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It's my 18th a week Satuday, and I obviously don't want to spend the night in Melksham.
So i've decided on Swindon, but i've never been there so have no idea what it's like.
So, is it any good? Where should I head? Where is the best place to start and the best place for a group of 18 year lads to go?
Cheers in advance.

Level 3 and watch yeovil dance to carter and the neds.

Meet me in reflex

See this post

http://thetownend.com/index.php/topic,31629.0.html

"If you are underage or 18-19 or a chav, want to get glassed, or get in a fight or are looking for an easy sh*g then the bottom of Town is the best bet.

If you are over 19 and don't fancy a ruck or getting glassed, and want to see better looking girls (although you won't see their heads as they are so far up their own arse) then Old Town is the best place to go."

Cheers Gazza.

SUJU is the place to go.

Take a stab vest.

Try the Bulldog

Fantastic, I used to go there all the time for my Symonds bitter 88p a pint.

I once saw Neds Atomic Dustbin live at Brixton Academy....

Ahh the memories..

after the bulldog try the cock robin!

Actually isn't the pipers the up and coming place for 1st timers?

The Cock Robin hasn't been there for years. I used to drink in there years ago - the entertainment was free.

Just tear it up in Liquid. It's your 18th ffs, don't listen to these buggers trying to send you elsewhere. Get off your tits in the Sir Danny Arms, a few Jager-bombs in the Walkabout opposite then stumble into a proper nightclub i.e. Liquid.

Shirt and shoes at weekends.

You're the manager at Liquid...go on admit it!

For a more useful answer....

Gazza is sort of right, although he's taken it to a bit of an extreme.

Head down town if you want a good, non pretentious, drunken time out. Yeah the chavy fight factor is a bit higher down there, but it's not really dangerous. With a group of mates out for a good time. Bar crawling around walkabout, sir dans, mailcoach, Lava Lounge etc. area can be fun, or you can wander off the path a bit and head to Furnace (indie metal fat goth birds) or Liquid (More Mainstream. That is where Brunel was yeah?) or Apartments (I've only been once, is it still there? A bit like the Old Town bars I'll list in the next paragraph).

Up Old Town you have a few bars. Longs, The Old Bank, The Kings, The Spot, Mckenzies, I think covers it. Mckenzies and Longs (and The Apartments in town) are pretty much how Gazza says, a bit up them selves. With a group of mates they're bearable though. The Spot is like that but too a slightly lesser degree, always feels a bit more chilled out, or used to anyway. The Old Bank has changed a bit I think, back when I was frequenting these establishments after work it fluctuated about between up itself or chilled out quite a bit, not sure what it's like now.

Clubs in old town you've got Studio and Suju. Suju is ace and stays open until at least 4am (or used to.) Studio is shit.

You've also got The Vic, which is right next to Longs. And is ace (or used to be, again I'm well out of date). Possible band playing downstairs (cellar), pub upstairs(ground floor), after any bands the downstairs is open to boogey on down in until about 2am.

Pubs in Old Town are nicely spread to give an awesome pre-pub/bar experience, with a nice crawl in either direction be it too stay in old town or head down town. Definitely a good place to start if your heading off early and fancy a chilled out few pints and a couple of games of pool before hitting it. I'll do more detail if you do fancy that.

Depends what you want really.

Do what dave said. sir dans -> liquid. yates' may be worth a go for the £1 shots too

 Just as a point of information, the Kings is over 21 at the weekend, group of lads would have no chance of getting in.

Roaring donkey is where its at.

Bottom of town to get off your head and wrecked ..

Top of town to have a more civilized and laid back but ultimately often boring night out ..

Sadly there isnt much of a happy medium ...

Deers' Leap?

Book some train tickets and have a lads night out in Brighton. Can't go wrong there. No need for a hotel, train station opens about 4am, kip on the first train back.

I can never beat Wheatsheaf/Donkey/Vic for a top Friday/Saturday night out.

I hate places with dress codes.

That's ace.
Cheers all.

Seconded...if your gunna bother travelling, go somewhere worth it. Brighton's an awesome night out, something for everyone, Bristol good and aint all that far as well.

I'd just stay in Melksham and go to Buds (if it's still going), at least you're guaranteed to get your nuts in, even if it is a bit of a munter... which is essential on your 18th

Buds has had a re-vamp and has been pretty much dead ever since.

Go to Rouge, get some snatch for your birthday :)

Rouge is no more.

but its not a nite club any more is it? didnt someone get raped and they lost there licence??
Where do people go now? The Navy Tavern?? MING!!!
Could always go to Nam buds!!

bottom of town where dmr has said and you wont go far wrong.for a lad of your age it's deffo the place for you in swindon

Yeah it's still a nightclub, but a bar during the week. Someone did get raped which is why they had to give it a new name (Buds Bar) etc
The Tavern has also just had a re-vamp, opened again yesterday, and so coincidently has Chippenham Buds.

Oh yeah cause downstairs in Nam has been shut for yonks (not that I go there or anything-  :-[ whoopsee!!)

God I remember in the Navy Tavern once (god I sound like Reg!) and this horrid girl pulled a mooney and she had a full on anal beard - that vision has stayed with me for ever  :puke:

Foxys then?

Does anyone remmber D & D. Fuck me that place was flithy!

 Are you sure you weren't looking at her front bottom JFW....or perhaps she was a he?

 In a rich and varied life, which has contained encounters with some birds who might be described as hirsute, I've yet to meet one with a fully hairy arse.

 

Yes got stuck to the floor but £12.00 all you can drink Wednesdays were ace!

That takes me back (about 10 years).  I used to love all those places.  The Roaring Donkey is possibly the smallest pub I've ever been to with a pool table.

Going back a little further, I remember going out in Old Town when I first started drinking.  I was 16 or 17, so this would have been about 1989, 1990.  Back then, there wasn't much of a town centre drinking option.  The town centre was dead.  Old Town was pretty much all there was.

But the clubs were mostly in the town centre, so I remember many evenings where we would start off in the Steam Railway or the Wheatsheaf and then walk down the hill at around 10pm to Hardings or the Brunel Rooms...and Victoria Road was packed.  There would be hundreds of other people all doing the same thing.

The other thing I remember (and I'm fairly sure that my memory isn't playing tricks with me here) was that the bloke dress code for the clubs was often a shirt and tie.  Seriously, am I remembering this correctly?  Because I honestly seem to remember most of the Victoria Hill exodus wearing shirts and ties.  Maybe I was hallucinating.

Sorry but that's bollocks........But i'm sure you're fishing for a bite.....

Like has been said, Sir Dans is a great place to start the night. Cheap drinks, nice venue, cheesy music, but that's all good on a night out. Then Walkabout is just a few yards down the 'road' so headin there for a few is always worthwhile. Otherwise, the places stated by FB, are a good shout

Have a gooden buddy!

Studio is also closed, which is a good thing so I'm told. I've never been there, well not since it changed from Mission anyway.

What he said .....  I don't think that Old Town in the best place to go for your 18th as it can be expensive in places.

I wouldn't worry about "expensive" on your 18th. Think I did about 350 quid for the day.

Thats pretty much all spot on ardiles. shirt and tie was a must, thats why we always went to level 3. i remember vic hill always being packed, i think im still barred from rudis.

It's just that The Tavern now, The Navy bit must have gone years ago cause I dont remember it :D

Are there any strip clubs in Swindon any more?

Foxes and Rouge.

Fucking ace.
Are they expensive, and where abouts in town are they?

 Sadly Rouge is no more..Foxies is by the Wyvern Theatre...

 My son went to Rouge on his 18th....one of the birds used to be in his class at Commonweal..

Where is Wyvern Theatre? Is that in the town?
Is Foxies expensive?

 By the Town Hall....

 Rouge used to be 5 or 10 to get in...can't quite remember as invariably pissed, 20 a dance.

Top of town mate. If you go up to the town hall (where the new library is) and turn left. Keep going down to the end and it opens up into a circular area. On your left is the Wyvern, the right is Foxies.

Never been in there so don't know how much it is and how fit the birds are.

But if you go to Old Town make sure you visit the Pipers Arms

So should find it ok then. I obviously don't know Swindn THAT well, McDonalds, Greggs and that are about as good as I go.
Cheers Reg, Si and Sam.

What's the Pipers Arms?

Pipers arm is where Si Pie goes - its also a gay bar

18 year old lads get very good service in there.

It's true, Bushey Boy sucked me off in there once.

Only once Sie?

Stop this filth

Ha, so what is it?

 They are consenting adults...

Bushey isn't

Yes. Very expensive and frankly a bit boring.

How expensve is very expensive?
I don't plan to be paying to be honest :D

I'm not sure whether you mean paying for a shag or a bottle of Bud.

No idea and about 4-5 quid (iirc), respectively

About 20 pound per breast,,,,,and about 9 quid for a vodka red bull.

What about getting in?

You have to ask em nicely!

Studio is open again I think. Its called Rehab I think?

I thought that was Rouge. Studio is getting redeveloped into other units by the owner.

Could be... I haven't actually been there so....

Me too, although I think you'd be able to fit more than 300 people in Studio and I know for a fact it's being redeveloped for a healthy sum.

Either way, I doubt the new place is any different to the other places in OT.

So did STFC4Life get to see some tits or what?

I'm guessing by his lack of posting that he'd probably dead.

I'm guessing as he said "a week Saturday," he wasn't out on the sauce and if he was it wasn't to Swindon.

It's this Saturday. Although i've been told today Foxies is shut down? But other people say it hasn't?

I went out to 'the new' Tavern in Melksham on Saturday. Exactly the same, different colour.

Foxies was £5 to get in and £10 to £20 for a dance (depending on level of clothing required to remove), not that I'm a regular.  These prices may be out of date because it was a good 2 years ago I went in there, just after it moved I think.  Not worth it really.

Nobody has actually asked what is you are looking for from a pub and what sort of places you like.  So what is it you are looking for Mr Life?

Basically.

It's going to be a group of between I would say 8 - 12 18 year old lads, all looking go get smashed.
Of course if there were girls about, it would be more of a laugh.

Was also hoping to go to Foxies, but apparently it's shut down, but you will know more than me.

It's rouge which is shut down. I think Foxies is still there. Might be wrong.

My mate Black Borris will slap his cock across your face for a minimal fee if you fancy something different? PM me, I get referral money.

I think Foxies is still going.  Rouge was the one that shut down but haven't heard anything about Foxies.

You'll be wanting to use the list provided by DMR amongst others.  Basically find the Express by Holiday Inn and you'll find lots and lots of cheesey style pubs close together.  You won't go far wrong in any of them to be honest, although the clientelle in The Mail Coach may not be what you are after!

Places like Walkabout tend to be very busy, lots of young uns.  The Groves is a cheap Whetherspoon and the Sir Daniel is a LLoyds Bar from the same chain.  The rest of the places you'll be forking out a good £3 per pint.  You won't need to walk more than 100 yards all night in terms of covering a few different places.

D&D/Kaos/Hardings/Co-op is now flats.  For Ardiles, I think it was still Hardings when you had to go with tie.  It loosened up, literally I suppose, when it changed to Kaos which was about when I began frequenting.  You could do a pub crawl at the bottom of Town, but it wasn't very exciting.  The Lamb & Flag, Rat & Carrot (I think), Sir Daniel Gooch Arms (before they finally got him to sell up so they could build and Edwards and then convert it years later back into a pub with the same name!) and the Mail Coach - before it got it's Rainbow exterior.  Went in the Sir Daniel in it's old incarnation one night and there was literally a man and his dog, plus a couple behind the bar.  They stopped talking and stared us out when we opened the door.

I got my first good kicking in the Sir Dan in its old incarnation. I put my money on the pool table for a game and got taken outside by 2 paddys and given a good beating. I didn't even have a chance to say hello or talk about the weather.

They assumed you were paying them for doing your driveway. Always tip more.

Good shout - 20p wasn't enough. Althuogh they were excellent at telling my fortune when they said they were going to give me a good hiding.
I did eventually have a shitload of truoble after having my driveway done by a company called Millenium. I said htey'd done a shit job and the main man come to my house and demanded the payment in cash. i told him to fuck off and he asked if I'd like to say fuck off to the 15 lads on the minibus parked opposite who would have no money for the weekend and that they were thirsty. I told him that he could tell them to fuck off, shut the door and crapped my pants for an hour or so. 

Millenium were pretty shit but Reillys Block Paving made loads of money re-doing Milleniums mess.