Great West Way ®

Welcome to the Great West Way!

Bristol is proud to be featured on this new 125‑mile touring route combining the world‑renowned with the yet‑to‑be‑discovered. At one end is London with its famous royal sights and rich cultural heritage; at the other is Bristol.

Along the way

In between lie relaxing riverside towns, lush green landscapes, and characterful villages. But there’s so much more to the Great West Way than simply getting from A to B. With so much to see and do, if you add in all the tempting trails and off‑the‑beaten track detours there are 500 miles or more to explore.

Along the Great West Way are three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: the Chilterns, the Cotswolds and the North Wessex Downs, and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Stonehenge and Avebury, Bath, and Kew Gardens. Visitors can watch the Changing of the Guard at Windsor Castle. Or lose themselves in the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze at Hampton Court Palace. Sample award‑winning real ale at West Berkshire Brewery, take a cocktail masterclass at Bombay Sapphire, or have a go at a cookery class at Vaughan’s Kitchen, Devizes. Discover amazing gardens or take a sightseeing boat trip on the River Thames or Kennet & Avon Canal. Discover the delights of shopping in Bath, Swindon Designer Outlet or Parkway Shopping Centre, Newbury. 

Bristol and the Great West Way

Once you've travelled along the Great West Way you'll find yourself in Bristol. Here you can explore how innovation and creativity has left its mark on Bristol. From pioneering Victorian engineer Brunel and his SS Great Britain and Clifton Suspension Bridge to Aerospace Bristol which explains how the city’s renowned aviation industry took off.

Book your Bristol Accommodation here.

The Great West Way Travel Magazine

The new version of the Great West Way Travel Magazine is now available. This is the 9th issue for Autumn/Winter 2023. Alongside the regular features, this issue contains features on the following:

• Sustainable Dining
• Best World Heritage Sights to visit on Great West Way
• Best Festivals and Light Trails Along Great West Way
• Ten Brilliant Places to Visit Using the Discover Pass
• And much more... 

View the latest issue, plus back-issues here.

Travelling the Great West Way

As well as travelling by bicycle, walking the landscapes, relaxing on waterways, or taking the road, you can also take advantage of the Great West Way Discoverer pass. 

The Great West Way Discoverer pass offers unlimited off‑peak train travel with GWR from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads via Reading With options to branch off towards Oxford, Kemble and Salisbury via Westbury. Plus London Waterloo to Salisbury and on to Bath and Bristol via South Western Railway. Also included is unlimited travel on bus services along the route. Choose from 1, 3 or 7 day options. Find out more here.

Discover the Great West Way drone film here

Find out more on the Great West Way website here.