Bus Trip
This route was provided by Robert Moseley
North Chippenham Village Pubs Bus Tour
Leave the car at home and enjoy lunchtime pints travelling around village pubs by bus.
On Mondays to Saturdays Lunchtimes (not evenings) the local Hatts buses which serve the north Chippenham villages are frequent, reliable and cheap and offer all sorts of hop on and off opportunities to sample various hostelries en route.
A suggested and well tried itinerary using Route 91 (Little Somerford) is as follows:
1)Chippenham Bus Station depart 10.55 and get off at the PLOUGH Crossroads. It drops off round the corner in Plough Lane. The pub doesn’t open until 11 30 so you’ll need to wait 10 minutes in anticipation on the benches outside. Time then for just a quick pint (good range of ales) and then walk back across the dual carriageway to the same bus stop in Plough Lane so as to catch:
2)Bus at 12.05 to Kington Langley (often a bit late due to traffic in Chippenham). Alight outside the HIT OR MISS. You’ll have the best part of an hour here. Usually Timothy Taylor Landlord is available.
3)Bus at 13.07 outside the Hit or Miss to Upper Seagry where it sets down at 13.15 outside the NEW INN (Free House with choice of two or three decent real ales). Onward from here you have a choice:
4)Either, have just a quick pint at the New Inn then cross the road to the bus shelter for the 13.45 to Sutton Benger, alighting opposite the WELLESLEY for a pint. Or instead, forego the Wellesley and stay longer at the New Inn to maybe have a bar snack. In which case, catch instead a later bus at 14.16 from the bus shelter which goes back to Chippenham. This bus will also pick up en route opposite the Wellesley at 14.26 if you’d decided to catch the earlier bus to Sutton Benger.
5)The bus gets back to Chippenham at 14.46 but if you have the stamina and are so inclined it will drop you off outside THE OLD ROAD and NEW INN on the way back into town!!
A few other points to note:
Buy at the start a return ticket to Upper Seagry which is a snip at only £2. You can break your journey with this ticket, so keep it safe for hopping on and off at each pub until you get back to Chippenham.
The buses are usually punctual so don’t be late getting out of each pub back to the bus stop. If one happens to be late, (such as the 12.05 from the Plough), don’t worry, they are very reliable and do always turn up.
The buses also call at Chippenham Bath Road and at the Rail Station on the way out and back into town.