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Old Town Rail Path
Jurassic Swindon Take a stroll through Jurassic Swindon at a time when huge meat-eating dinosaurs roamed the earth, the seas were teeming with life and Swindon's Old Town was a warm, tropical paradise.
Walk details:
Start point:
Victoria Road, Old Town, Swindon
Countryside Rangers' office:
01793 771419
Ordnance Survey:
Explorer 169 - grid ref:SU155839
Distance:
approx 2km (1.2 miles)
Time:
approx 1 hour
Extra info: To see what the symbols mean, please visit the key
More info: The walk follows the course of Swindon Old Town's history from the warm tropical seas of the late Jurassic, the deep seas of the Crutaceous to the arrival of the Great Western Railway. From the earliest settlers drawn to Swindon Hill's strategic position to the Romans who took advantage of the Kimmeridge Clay.
From the arable farmers who prospered on the chalk hills to the 17th century industrialists who quarried the Purbeck Limestone and Portland Stone.
Swindon Town's prosperity, it seems, has its underlying geology to thank.
Who ever said geology was boring?
Getting there: By bus: There is a regular bus service operating between Swindon Old Town and the rest of the county. For more information click here. By car: Drive to start point, (see map) where there is a Public Car park.
Walk conditions The Old Town Rail Path is flat and fairly wide but can become muddy after rain. Leaving the Rail Path there are five or six steps to descend which will restrict wheelchair access. It is suggested that wheelchair users return to Station Approach and access Town Gardens from there. The rest of the walk is on paved surfaces. Health and Safety information
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