Swindon

Most first-time visitors head straight for STEAM - Museum of the GWR, and it's the obvious place to start. Swindon grew up around the Great Western Railway works, and the museum tells that story properly, with the old workshops and engines giving you a real sense of what built the town. It's a good anchor for a day trip before you branch out into everything else Swindon has packed in since.

Because a lot of what's here is indoors, Swindon works well whatever the weather. Rockstar Climbing and ATBShop Skate Warehouse cover the more active end of things, while Active Reality Swindon and High Score Arcades Swindon are easy to fill an afternoon with, especially if you've got kids or teenagers in tow. Flashpoint Swindon and the Museum of Computing add some variety if you want to slow the pace down between the more physical stuff. If your visit lines up with it, the Enchanted Gardens Light Trail is worth building an evening around.

Spend a day on the railway history and the indoor attractions, and you'll have covered the core of what draws people to Swindon. Stay a little longer and there's enough spread across hotels, cottages and campsites, plus a huge range of places to eat, to make a proper weekend of it.