's advice for keeping older people safe during heatwave

The manager of a Royal Wootton ...

Registered in England & Wales. No: 4513027, Positive Media Group, Old Bank House, 5 Devizes Road, Old Town, Swindon, SN1 4BJ