Swindon

Railway history runs deep through the red-brick streets here, where Victorian terraces still house families whose great-grandfathers built locomotives for the world. The town that Great Western Railway made famous has reinvented itself, though echoes of its industrial past linger in the proud Victorian architecture and the excellent STEAM Museum.

Beyond the retail parks and modern developments lies proper Wiltshire countryside. Sundays Hill and Ramps Hill offer cracking walks with views across the Thames Valley, while the ancient woodlands of Old Copse and Stonehill Wood provide peaceful escapes just minutes from the town centre. It's a landscape of gentle rolling hills and pockets of ancient forest - Waits Wood and The Clump are particularly lovely on autumn afternoons.

Braydon Pond sits quietly in the countryside north of town, a proper wildlife haven that locals have kept largely to themselves. The surrounding area feels genuinely rural despite being within easy reach of the M4. Great Withy Wood and Ravensroost Wood form part of an ancient woodland network that once covered much of north Wiltshire.

Getting here couldn't be easier - direct trains from London Paddington take just over an hour, and junction 15 of the M4 puts you right on the doorstep. The town serves as an excellent base for exploring the Cotswolds to the north and Marlborough Downs to the south.

Staying at one of the holiday parks scattered around the area gives you the best of both worlds. You're close enough for easy town access but positioned perfectly for exploring the North Wessex Downs. The countryside here surprises visitors who expect nothing more than motorway services and retail therapy.