Didcot

Didcot is a town in South Oxfordshire, England. If you are a rail enthusiast, you may be interested in Didcot because it is the home of the Didcot Rail Centre (see 'See' below).

Understand
North of the Goring Gap and south of Oxford, Oxfordshire opens out into a broad plain, overlooked from the south and east by the Berkshire Downs and the Chiltern Hills. In the midst of this plain, Didcot once stood out because of its huge coal-fired electricity generating plant, which dominated the skyline. However, it was closed in 2016 and demolished over the next few years. A natural gad-fired plant remains.

Didcot was founded because it lies at the point where the Great Western Railway's line north to Oxford and Birmingham branches off from the main line from London to Bristol and Cardiff. Since then a large military depot, now replaced by a business park, and the power station, have added to the economy.

If the above makes you think that Didcot sounds like an inappropriate destination for a tourist, you would probably be right. However, if you need to stay in Didcot because of business or personal commitments, don't despair, there are plenty of interesting places nearby (see 'Go next' below).

By car
Didcot is north-west of Reading on the A4074/A4130 and  south of Oxford on the A34/A4130.

By air
If arriving by plane, see the Reading article, and then travel on from Reading.

By bicycle

 * The town lies on National Cycle Route 5 running from Reading to Hollyhead.
 * The town lies at the E end of National Cycle Route 544 that connects the town to Wantage
 * The Hanson Way cycle route runs from Abingdon and on to Oxford (a further ) to the N (see Sustrans leaflet for route details).

On foot
The Ridgeway long distance path (running from near Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon) passes only  S of the town.

Get around
All locations in and around the town are walkable or drivable.

Drink
There is a wide range of take-aways around the town.

Go next

 * For architecture, history and culture, visit Oxford which is 14 miles to the north by car or 15 minutes away by train.
 * For history of the Great Western Railway, including the STEAM Museum specialising in that subject and the former workshop buildings, visit Swindon, 15 minutes by train.
 * For shopping and nightlife, visit Reading which is 20 miles to the south-east by car or 20 minutes by train.
 * For attractive countryside and pretty riverside villages, visit Goring and Streatley, which are 9 miles south-east by car or 11 minutes by train.
 * And London is only 45 minutes away by fast train. If going to London for the day, buy a one-day Travelcard from Didcot Station; this covers the rail journey together with unlimited travel on the tube and buses whilst in London.