h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First of all, i need to point out that as my home town I have a sentimental attachment to Swindon that you need to bear in mind, though I no longer live there permanently.

I couldn't let such a dreary assessment of the town pass by without a few comments.

Its true that as a town Swindon doesn't have any distinguishing features despite the seeming obsession with the 'magic roundabout' that non-swindonians seem to have, and I wouldn't disagree with most of the points made by Stark but it's best to think of Swindon as a pleasant enough gateway to other things.

Firstly it's 50 minutes from London by an expensive but relatively speedy train. By car it's minutes away from a host of picturesque market towns like malborough or sites of historic interest like avebury. Then there's the short hop to places like Bath or the Cotswolds and the like.

As for culture, well you just need to look a bit harder than usual. Try the arts centre in Old Town for plays, comics, political discussions and poetry readings; visit the Victoria pub in Old Town for a good selection of live music, take a trip to Coate water country park for some in-town lake and countryside walks.

True the shopping centres are more functional and efficient than inspiring but a round trip to London or similar soon sorts out your more esoteric shopping needs. A vast number of bars and pubs have sprung up around the place and while none are particularly awe-inspiring, they are pleasant and cheap enough so does it really matter after a few drinks?

Swindon does lack an identifying ethos though, and is in need of soemthing like an established university to bring it character and a greater population mix, but I can think of far worse places to live. Maybe the coiuncil should adopt that as their slogan eh?

I think its really mean that everyone has a go at Swindon. Whats really so bad about it? my mum n dad have been living here for seventeen + years and they never planned to stay in Swindon for that long! I have lived here all my life and I dont believe that it is that different to anywhere else, apart from the roundabouts, but why are they really important.

if anyones ever seen red dwarf, the sci-fi tv series that was on about 10 years ago, theres one episode where the main character contracts an intelligent virus which will kill him, then use his body to snog someone else to pass the virus on. The rest of the dwarfers solve the problem by stopping his heart, then getting the virus to pass into the arm of someone else who then chops it off and ejects it into outer space, (although its not actually their arm, its a dead persons arm injected with blood and adrenelin) then they start his heart again and ask him how he feels and he says in answer "Ever been to Swindon?"

you know you can have sexist and racist, can you have placist too? thats what people are to swindon and its mean! poor swindon