Yate

Yate is a medium sized-town in Gloucestershire. It is contiguous with Chipping Sodbury. Yate is a major shopping destination for the local area. Its neighbour, Chipping Sodbury, is a market town, notable for entrepreneurs, magical authors, and computer programming and high tech.

Understand

Main High Street

Yate is mentioned in the Domesday Book and dates back to at least the 8th century; the name comes from the Old English word giete or gete, which means ‘a gateway into a forest area’. However, the two things that made the town what it is today were the opening of Yate railway station in 1844 and development into a commuter town for Bristol in the 1960s. Yate grew to almost absorb the neighbouring town of Chipping Sodbury. It is one of the larger towns in the area and a shopping destination for locals.

The name Chipping Sodbury comes from Old English: Sodbury means "Soppa's fort", Chipping indicates that a market was held there. The town was started when local land owner William Crassus decided to hold markets separately to his estate in Old Sodbury. The market became the nucleus of Chipping Sodbury and markets are still held. In the Elizabethan era, it becoming a popular stop for the new era of coaches, and many inns sprang up, some of which are still in service as pubs. Due to the rapid expansion of neighbouring town Yate, which is now contiguous with Chipping Sodbury, the two are often referenced as a single unit. Chipping Sodbury has retained a village-like quality compared to its more modern neighbour.

Get in

By car

Take the M5 junction 16 or 14, then the B4509 to Iron Acton, then turn left to get to Yate. Around 20 minutes drive from the motorway network, M4 Junction 18 and M32 Junction 1 are the usual motorway links.

By bus

There are plenty of bus services in the area, mostly run by First Bus.

By train

Wikivoyage has a guide to Rail travel in Great Britain

1 Yate station is on the Birmingham to Bristol line with connections to Gloucester.

Get around

Buses are frequent and regular, there is plenty of free parking in the numerous car parks.

See

Kingsgate Park

• 1 Kingsgate Park, Sundridge Park, BS37 4EP (between Sundridge Park and Scott Way, there are six entrances in total). Includes a lake and an adventure playground for children. Wildlife enthusiasts may be able to see the protected Greater Crested Newt by the lake. 
• 2 The Road to Nowhere (along the edge of Westerleigh Common, starts from the roundabout linking Shire Way, Rodford Way and Westerligh Road). An unfinished road starting in the south west of town. It was meant to connect to Station Road in the north west but the project ran out of money in the 1970s. It has been used to film television series, and by pedestrians and cyclists. Foot paths connect it to Yate Station. 

Buy

• 1 Yate Shopping Centre, 43 North Walk, BS37 4AP, ☏ +44 1454 318554. M-Sa 8AM-6PM, Su 10AM-4PM. It has a Tesco Extea, an M&S Simply Food, a JD Wetherspoon pub, and 100 other shops and restaurants. It also has a lot of market stalls, and "pound shops". (updated Apr 2024)

Eat

All major foods catered for. McDonald's in town.

Drink

There are plenty of pubs in Yate and many more in neighbouring Chipping Sodbury, which is easily within walking distance of Yate.

• 1 Abbotswood Inn (or the "002", a previous name still used by some locals), Abbotswood, BS37 4NG (part of the Abbotswood shopping area on Rodford Way), ☏ +44 1454 318337. M-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon–10:30PM. A local pub for the southern end of town. 
• 2 Shire Way Community Centre ("The Club"), Shire Way, BS37 8YS (opposite the street Badgeworth), ☏ +44 1454 273050, enquiries@shireway.co.uk. In addition to the main bar area (with darts, pool, and an outside play area for children), the building has two other halls with bars for functions and assorted meeting rooms. Open to everyone, although members of the Community Association receive a discount. 
• White Lion, Church Rd, BS37 5BG (just north of Yate Shopping Centre), ☏ +44 1454 855043. M-W 11AM-11PM, Th-Sa 11AM–midnight, Su noon–10:30PM. Also provides Bed and Breakfast for those who want to combine accommodation with their night life. 

Sleep

• 1 White Lion, Church Rd, BS37 5BG, ☏ +44 1454 855043. 

Connect

There is internet access available in the library.

Go next

• Old Sodbury (slightly further away but still within a reasonable walking distance of the town)
• Pucklechurch, Iron Acton
• Thornbury
• Bath
• Bristol

Routes through Yate

Cardiff ← Bristol ←	W  E	→ Chippenham → London
Bath ←	S  N	→ Stroud → Cheltenham