Great West Way

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The Great West Way is a touring route which runs between the UK capital of London to the city of Bristol. [1] It was launched in 2018 and is a multi-modal touring route. [2] It is designed to be travelled in a variety of different ways: by road, by rail, on water via the Kennet and Avon Canal and River Thames, by bike or on foot. The Great West Way includes the Kennet and Avon Canal, the Great Western Railway and the A4.

Contents

It can be accessed by air from Heathrow Airport in the east and Bristol Airport in the west.

Route

The Great West Way runs between Bristol in the west and western London in the east, passing through the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire en route and dipping into the southern parts of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire as it approaches the capital.

Coming from Bristol, the first major stop is Bath, Somerset. Stretching northeast of Bath and into Wiltshire and Gloucestershire is the Cotswolds. [3]

East of the Cotswolds the route traverses Wiltshire, a large county that is home to the prehistoric sites of Stonehenge and Avebury, the historic market town of Marlborough, the village of Lacock and a large chunk of another Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the North Wessex Downs.

From Wiltshire, travelling east toward London, the route continues through Berkshire, the home of Windsor Castle and the twins of Reading, Hungerford and Newbury. The North Wessex Downs give way to the Chilterns Hills.

Finally, the Great West Way follows road, rail, water, walking and cycling routes into London, where the main calling points include Richmond Park and Kew Gardens. [4]

Attractions along the Great West Way

The Great West Way route includes a number of heritage sites of national and international importance including: [5]

History

The Great West Way was developed with the support of the UK Government’s £40 million Discover England Fund, which was announced in 2015 as a way of boosting inbound UK tourism. This fund is administered by VisitEngland (England’s official tourist board). The Great West Way project won funding of £1 million in 2017. [6]

The Great West Way is supported by 270 Great West Way Ambassadors; businesses and destinations investing as partners in the project. [7]

Related Research Articles

Wiltshire County of England

Wiltshire is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of 3,485 km2. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The county town was originally Wilton, after which the county is named, but Wiltshire Council is now based in the county town of Trowbridge. Within the county's boundary are two unitary authority areas, Wiltshire and Swindon, governed respectively by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council.

South West England Region of England

South West England is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall, Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Large cities and towns in the region include Bristol, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Exeter, Gloucester, Plymouth and Swindon. It is geographically the largest of the nine regions of England covering 9,200 square miles (23,800 km2), but the third-least populous, with approximately five million residents.

South Gloucestershire Unitary authority area in England

South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. South Gloucestershire was created in 1996 from the northern section of the county of Avon, which was abolished at that time.

Avon (county)

Avon was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England that existed between 1974 and 1996. The county was named after the River Avon, which flows through the area. It was formed from the county boroughs of Bristol and Bath, together with parts of the administrative counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset.

River Avon, Hampshire River in the south of England

The River Avon is in the south of England, rising in Wiltshire, flowing through that county's city of Salisbury and then west Hampshire, before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation of Dorset.

River Avon, Bristol River in the south west of England

The River Avon is a river in the south west of England. To distinguish it from a number of other rivers of the same name, it is often called the Bristol Avon. The name 'Avon' is a cognate of the Welsh word afon, meaning 'river'.

Kennet and Avon Canal Canal in southern England

The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of 87 miles (140 km), made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section. From Bristol to Bath the waterway follows the natural course of the River Avon before the canal links it to the River Kennet at Newbury, and from there to Reading on the River Thames. In all, the waterway incorporates 105 locks.

Avebury (village) Village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England

Avebury is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is about 5.5 miles (9 km) west of Marlborough and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Devizes. Much of the village is encircled by the prehistoric monument complex also known as Avebury. The parish also includes the small villages of Avebury Trusloe and Beckhampton, and the hamlet of West Kennett.

River Kennet Tributary of the River Thames in Southern England

The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB. The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which – together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames – links the cities of Bristol and London.

Bath and North East Somerset Non-metropolitan district in England

Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a unitary authority district in England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset.

West Country Place in England

The West Country is a loosely defined area of south-western England. The term usually encompasses the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Somerset and is often extended to include Wiltshire, Bristol and Gloucestershire, in the South West region. Some definitions also include Herefordshire. The West Country is host to distinctive regional English dialects and accents, as well as to the Cornish language.

A4 road (England) Major road in England

The A4 is a major road in England from Central London to Avonmouth via Heathrow Airport, Reading, Bath and Bristol. It is historically known as the Bath Road with newer sections including the Great West Road and Portway. The road was once the main route from London to Bath, Bristol and the west of England and formed, after the A40, the second main western artery from London.

Hungerford Town in England

Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) west of Newbury, 9 miles (14 km) east of Marlborough, 27 miles (43 km) northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the River Dun, a major tributary of the River Kennet. The confluence with the Kennet is to the north of the centre whence canal and river both continue east. Amenities include schools, shops, cafés, restaurants, and facilities for the main national sports. Hungerford railway station is a minor stop on the Reading to Taunton Line.

Vale of Pewsey Vale in Wiltshire, England

The Vale of Pewsey or Pewsey Vale is an area of Wiltshire, England to the east of Devizes and south of Marlborough, centred on the village of Pewsey.

North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England

The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The name North Wessex Downs is not a traditional one, the area covered being better known by various overlapping local names, including the Berkshire Downs, the North Hampshire Downs, the White Horse Hills, the Lambourn Downs, the Marlborough Downs, the Vale of Pewsey and Savernake Forest.

Limpley Stoke Human settlement in England

Limpley Stoke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It lies in the Avon valley between Bath and Freshford, and is both above and below the A36 road.

Dundas Aqueduct

Dundas Aqueduct carries the Kennet and Avon Canal over the River Avon and the Wessex Main Line railway from Bath to Westbury. The aqueduct is near Monkton Combe, Somerset, and is about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) southeast of the city of Bath.

The Celtic Way is a long-distance walk from West Wales, through South Wales and into Wessex and the West of England in the United Kingdom. The route is 725-mile-long (1,167 km) and visits more than one hundred pre-historic sites through its route.

Avon Green Belt

The Avon Green Belt, also known as the Bristol and Bath Green Belt, is a non-statutory green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates urban expansion and development in the countryside surrounding the cities of Bristol and Bath in the South West region of England. It covers areas in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Mendip, and Wiltshire. Essentially, the function of the green belt is to limit urban sprawl and maintain the open character of areas around the Bristol and Bath built up areas, and nearby towns and villages. The policy is implemented by local planning authorities on the basis of guidance from central government.

References

  1. ↑ "Five spectacular UK road trips to enjoy this autumn". Telegraph.co.uk.
  2. ↑ "Great West Way: The Journey so Far and the Way Ahead" (PDF). Great West Way.
  3. ↑ "5 reasons to visit the new Great West Way from London to Bristol".
  4. ↑ "A sustainable staycation along the Great West Way". Rough Guides.
  5. ↑ "Visit the Great West Way | Holidays on the Great West Way". Great West Way. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Discover England Fund overview". 17 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Tourism Recovery Plan" (PDF).
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