Day trips to Weymouth from Swindon, Chippenham and Melksham for 2016

[whole diary]

[grahame]

With its regular route through Bath Spa and Bradford-on-Avon available again all summer 2016, the "Weymouth Wizard" (Saturdays) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to Weymouth will be going back to that route this year, and there will not be a through service from Swindon or Chippenham to Weymouth.

On SUNDAYS (when engineering improvement works allow), the 09:26 from Swindon / 09:43 from Chippenham / 09:52 from Melksham will connect with a Weymouth train at Westbury, arriving there at 11:54.   The return train at 17:56 connects at Westbury for Melksham (19:57), Chippenham (20:08) and Swindon (20:25).   Works should allow this on 22nd and 29th May and 3rd June, then again in July.

On SATURDAY, the last train from Westbury to Swindon is still the 18:32, meaning that day tippers would need to leave Weymouth just after 4 O'Clock having only got there at 10:57, and on Monday to Friday a trip can be made on the 09:06 from Chippenham / 09:15 from Melksham, but with almost an hour at Westbury to wait, which won't be popular with mum or the kids.   From Swindon, the 08:49 is a peak train on Mondays to Fridays, so would make for an expensive day out. So I'm recommending Sunday trips.

Passengers from Swindon and Chippenham may like to check connections via Bath in one (or even both) directions; the pricing for Weymouth trips is the same. Conenctions vary from excellent to poor, but at least there are more trains to choose between.

[Adelante_CCT]

 Works should allow this on 22nd and 29th May and 3rd June, then again in July.
So I'm recommending Sunday trips.

Personally I wouldn't recommend Sunday 3rd June 

[grahame]

Personally I wouldn't recommend Sunday 3rd June 

Ah ... and looking at the one (and only) advertising post I've put up so far, I didn't - I recommended 5th June. There's a really difficult balance between encouraging so many people to come along they can't all fit on the train, and doing so little encouragement that there's hardly any.   Does anyone have a magic formula?

[ChrisB]

With its regular route through Bath Spa and Bradford-on-Avon available again all summer 2016, the "Weymouth Wizard" (Saturdays) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to Weymouth will be going back to that route this year, and there will not be a through service from Swindon or Chippenham to Weymouth.

SWT^▸ (South West Trains) appear to be advertising Summer Saturday trains from Salisbury - out at 0924 arr 1126 back dep 1656 arr 1841.
Fares are extremely reasonable ^5 return STD, ^10 1st class, 50% off for kids.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Just to avoid confusion on that last post, it's actually from. ^5...... Salisbury and tisbury to Weymouth is 10 and Gillingham-Yeovil down to Weymouth is 5

[ChrisB]

fare (groan) comment! Still good value!