does anyone drive to bath from swindon ?

Question

i am thinking about applying for a job in bath and i currently live in swindon. just wondered if anyone did this journey everyday or vice versa and whether it was an ok drive or a real traffic nightmare. i don't want to spent hours on the road everyday

Answer 1

I do Chippenham / Swindon every day and the M4 and routes through Swindon are busy but not bad.

Sometimes I go into Bath in the rush hour and that is more congested. The M4 J18 (Tormarton) is fine and the A34 fine, but the queue starts at the A34 / A4 junction and is slow all the way into Bath.

A much better route is 2nd right after Dyrham Park, straight over the A420 at Tog Hill and follow the minor roads past the Lansdown racecourse. Then either through Weston past the Royal United Hospital or straight on down through Lansdown. This route is much less congested although it is still pretty busy.

Realistically this is an hour commute each way in the rush hour depending on how where you live/the job is. If it is a good job and you're really interested, then why not drive it to try it out? But remember that commuting / servicing on your car has to be costed into any potential pay deal - negotiate for the extra costs when you talk pay.

Answer 2

The rail link between the two towns is a better option, than trying to drive.