Swindon Hotels - Smooth Hound Hotel Directory

Swindon is situated in Wiltshire and dates back to Saxon times, although it is thoroughly modern today. The city is widely considered to be an overflow area of London, especially when populations began to soar a few decades ago. There is plenty to see and do in Swindon, including galleries and museums. The city also offers ample opportunities for shopping, plenty of accommodations, restaurants and pubs to enjoy. Visitors will find many high street shop brands while shopping in Swindon. There are a variety of different hotel chains, including several economy brands to choose from during a stay in the area.

Swindon is a large town in Wiltshire and has been in existence since at least Saxon times. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and its name is thought to mean "pig hill". The growth of Swindon started when the canal network brought in extra trade routes to the town.

When the railway network started expanding, the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel chose the town for his railway works, further adding to its importance. The original site is now home to a steam railway museum which tells the story of Brunel as well as having a large number of exhibits about steam engines and railways.

In May each year, the town is host to a Festival of Literature which begins with a Dawn Chorus of spring songs, stories and Maypole dancing. The festival attracts a wide variety of authors and speakers to a number of venues across the town. In the summer, over twenty thousand people come to the town for the annual Mela, a fair based on Indian traditions and featuring live bands and traditional dancing.

Shoppers are catered for at the town's Brunel Centre and the Parade, which are both based in the centre of the town and are home to all manner of different shops. For those shoppers who can spot a bargain, the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet is close to the railway museum in the town centre and has over a hundred outlets offering cut price goods.

If you want to relax and take a stroll in the park during your visit to Swindon, then Lydiard Park is well worth a visit. It covers around two hundred and sixty acres and contains Lydiard House, the former home of Viscount Bolingbroke.