THE HEART OF WESSEX LINE

The "Heart of Wessex" Line follows a beautiful 87 mile route through Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Bath and Bristol, with about half of the trains also running through to Gloucester.

Our line runs through the old kingdom of the West Saxons, the ancient name of Wessex not heard again for centuries until poet and author Thomas Hardy recreated it as his "dream country".

The line is still a perfect way to go Far from the Madding Crowd, running from Bristol and Bath through the deep, green Avon valley, winding between the river and Kennet & Avon canal and emerging onto the broad Wiltshire plains before reaching the cider orchards and distant honey coloured spires of Somerset. As it enters Dorset, it traverses an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, before sweeping over the South Dorset Downs to the World Heritage Jurassic Coast at Weymouth.



Some ideas for exploring the route can be found on our Exploring pages, with more details and useful resources for discovering our destinations included in the pages linked to our route map to the right.

There is a link to First Great Western's own website, bottom left, which includes live updates, special offers (including 2 for 1 entry to some of our attractions), ticket purchasing and much more.