Summer Sundays - Extra Morning Service to make a wide range of days out - "TransWilts Samplers"
This Summer - on Sunday 3rd July, then every Sunday from 17th July to 28th August inclusive, an extra train service will leave Westbury at 07:30, calling at Trowbridge at 07:36, Melksham at 07:45, Chippenham at 07:55, and getting to Swindon at 08:13. It will connect into the first London express of the day, which is scheduled to get to Paddington at 09:39. And there are lots of other places you could get to - Didcot for the Railway Centre, Oxford, Reading ... all of which are served or have good connections. Returning from Paddington at 17:00, you can connect into the 18:19 train from Swindon which will return you to Chippenham at 18:35, Melksham at 18:44, Trowbridge at 18:54, and Westbury at 19:06.
The extra train will then leave Swindon an 08:20, Chippenham at 08:36, Melksham at 08:46, and Trowbridge at 08:55, getting to Westbury at 09:06. It then continues (09:12 departure) from Westbury, to Weymouth, where it arrives at 10:42. In between, it serves Frome (09:22), Bruton (09:42), Castle Cary (09:40), Yeovil Pen Mill (09:52), Thornford, Yetminster and Chetnole (all by request to the conductor), Maiden Newton (10:18), Dorchester West (10:26) and Upwey (10:37). Returning from Weymouth at 17:56, the same stations are served to Westbury (arrive 19:27, leave 19:35), Trowbridge (19:42), Melksham (19:52), Chippenham (20:02) and Swindon (20:20).
A further option off the 08:20 from Swindon is to change at Westbury (arrive 09:06, depart 09:59) for Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury where the train arrives at 10:32. It then runs on to Southampton and Portsmouth Return trains from Salisbury at 16:28 and 18:28 connect into departures from Westbury at 17:10 and 19:35 for all stations to Swindon.
These extra trains will be provided and operated by First Great Western as a regular part of their network. This means that they're show on online journey planners, and tickets can be bought at usual rates for the journeys concerned from all the usual places. However, they're designed to attract new users to the trains - perhaps people who've not been on a train for many years, and so there will be publicity following over the next few weeks to tell people where to buy their tickets, and which tickets (from an impressively wide range) to ask for. There are indeed some very high fares - but there are also some bargains. To help people with enquiries specific to the TransWilts services this summer, a special local phone number is being made available to give access to one of the team who can help (I should be able to provide the number in the next few days), and emails to info@twcrp.org.uk (The TWCRP stands for TransWilts Community Rail Partnership) will also provide answers with a targetted response time of 24 hours.
The TransWilts railway line links the major towns in Wiltshire - Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster and Salisbury, and trains also call at Dilton Marsh. However, that still leaves large areas of the county not covered, and that's where integrated transport, with bus connections to and from railway stations come in. The TransWilts Rail grouping is currently finalising some illustrative services to run on some of the summer Sundays, and also linking to other existing services, with a view to giving access to Devizes, Avebury, Stonehenge, Longleat and Stourhead. More will follow on this by midweek, including pricing and booking details. I'm writing this post for a Melksham forum, so I'm concentrating on what opportunities it gives for Melksham residents. But of course the train can also bring people in to the town (in fact that's what we desparately need an appropriate daily service for) and don't be surprised if you see a minibus at the station here when you go on a trip to Salibsury this summer, picking up people arriving from Swindon to go to Lacock or The Courts at Holt. And if you have something you want to publicise for people to come to Melksham to do on a Sunday, please let me know over the weekend. Yes - that's a challenge, and there's (just) still time to add something on. We would be delighted to do so too!
You'll see a lot more information coming / being published in the next week or so, and then it should make a good press presence for the next 3 months. Please put some summer Sundays aside in your diary to have a day out and use the services, and tell your friends too. Remember that on Saturdays throughout the year, there are SATURDAY trains at 09:20 and 15:21 from Melksham to Chippenham and Swindon, with onward connections ... return services getting back at 15:48 and 21:34. Details will be included in many of the flyers / brochures ...
|
Shopping
Swindon - Outlet Centre and Town Centre near station
Chippenham - Town Centre and Hathaways
Melksham - Leekes, Countrywide and Asda by Station - town centre half mile
Trowbridge - Gateway and Shires centres and town centre
Warminster - Near Centre, and modern stores
Salisbury - a short walk to town centre
Station to Station Walks
Chippenham to Melksham - via the Wilts and Berks Canal
Melksham to Trowbridge - via River Avon and Kennet and Avon Canal
Westbury to Dilton Marsh - via Edington and the White Horse
Dilton Marsh to Warminster - via Upton Scadamore and Cley Hill
Also - Melksham to Bradford-on-Avon via Great Chalfield and Holt
Also - Dilton Marsh to Frome
Circular walks from Stations
Swindon - to Coate Water
Chippenham - via Maude Heath's Causeway, Back via railway path, to Calne
Melksham - Countryside and canal to Devizes and back
Trowbridge - to Iford Manor
Westbury - Bratton, Edington and the White Horse
Warminster - to Heaven's Gate and Shear Water
Salisbury - the Avon water meadows
Salisbury - to Wilton, ancient Wessex Capital
Rail by Rail
Steam - http://www.steam-museum.org.uk/
Coate Water - http://coatewaterrailway.webs.com/openingtimesandprices.htm
Swindon and Cricklade - http://www.swindon-cricklade-railway.org/
Lackham - http://www.lackhamcountrypark.co.uk/attractions/railway.asp
TrainWest - 9th & 10th April 2011 - http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/events/4014-Bentley_Model_Railway_Group_Trainwest_2011
Bulkington - http://www.westwilts-communityweb.com/site/Bulkington/Bulkington-Railway.htm
Blue Circle - http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/4866048.Grant_is_a_relief_for_railway_club_near_Westbury/
Brokerswood Woodland Train - http://www.brokerswood.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=32
Longleat Railway - http://www.longleat-railway.com/
The Inventors and Innovators Trail
Simon Rhymes - Boiling eggs with a lightbulb - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5245/is_7776_229/ai_n29302627/
Henry Fox Talbot - Photography - http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/talbot.htm ; Lacock
Henry Moule - Dry Earth Closet - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Moule ; Melksham
Isaac Pitman - Shorthand - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Pitman ; Trowbridge
Malcolm Pickard - Snogometer - http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8960000/8960475.stm ;
Trowbridge
Kerr Dunlop - Sculpting buildings in chocolate - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1038364/Pictured-The-intricate-chocolate-replicas-British-landmarks-celebrity-homes.html ; Rode
Paul Blair - Dog Toy - http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/8623931.Soldier_turns_dog_toy_inventor/ ; Salisbury
Water by Rail
Stately Homes of Wiltshire
Bowood (Chippenham)
Corsham Court (Corsham via Chippenham)
Lacock Abbey (Lacock, via Chippenham or Melksham)
The Courts (Holt, via Melksham)
Great Chalfield Manor (via Melksham)
Longleat (Warminster)
Stourhead (via Warmisnter)
Wilton House (Salisbury)
Mompesson House (Salisbury)
Cathedral (Salisbury)
Art and Entertainment
Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
Arc Theatre, Trowbridge
Atheneum, Warminster
Playhouse, Salisbury
Museums
Computer Museum, Swindon
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham
Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock (via Chippenham or Melksham)
Trowbridge Museum, in Shires Centre
Dewey Museum, Warminster
Events
The Great Outdoors
Pubs and Restaurants
Antiquities
And Also
Crop circles - http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2010/cleyhill/articles.html
Magic Roundabout - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4131930.ece
Further Afield
Didcot Railway Centre - http://www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/
Yeovil Railway Centre - http://www.yeovilrailway.freeservers.com/
Eastleigh Lakeside - http://www.steamtrain.co.uk/
Paultons Park - http://www.miniaturerailwayworld.co.uk/PaultonsPark.html
Hythe Pier - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hythe_Pier,_Railway_and_Ferry
Lodmoor Park - http://www.miniaturerailwayworld.co.uk/WeymouthBay.html
(Henry Shrapnel - Exploding shell - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Shrapnel) ; Bradford-on-Avon
(William Harbutt - Plasticine - http://visitbath.co.uk/site/accommodation/wee-grange-p1003163) ; Bath
(Charles Oatley - Electron Microscope - http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~bcb/cwo1.htm) ; Frome
Bus and Train days
From Swindon to Trowbridge, out via Devizes and back via Melksham
From Swindon to Pewsey by bus, then train to Westbury and back to Swindon
From Salisbury to Swindon by bus (via Pewsey), back on the train (via Westbury)
From Swindon, North and West Wilts to Stonehenge via Salisbury
Trips that start on the TransWilts
Southampton and/or Portsmouth via Salisbury
Weymouth via Westbury
Bath and Bristol via Trowbridge or Chippenham
Oxford via Swindon and Didcot
Gloucester and Cheltenham via Swindon
Worcester and Malvern via Swindon
The London Eye, South Bank and Festival Hall via Salisbury and Waterloo
|
