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Good Mid-point between Bristol and London on train?

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Tobberz

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Hey all. I've a good friend in Bristol and we'd like to meet up more, but the whole trek to and from Bristol to London can get taxing.

Does anyone know of a pleasant place on the line half-way ish between the two with somewhere to eat etc? Any advice is appreciated!

Apologies for the odd and maybe basic question.
 
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Djgr

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Well I would suggest Didcot Parkway is the obvious and only solution but you would have to then change onto another local train or bus to get to somewhere idyllic (probably by the River)
 

NSEFAN

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Wasn't Swindon built specifically to be a half-way point between Bristol and London? That might suit you both, purely on the basis of reasonable journey times!
 

Gloster

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If you are trying to give each other roughly equal journey times, then you have the choice of Didcot or Swindon. If you want similar fares it is probably the same, but you could always go a bit either way (Reading one way, Chippenham or Bath the other) and whoever had the lower fare buys the first round, or the sandwiches. Going off the direct route (Frome, Pewsey, Newbury, Warminster, Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon, Oxford) has the problem of having to change, but you get a nicer location. The only other one with direct trains is Westbury, which really hasn’t much going for it, but you could choose Salisbury if one of you travels from Waterloo. (Warminster, Trowbridge and Bradford-o-A only have a limited direct service from London.)
 
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D6130

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Bradford-on-Avon. It's much nearer Bristol than London - and you would have to change trains at either Bath or Westbury coming to/from London - but it's a very pleasant and historic small town with ample opportunities for eating, drinking and strolling, both in the town centre and along the Kennet & Avon Canal on either side.

Another nice town is Stroud. You may get a through train from London, or may have to change at Swindon and your friend from Bristol would have to change at either Gloucester or Swindon.
 

Techniquest

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Swindon would be the most logical choice, but it's not the most exciting place to meet up. More so than Didcot though! Lots of places in the city centre to get food from, and depending on interests there's the Steam museum about 10 minutes walk from Swindon station too.

The issue would be the outrageous fare between Swindon and Didcot. Bristol to Swindon is not super expensive, Paddington to Didcot isn't too bad either, but the bit in the middle takes the biscuit for how expensive it is.
 

The exile

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Bradford-on-Avon. It's much nearer Bristol than London - and you would have to change trains at either Bath or Westbury coming to/from London - but it's a very pleasant and historic small town with ample opportunities for eating, drinking and strolling, both in the town centre and along the Kennet & Avon Canal on either side.

Another nice town is Stroud. You may get a through train from London, or may have to change at Swindon and your friend from Bristol would have to change at either Gloucester or Swindon.
Bristol to Stroud by train is not exactly easy!
 

30907

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If you are both at least a bit into railways/(scale) models

Didcot at weekends, with options of heading for Pendon museum at Long Wittenham, or Wallingford - or the Thames Path? Not sure about transport for Pendon, though a friend and I used the field path from Appleford Halt many years ago....
 
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