Seeing London from Slough
 

Hubby is leaving tomorrow for a 10-day business trip to the London area, staying in Slough. What's the best way to get around from there (train/tube) to London and other interesting side trips on the weekend?

Thanks so much!

Slough is very near Windsor and a visit to Windsor Castle is a must. He could take a taxi to Windsor but I'm sure there's a public bus available. The castle is HUGE so he could easily make a day of seeing both the castle and the town.

The tube doesn't go as far as Slough, but it is a quick train ride into Paddington so touring London will be very easy. As for the weekend, he could go just about anywhere. What are his interests?

Trains depart from Slough to Paddington station in London every few minutes. About 35 minutes on the train.

Slough's a major railway station. A lot of fast trains from the West of England to London now stop there, and Paddington's only 15 to 17 minutes' travelling time on them.

In the other direction, practically all the twice-hourly fast trains from London to Oxford stop at Slough, and Slough-Oxford averages 43 minutes. It's a painless, roughly one hour, train journey to Bath as well, and there are frequent trains to Windsor. The Cotswolds are looking really springlike today, with flowers blooming their socks off and lambs gambolling like a spelling-challenged banker, and it's just 70 minutes by hourly direct train from Slough to Moreton in Marsh.

In the nearer vicinity, Slough itself is charm-free (though its 1930s Industrial Estate is pretty if you like slighly Art Deco-y factories, and the station building itself looks almost Central European from outside). The Thames Valley west of Slough is jolly pretty, in a slightly suburban way, but you need to spend time with bus timetables to get to most of it without a car.

Thanks so much for the replies and train/tube info. He will definitely see Windsor. His interests include the Beatles and rock music in general as well as high-tech things. We've been to London once and done most of the tourist "must-sees." He would probably enjoy some markets. Any suggestions (including tube stops) for some of the good ones?

My favorite Market in London is Borough Market in Southwark. Check the website for opening times; and it's a food market.

I also enjoyed Leadenhall Market, which is converted to a mostly shops/restaurants market. But it still has its original beautiful Victorian-era architecture which I find beautiful.

His interests include the Beatles and rock music in general>>>>

The London Walks people do a Beatles walk. If you want to go to Abbey Road you need St John's Wood tube (St John's Wood is "Norwegian Wood". You can have your photo taken on the zebra crossing.

The phone box on the front of Ziggy Stardust is in Denmark St (Leicester SQ tube).

Keef Richards used to live in Cheyne Walk.

Handel and Hendrix lived in the same house in Brook St.

Jimmy Page and David Bowie both lived in the Tower House in Kensington

If you can be more specific about the stuff he likes I'll try and help.

as well as high-tech things. We've been to London once and done most of the tourist "must-sees." He would probably enjoy some markets. Any suggestions (including tube stops) for some of the good ones?

Food: Borough Market (London Bridge tube, don't go to Borough tube - it's a bazillion miles away).

Flowers: Colubia Rd - Bethnal Green tube

Antiques: Portobello Rd (notting hill)

Flowers: Colubia Rd - Bethnal Green tube>>

Sorry - that's Columbia Rd.

He can also wander over to Soho Square. Paul's MPL office is at #1, and sometimes he's there. Take a black felt tip pen to sign the wall at Abbey Road. Yes, he can do one of the Beatles Walks that London Walks sponsors.

Of course, if you are an avid Beatles fan, there's nothing like Liverpool! But that ight have to wait for another trip.....

Thanks so much, Cholmondley. That's just the kind of info I was looking for. Knowing the tube stops really is helpful.
I think he is interested in a Beatles Walk, too.

Most of the big sightseeing will be on the weekend. I hope he has time to look around a little after work hours during the week. Is there anything, such as good food or shops, in Slough to consider for those after-work hours?

"Is there anything, such as good food or shops, in Slough to consider for those after-work hours?"

There's a huge Tesco next door to the station. Or there's an M&S and a Sainsbury's at Paddington

Otherwise: google 'Betjeman Slough bombs'. He was a bit of a poseur, was old Johnnie, but he got it about right when it canme to Slough. Hubby should get a copy of Time Out and familiarise himself with the last fast train from London

Wow, that's some poem by Betjeman! I hope Slough has improved at least a little since then...

How is Slough pronounced? Does it rhyme with:

dough?
cough?
tough?
plough?
through?

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...bservation.cfm

<i>I hope Slough has improved at least a little since then...</i>

Not appreciably . . . . .

Slough sounds like plow or now . . . . . . .

We spent a night in Slough a few years ago. When I asked for directions to "sluff" they got a good chuckle. :-[

Oh well, at least they didn't laugh as hard at "sluff" as they did when I used the term "fanny." :-))

Merseyheart, thanks for the tip about Soho Square. I just took him to the airport but will email him and let him know. Wouldn't it be cool to see Paul?

When we lived in Beaconsfield, before they built our Waitrose (!), we use to drive 20-30 minutes on Saturday to Slough (rhymes with how) to do our grocery shopping. Boy does that bring back memories!!

Lots of neat stuff in that area. Even Beaconsfield has the miniature model village of Bekonscot, the world's oldest model village.

http://www.bekonscot.com/

You never know! :) We keep hoping! One of the Beatles Walks will take you through Soho Square. Actually, Paul has been seen at Abbey Road a time or two. His home is nearby, which you probably know. When he was married to Heather, he used it quite a bit. I don't know if he's staying much at his Cavendish home these days.

The minature village reminds me of Maduradom in the Netherlands.

You never know where Paul will turn up. A friend of a friend ran into him at a motel in Arizona last year. He and his new girlfriend were doing a Route 66 road trip.