• Swindon & Wiltshire News
• Tuesday September 28 2021
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Great West Way revealed to be UK’s most Instagrammed road trip

Touring route The Great West Way has been revealed to be the most Instagrammed road trip in the UK.

An analysis by Tempcover of hashtags used on the platform during the summer of 2021 showed that the Great West Way hashtag appeared 15,415,253 times – making it top of their league table of 50 UK road trips.

The Great West Way passes through Wiltshire on its way between Bristol and London, following the A4: the route of one of the six Great Roads proposed by King Charles I in the 17th century.

But exploring the route by road is only one of the options: the Great West Way actually encompasses 500 miles of navigable routes, including waterways and railways, so can be enjoyed on foot, bike, by boat, train or a mix of modes.

The A4 goes through Marlborough, Calne, Chippenham and Corsham while railway lines to the north and south take visitors through Swindon or Pewsey and Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon. The Kennet and Avon Canal – the third mode of travel – also goes through Pewsey, Devizes and Bradford on Avon.

The route was devised by VisitWiltshire to boost Wiltshire’s £1.5 billion tourism industry, which pre-pandemic supported 28,000 jobs.

David Andrews, director of Great West Way said: ‘We know that the Great West Way is teeming with Instagrammable locations, but it’s great to have its popularity confirmed by this hashtag analysis.

“The route is so accessible – visitors from London and across the south of England can be walking in stunning rural landscapes, exploring some of England’s most iconic heritage, shopping in traditional market towns, or enjoying village life on the Great West Way within an hour or two of leaving their desk, and we’re delighted that they have been sharing their discoveries on Instagram and inspiring others to explore the route for themselves.”

Pictured: The Great West Way as it passes through Castle Combe. Picture by Charlie Ross for Great West Way