Melksham (Wiltshire) and Nailsea (North Somerset) - a comparison

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

I have lived in Nailsea for many years, and I recently had the opportunity to live in Melksham for three weeks.  That gave me the opportunity to make this comparison.

The railway stations serving each town are far from central, but not beyond a good walking distance. There is no taxi rank at either, but cabs can be booked by phone. At Nailsea, there is a connecting bus service at the station, in both directions, with a reasonable service.

Both towns are historic: Nailsea has a claim to fame for coal mining, glass blowing and farming, and Melksham has a claim to fame for Regency spa facilities and a (disused) canal through it - as well as a host of other attractions.

The population of both towns is about 20,000.

(By the way: both towns have a Wetherspoons, and my preference is The Bear in Melksham over The Glassmaker in Nailsea.)

Chris from Nailsea. 

[grahame]

... There is no taxi rank at either, but cabs can be booked by phone ...

I am - err - quite familiar with Melksham but not so much with Nailsea. Can you always phone and get a cab?

Yes, we (in Melksham) do and occasionally can call a taxi, but there is no central booking point and we are sometimes left calling around a series of different small operators (of which there are at least half a dozen) looking for someone available when and where we want to go.  There's no Uber in Wiltshire and indeed I suspect the current operators would not welcome such a service, but all the cabs have their regular contracts to and from education in particular, and cabbies have their days off too and other bookings.    We - living in Melksham - always have a "plan B" - and the taxi becomes a convenience and never a necessity.

[JohnM]

... and Melksham has ... a host of other attractions.

Not sure which definition of 'host' you're using

Seriously - which ones caught your eye?

[Chris from Nailsea]

I'm an amateur historian and architecture fan: I found the many various Georgian buildings in Melksham fascinating, together with their local history. Particularly the story of the chap who threw heated copper coins out of the window, during the infamous Melksham riot of 1865:

The Bear was the scene of election riots in 1865. A gentleman throwing heated coins from a first floor window provoked the members of the crowd, who burnt their hands when picking up the coins. The military dispersed the crowd and the inciter made his escape on horseback, later falling off on the Shaw Road.

Chris from Melksham. 

[LiskeardRich]

Do you have difficulties getting a taxi in the evenings or peak times?

Here in Liskeard every taxi driver seems to have a school or college contract so it’s impossible to get one between 0730-0915 and 1445-1600. And then none of them work past 1800 as they’ve worked from early morning for their school contract.
Nearly all are owner drivers, one man band types, which also means calling round 15 different numbers for a cab on occasion.

Our bus service makes no sense in terms of frequency. . 5-6 of the local routes are tendered and run hourly for 1-2 passengers. The busy route to Plymouth, 2 hourly with no subsidy and is known for being full and standing. There is Definitly an opportunity for the council to save some money on subsidy by reducing the tender frequencies.

[grahame]

Do you have difficulties getting a taxi in the evenings or peak times?

Our bus service makes no sense in terms of frequency.

Familiar story.  For taxis, morning peak is worst because travelling trip starts and and school starts co-incide and there is a time constraint in getting to the public transport.  We have got to the stage we don't even bother to try - I can drive Lisa and the luggage to the station, bring the car home and walk back to the station in 45 minutes. We could do with a cafe at the station on these days.   

We do have a bus stop (Monday to Saturday daytime) outside our house with a bus every 30 minutes to Manvers Street, Bath, opposite the railway station there and it works well.  Coming home, there is no outbound stop on Manvers Street - the bus drives straight past though most other routes will stop - so it's a short walk to the bus station and irritating to pass the bus as you walk (or run in the hope of connecting).  Although the inbound bus is every 30 minutes, the outbound is every 60 as alternate buses do a big one way loop in Melksham and would only get us home just ahead of the next bus.  And, yes, these are trunk routes and often overcrowded; we were in Bath yesterday and it was a squeeze even onto the bus that starts on that loop.

Sundays and evenings - we do have a bus service and much improved last year on Sundays. Just not along our street - shorting walk but may as well be Tipperary or Timbuktu for those without mobility and without aids.

Local bus - whole other story.  It DOES run most hours on a standard circular route and is well patronised on certain runs (and therein lies a problem - everyone want it at the same time, no-one at many other times) and then it does a few varied runs which are there to provide at least some lifeline to those who have no alternative - very much underutilised.  Connections with other buses co-incidental it seems, and it never goes to the station though three of the varied runs call about a five minute walk (with a dangerous road crossing) if you want to use it to access the rail network.  The inbound stop has a shelter but no "flag" after a previous stop was damaged and eventually replaced - the bus driver knows, and the incoming passenger needs to know but rarely does.

[Chris from Nailsea]

(By the way: both towns have a Wetherspoons, and my preference is The Bear in Melksham over The Glassmaker in Nailsea.)

An update from me: Having enjoyed another few days living in Melksham, enjoying the catering and refreshments offered by The Bear in Melksham, I returned to Nailsea.

I then called in at The Glass Maker, for an update on their offering.  The menu was the same, including prices, from a quick glance.  However, the 'price of a pint' of the same real ale was getting on for a pound more in Nailsea than it was in Melksham.  The staff in Melksham were also friendlier and more customer-focussed than those in Nailsea.

I do not work for the Melksham Tourist Board (nor Wetherspoons), but I do recommend Melksham as a great 'value for money' visit - and not just for the Wetherspoons. 

[Surrey 455]

A few weeks ago, I was in a small village in Kent. I had got there by bus and walk. I was there for a 10 mile hike. I thought I would get back to the village before the last bus left at around 6pm but I was mistaken. I needed a minicab to get to the station and I could not work out from Google which companies were local so ended up in the pub. They didn't know any local numbers but searched one for me. That company told me that they were out of my area and suggested another which did agree to collect me. Time for a pint whilst waiting.

I don't have the Uber app & I was told they don't cover the area either.

Years ago, many pubs had a payphone & minicab business cards next to it.