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. 

 

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.

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

Seriously - which ones caught your eye?

 
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:


Chris from Melksham.