Walks near Swindon by train
Wiltshire · South West England
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Swindon and plan your next day of green.
Hanborough Circular via Blenheim Palace (Oxfordshire)
45 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
Beginner-friendly: A gigantic well-signposted park. It’s completely fine to deviate from the route — explore as you like! Plenty of options for lunch — no need to reserve a table. It's an easy walk from the station to the beautiful, vast (and free) grounds of the finest example of English baroque architecture. For a somewhat extortionate fee you can also visit the house, but you'd probably want a whole day for that.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Blenheim Palace (1h in)
Woodstock (1h30 in)
3 lunch spots: Woodstock (1h30 in) — the Crown, the Back Lane Tavern, or the Star Inn
1 end-of-walk reward: the George and Dragon
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Mortimer to Bramley (Berkshire)
45 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
Highly recommended: Little known but quietly wonderful. Beautiful rather than spectacular, in a humble village pathways sort of manner. Mostly secluded.
Ruins of Calleva Atrebatum: once a thriving Romano-British city that survived into the Saxon period. Now ghostly ruins. Includes an evocative full circuit of city walls, and what's left of a 7,000-capacity gladiatorial arena (1h15 in).
St Mary the Virgin Church: charming medieval church on the site of a Roman temple (2h15 in).
1 lunch spot: the Calleva Arms (1h45 in; excellent)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Bramley Inn
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: Reading to Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership.
Henley-on-Thames to Pangbourne (Oxfordshire)
30 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
Highly recommended: Thames riverside, ancient streets, broad valleys, beech woods, fields, small villages, alpaca farm and toll bridge.
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
1 lunch spot: the Red Lion (1h45 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Greyhound
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Farnham to Blackwater (Surrey)
45 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
Highly recommended: Deer park, heathland, MOD training area, Iron Age hillfort, reservoirs, stream valleys, woodland, nature reserve, wet meadows, lakeside sandy shores and common.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
1 lunch spot: the Foresters (2h15 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Crown and Cushion
Warnings: MOD closures apply.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Pangbourne to Goring & Streatley (Berkshire)
30 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
Highly recommended: Woods, hilly, river and quaint village.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
3 lunch spots: Streatley (2h in) — Pierreponts, or the Swan at Streatley and the Coppa Club; plus the Bull (2h in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Miller of Mansfield, or the Catherine Wheel
Warnings: Relatively busy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Pangbourne Circular via View of the Thames from Hartslock (Berkshire)
30 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
River Thames valley, wooded hillsides, chalk nature reserve, open fields, quiet lanes and pretty villages.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Lunch: Nowhere to eat en route — pack lunch!
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Greyhound, the Ferry Boat, or the Swan
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Oxford Circular via Port Meadow (Oxfordshire)
30 minutes direct from Swindon.
Flat riverside towpaths, water meadows, canal towpath, Oxford city streets, college lanes and historic squares.
Pitt Rivers Museum (2h45 in)
Oxford (3h15 in)
4 lunch spots: Wolvercote (1h15 in) — the Trout Inn, Godstow, or the Jacob's Inn; plus the Perch (30 mins in), or the Anchor (2h in)
8 end-of-walk rewards: the Lamb & Flag, Oxford, the Red Lion, the Turf Tavern, the Bear, the Crown, the Royal Blenheim, the Castle Pub, or the Jolly Farmers
Warnings: Two fifths urban. Can be flooded.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Goring & Streatley Circular via Basildon Park (Oxfordshire)
30 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
Basildon Park: An estate saved from almost certain demolition and lovingly revived (National Trust; 2h30 in; 2h30 to visit).
1 lunch spot: Basildon Park tearoom (2h30 in)
Source: Trains2Green.
Bramley Circular via the Vyne (Hampshire)
45 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
The Vyne: Explore a former Tudor powerhouse turned 17th-century family home, set in gardens, woodlands and wetlands (National Trust; 2h15 in; 3h to visit).
2 lunch spots: the Bramley Inn, or the Vyne tearoom (2h15 in)
Source: Trains2Green.
Beaconsfield to Burnham (Buckinghamshire)
45 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
Dorneywood Garden: 1930s-style garden, with herbaceous borders, cottage garden and lily pond (National Trust; 2h45 in; 1h30 to visit).
2 lunch spots: the Blackwood Arms (2h15 in), or the Beeches Eco Cafe (3h15 in)
Source: Trains2Green.
Bath Spa Circular via Dundas Aqueduct (Somerset)
30 minutes direct from Swindon.
Disused railway path, tunnels, viaducts, canal towpath, river and historic city centre.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Mortimer Circular via Ruins of Calleva Atrebatum (Berkshire)
45 minutes from Swindon, with one change.
Long, mostly flat circular: the Calleva Atrebatum Roman amphitheatre and walls, Pamber Forest Reserve and farmland around Mortimer, Silchester and Bramley.
Ruins of Calleva Atrebatum: once a thriving Romano-British city that survived into the Saxon period. Now ghostly ruins. Includes an evocative full circuit of city walls, and what's left of a 7,000-capacity gladiatorial arena.
Calleva Atrebatum: The remains of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, with substantial surviving flint walls and an amphitheatre.
Walk details: Reading to Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership (turn-by-turn directions).