Howdy all! Well, my stories of travel continue unabated! Today is the tale of visiting the picture-perfect English town (dare I say ‘village?) of Aldbourne, in Wiltshire, with a slight coda of half a day in Swindon. You last saw me in London, I took a train in the morning – I just had my small day pack with me on this two-night excursion from my base in Northampton, to Swindon, to transfer onto a bus to Aldbourne.
So, full disclosure, my chief reason for visiting Aldbourne was this – it was where a classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV adventure was filmed in 1971 called ‘The Daemons’. However, I don’t think you need to have even heard of Doctor Who to appreciate this lovely little place! It’s worth a visit even if you are not a Doctor Who fan without a doubt and has another claim to fame.
And that is during the Second World War, it was the base of the U.S’s 101st Airborne Division, known also as ‘Easy Company’, who were the basis for the film ‘Band of Brothers’. The church dates back to the 11th century, so presumably so does the town, and it’s surrounded by hills and beautiful little streets and the like, so yeah – pretty nice.
When I alighted my train from Swindon, I walked a short distance only to the bus stop, which frankly looked dilapidated and sad. Swindon in general was undergoing a bit of a facelift, with works blocking off some roads and footpaths which proved annoying when I had to get to my hotel later that night as I went a long way in one direction to have to turn around. Near the end of my time in the UK I would go to see Betty Boo live, and she apparently lives in Swindon and was genuinely embarrassed that she did! So don’t go putting it on your UK itinerary folks. Unless – well the train museum is brilliant so if that tickles your fancy…
The bus was easy enough to catch and only cost a few pounds, and once out of Swindon the countryside was delightful and everything you imagine the English countryside to be (cue: ‘Jerusalem’ – And did those feet, in ancient times…’. Rolling hills, little stone houses, cattle, it really was idyllic.
Pulling into Aldbourne, well, I found it easy to walk around in a couple of hours. I may have had three or so there. I was hungry and I really didn’t think long and hard about where I was going to eat. The bus stop is on an intersection at a pond, with a number of ducks and you could just chill there for a bit, and behind was the Aldbourne Heritage Centre – closed naturally so that would be worth a visit should it be not closed if you were, in theory, to visit.
I ate at the little pub next door and had a steak sandwich. Outside they had a Dalek bin which was kind of cute. It even spoke to you! There are a couple of Doctor Who-themed things around this Square area. Nice little place to grab a bite or a drink, on their notice board they mention the ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘Doctor Who’.
Behind this area and slightly up a hill you find a larger ‘green’ I guess, this was used a fair bit in the Doctor Who story I talked about, they did the May Day dancing in this spot as well as I think landing a helicopter, and nearby buildings were the facades used as the local pub and other buildings. If you visit you might want to visit the ‘Blue Boar’ pub and have a beer, the production team in 1971 did I believe and the airmen in WW2 certainly did so it’s a famous pub.
On the top of the hill, surrounded by a cemetery is St Michael’s church. It’s still an operating church and I am not sure how much of it today, if any, dates back to the 11th century but it’s great for photos and exploring the graveyard is worthwhile too. It featured quite a bit in Doctor Who as sinister things happened in the crypt, however in reality there isn’t a crypt at all! (but it would have been cool if there was).
Otherwise, time pleasantly spent walking was the feature of Aldbourne for me. Without a doubt! I returned to Swindon where I stayed in the Travelodge, a British institution I guess and budget. The room was okay if musty, the lack of air conditioning was not great but I could open the window a little and there was a fan which was very much needed. The complimentary breakfast was okay.
The next day there was the ‘Stars of Time Comic Con’ at STEAM – The Swindon Rail Museum, and Swindon’s history is tied firmly to the railways and this was one of the big cities for the manufacturing of steam engines. Alas, no longer, however it explains why Swindon very much gives vibes of a city well past its prime.
The STEAM Rail Museum though is beautifully done, loads of Great Westen Engines, carriages and more to climb on and inside, and there was definitely something cool about holding this kind of event there too, and it was well patronized and I met a few cool people including a lovely couple dressed as Rocky Horror characters who partook in the cosplay competition.
A couple of notable Doctor Who guests was really the reason I was there, and the timing worked well as I could visit Aldbourne, enjoy this event and then skedaddle back to Northampton. There I saw Nicola Bryant who played Peri Brown 1984 – 86 and David Goodersoon who played Davros in the 1979 story ‘Destiny of the Daleks’. Amongst a few other guests from other franchises too including a puppeteer from ‘The Sooty Show’. It was a fun day out and I think, Doctor Who fans based in the UK, you don’t realise how lucky you are to get such constant opportunities to meet the stars of the show because we get 1 – 3 a year in Australia, and because they live in the UK mostly they can attend multiple events each year with ease, if they want.
Then, the train ride back was almost a disaster. My train was delayed by like an hour, I ended up on a different train back to London, and then had to transfer stations by underground to take the train back to Northampton from Euston. I literally got that train by the skin of my teeth and there was a lot of undignified running involved!! You can check out the vlog on Aldbourne and Swindon above, however I do have in mind to do an Aldbourne vlog, I just can’t say when that is likely to be edited as it’s not on a priority list at the moment!
Now I had a day to rest before heading west to Liverpool and Manchester. Oh yeah, that would be another blog! Thanks for joining me for this one! Take care wherever you are in the world right now and May the Journey Never End!
Andy Roams 
Aldbourne is a charming village, just as one imagines English villages to be.