West Kennet long barrow is a Neolithic chambered tomb. The builders created an artificial mound over 5,000 years ago inside of which they built stone-lined chambers and a passage. Inside the chambers they placed the bones of dead people. These weren't simple burials. Leg bones were lined up with leg bones, skulls with skulls in different chambers. The Neolithic people were creating ancestors from their dead and would use the bones in ceremonies.
The entrance to the passage is guarded by an impressive row of massive upright stones. These face east and look their most amazing just after sunrise. Even better is to visit on a clear night for full moon rise.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/west-kennet-long-barrow/
Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1QF
+44(0)1672 539 250
Google map: bit.ly/tvD9Ec
Near Avebury, Wiltshire.

Bus: From Swindon service 49. Connect2 line 43; Thamesdown Transport 43A; Wilts & Dorset service 96 then 3/4 mile walk
Road: 3⁄4 mile SW of West Kennet, along footpath off A4
Train: Pewsey 9 miles, Swindon 13 miles

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This delightful and reasonably-priced course is a weekend of Lyengar yoga sessions and therapeutic massage tuition, with very experienced teachers.

The atmosphere is one of relaxation and enjoyment, with small group sizes and very friendly hosts. All food is provided, from the delicious healthy vegetarian meals, to the yummy home-baked snacks brought out in the tea and coffee breaks between sessions. Most meals include some home grown produce from the farm's extensive organic vegetable garden!

Accommodation is in simple but comfortable shared rooms (single or double/twin rooms available on request). Book early, as this course is often very popular!

Lower Shaw Farm is a small farm on the outskirts of Swindon - once you arrive at the farm, you'd have no idea you were in Swindon - the surrounding trees make you feel like you could easily be in the middle of nowhere! The farm has been established as a venue for courses and workshops for over 20 years.

I attended the November 08 and March 09 weekends, and the course is repeated again on 3rd-5th July 2009, and 2nd-4th October. It is priced at £120, which includes two nights accommodation, all food, and all yoga and massage sessions.

Lower Shaw Farm, Old Shaw Lane, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 5PJ
www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
01793 771080
The nearest train station is Swindon - and it's only 1 hour from London Paddington, and easily reachable for other parts of the country too.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Swindon has a fantastic collection of 20th century British art - Lowry, Nicholson, Howard Hodgkin, David Bomberg, Terry Frost etc. A really unexpected hidden gem of a collection nestled alongside the local museum up in Old Town. This collection really has wow factor.

Swindon Museum & Art Gallery
Bath Road
Swindon
SN1 4BA
www.swindon.gov.uk/heritage
01793 466556

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Lydiard Park is a 260 acre parkland with a historic house and church, extensive park and grounds, lake, children's play area, and refreshments. Because it's only a few minutes' drive from J16 of the M4, I'm recommending it as an ideal stop for motorists.

www.lydiardpark.org.uk/lyd-visitorinformation.htm

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A great little tapas bar - Spanish beer (Cruzcampo) and great freshly cooked authentic Spanish food. A splash of your travels to sunnier parts in a little dish in the middle of Old Town.

The staff are friendly and you are just as welcome for a coffee and a browse of the paper, as for a leisurely meal over a few courses.

Wood Street, Old Town, Swindon SN1 4AN
www.losgatos.co.uk

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

We stayed at Jesmonds for three nights, Thursday to Saturday, and ate there two of the three nights - it would have been three if it hadn't been for the rugby!

The room was very comfortable, good value and breakfast was exceptional....quality ingredients the key as always. However, the restaurant for dinner was the best bit and I'm sure lunch is just as good.

The service from both the management and the young staff was spot-on - accurate, with a smile and an attitude that suggests they really do care that you enjoy your evening. Nothing was too much trouble. The food is excellent, and tremendous value. The wine list is extensive, perhaps they could do with a few more wines at the top-end, but we found some excellent wines in the £20-£25 range which fitted the bill perfectly.

You will struggle to find a better overall restaurant experience anywhere in this price-range. If you are looking for somewhere for dinner a deux, or in a larger group to celebrate a birthday I would not hesitate to recommend the place to anyone.

www.jesmondsofhighworth.com/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

If you want an authentic experience as to what it was like to live in a 19th century railway community, look no further than a walk around Swindon's railway village.

Arriving appropriately by train, turn right out of the station's main entrance, and in a few minutes you'll be amongst the distinctive architecture of the railway village.

Stroll through the individual streets that were named after locomotives that passed through Swindon, and get a feel for the type of habitat that many of the railway workers dwelt in.

The turreted building is where the town's railway museum used to be housed, and next door to this, you can visit a railway cottage as it used to be in Brunel’s day, and get a feel for how things were for a typical railway worker's family.

In need of refreshment? You'll come across three pubs in the Emlyn square area of the village. I can personally vouch for the Gluepot, a fine selection of real ales along with a bowl of their chilli or cheesy chips will go down a treat.

Make your way to the pleasant open space of Faringdon Park, and then visit St. Mark's church with the modern railway running at the back.

The railway village is a real oasis of tranquillity, in contrast to the busy town centre. In early spring, daffodils and primroses are abundant.

Make your way back along Church Place and Bristol Street. You'll see a sign for Steam, where the railway museum has relocated. You also have the option of shopping at Swindon's designer outlet village, which has tastefully incorporated railway memorabilia into their malls.

As you walk along the underpass, spare a thought for former poet laureate Sir John Betjeman. In the 1960s, he successfully campaigned to save Swindon's railway village from redevelopment. Well played Sir John!

www.swindonweb.com/guid/herirail0.htm

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends