'Iconic' UK roundabout terrifies locals but others visit it for a 'fun' family day out

Swindon's Magic Roundabout, with its five mini-roundabout design, has a reputation for terrifying locals, while others think it's so much fun they come to enjoy a family day out there

Swindon's Magic Roundabout is infamous for being one of the most complicated and scariest in the UK - but others are leaving it rave reviews.

The iconic roundabout opened in September 1972, and the complicated circular junction has become an attraction for some – but an annoying part of everyday life for others. Its unusual design consists of five mini-roundabouts that are arranged around a sixth central, anti-clockwise roundabout. The stuff of nightmares for most motorists.

Residents who live near the Magic Roundabout in Wiltshire claim that it's a dangerous and confusing obstacle, and that accidents are rife. However, it turns out that's all part of the "fun" for some families, who are are now coming for days out, and have been giving it top ratings online.

One impressed TripAdvisor user said: "Of all the multiple roundabout configurations we have visited, this is surely the world's greatest. A fantastic day out for all the family," while another added: "Fabulous way of keeping traffic moving and the best Swindon has to offer. It takes nerves, concentration and pure determination to conquer this amazing attraction, the best 32 seconds of fun you can have in Swindon."

A third user said the junction, which has been coined the UK's fourth scariest, is a "glorious piece of history not to be missed," adding that it's "a great family day out full of weird and wonderful experiences".

They added: "If you are really lucky you may even see a learner driver navigating their way through it, or an oldie but goldie - a bus driver driving straight through with no care for other drivers. To summarise - a fun filled day that you could revisit on a daily occasion."

Not all residents are a fan of the roundabout. Speaking to The Sun, Wendy Lee, who has lived in the area for more than 40 years, previously explained: "We hear about accidents, and the reason is the cars go too fast. A lot of people don’t understand what way to go and don't know what they're doing."

The 77-year-old added that people "get confused" by the roundabout, and that police often stop in the area to stop speeding drivers. Another nearby resident, chiropractor Sally Hobbs, said she herself had been in a crash, but it was with someone who "doesn't know how to use it".

The roundabout was designed by engineer Frank Blackmore, of the British Transport and Road Research Laboratory. His mini-roundabout design was considered by many traffic management experts to be one of the most cost-effective junction designs of all time.

Blackmore, who sadly passed away aged 92 in 2008, was motivated by a desire to avoid choked-up junctions, which he found incredibly frustrating. As one of the UK's scariest road junction, its sprawled a fanbase of its own – with t-shirts, postcards, fridge magnets and key rings with the iconic landmark available to buy.

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