The old railway walk runs from the Wootton Bassett Road up to the site of the old station in Old Town. Nothing of the station remains except the name of the road it was on. At one point it cuts through some limestone rock where fossils can been found. (I will go into that section of the walk in greater depth later).
The old railway walk overlooks the rolling Wiltshire Downs and farmland known as the Front Garden, where deer can often be spotted. The river Ray runs through this land which is essentially a flood plain. The Front Garden has always been a green belt and buffer zone between Swindon and the M4. Sadly this land is now being developed for housing - the old Westlecott Farm House stands derelict waiting to be demolished. Another part of the old Swindon, which only half a century ago a small town surrounded by farmland, now disappearing under the bulldozers - in spite of the vociferous protests from local people.
The old railway walk overlooks the rolling Wiltshire Downs and farmland known as the Front Garden, where deer can often be spotted. The river Ray runs through this land which is essentially a flood plain. The Front Garden has always been a green belt and buffer zone between Swindon and the M4. Sadly this land is now being developed for housing - the old Westlecott Farm House stands derelict waiting to be demolished. Another part of the old Swindon, which only half a century ago a small town surrounded by farmland, now disappearing under the bulldozers - in spite of the vociferous protests from local people.
