Planning a week in Slough in October. What are the hidden gems I shouldn’t miss?

Posted by Inside-Cod1550@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 54 comments

Hi all, long-time lurker. My partner and I have been saving for a proper European trip and after a lot of back and forth we’ve decided to skip the obvious picks (Paris, Lisbon, Florence) and spend a full week in Slough. We want something less curated. More lived-in, real.

A few questions for anyone who’s spent serious time there:
• We’re booking a place near the trading estate to be closer to the “real” Slough. Is 7 nights enough or should we push it to 10?
• Best day trips? We’ve heard good things about Langley but want to avoid anything too touristy.
• Restaurants you’d consider unmissable? We love regional cuisine and want to eat where locals eat, not where TripAdvisor sends people.
• Is the Queensmere worth a half-day or is it overrated at this point?
• How’s the nightlife for late-30s couples? Not trying to rage, just somewhere with character.
Really trying to avoid the tourist traps. Open to any off-the-beaten-path recs. Cheers!

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Realistic-River-1941@reddit

Go, To Maidenhead

And talk of sport and makes of cars, In various bogus-Tudor bars.

digitalfir3@reddit

Windsor is about 10 minutes away :D

angels-and-insects@reddit

Definitely make sure you get photos of some wheelie bins. I suggest you look up the bin collection days in advance so you don't miss them.

Tonythepillow@reddit

Grey bins are general waste and are collected every other week. (Thursday on Alpha Street South in the Upton area for example). 8th and 22nd of October they should look out for that one. On alternate weeks (1st and 15th) you’ll hopefully catch a glimpse of the humble red bin for recycling.

Personally I’d try and go on a recycling week (if you can’t do both) as the following day (Friday 2nd or 16th) you’ll get to witness some green bin action, from those who have signed up to the Garden Waste Collection Service, a service that currently costs £55 per year.

It would be good to see if everyone is using their food waste caddy by October.

(It is worth noting I’ve never actually been to Slough other than to change trains to Windsor)

Great tips!

Plane-Jello-3687@reddit

Don't miss Chasers, shuts at 1am though.

Pusser52@reddit

What about New York New York? The nightclub that never sleeps.

Arsenal600@reddit

And Henry the VIII. I believe they’ve got a themed night on!

Tfeal@reddit

There’s a big chocolate factory off Buckingham Ave, catch it it at the right time and the aroma is amazing. There is also a chip shop on Farnham Road, where the ambiance is is so chilled, while waiting 40 minutes for your bag of chips and Wally, you’ll be ironically ignored by the staff while they serve all the Uber Eats and Deliveroo pick-ups. A slice of culture you won’t find in the tourist traps of Windsor and Eton.

frankOFWGKTA@reddit

Are you serious?!

Avoid at all costs!!

Discover Luton.

ringerrosy@reddit

Try and find finchy, he'll sort you out. Fucking legend and a damn good salesman. Ask him to take you to a quiz.

IslaLargoFlyGuy@reddit

The big tesco is really special, easily spend an afternoon meandering around chatting with the locals

Smooshydoggy@reddit

I think it’s the second biggest Tesco in the UK!

AfterCook780@reddit

Ignore the people by John Betjeman. He had a bad approach to town planning.

The local brewery is Courages.

Avoid anyone from Swindon.

Skeletime@reddit

Slough’s a big place. When you've e finished with Slough, there’s Reading, Aldershot, Bracknell. Didcot, Yateley. You know. Winnersh. Taplow. Because you are your own tour guide. Burghfield.

pdirth@reddit

I've heard the roundabout at the east end of Wellington St. is fantastic. ...Apparently if you take the correct exit you can find your way down to Junction 5 of the M4 and get the hell out of Slough.

dadofsummer@reddit

American who enjoyed Slow Horses, but knows nothing about local geography, of London? Is Slough the area where Slough House is in the show?

mh258@reddit

Slough's nightlife is incredible; it's got two nightclubs, it's got Chasers and New York, New York. They call it the nightclub that never sleeps. That closes at one.

Sonawi@reddit

As someone who used to live there… why on earth is Big Tesco not on your itinerary?

kunstlich@reddit

You haven't indicated if you are renting a car. Given public transport to Slough from London is pretty much non-existent you should rent a car from the airport - executive class or above, of course.

Colnbrook is of course worth a half day.

Fluffy_Ad2274@reddit

Have to watch out for the ghosts in Colnbrook, though... (I imagine the old haunted estate by the brook is now a housing estate, however - haven't been back to Colnbrook since 1982, but still remember the stories of travellers baked into pies, and the Grey Lady)

Nashella@reddit

Horses there are interesting, bit slow though

w0tth3f00k@reddit

First in my generation to hear tourist traps in Slough

MJLDat@reddit

I’m sure there are bus stops you can visit.

Wetherspoons for high end cuisine.

HistoryDisastrous493@reddit

What an amazingly witty post

taeji@reddit

you need to try the chopstix in the shopping centre! id say its better than angus steakhouse

rynchenzo@reddit

The 24 hour Tesco is worth a look

If you're staying on the trading estate there's an overpriced curry house there

The Earl of Cornwall is a really unfriendly pub and definitely great for sampling the local evening entertainment

Don't bother with Windsor though there's not much there

OnPointTip1@reddit

Chasers, it's Hooch for a pound and Wonderbras-get-in-free

Regular-Employ-5308@reddit

Bath rd McDonald’s drive through of an evening is an eye opener

ruawizard69@reddit

This is the finest establishment in the local area. Makes Eton look like the north side of Windsor.

johnsonmlw@reddit

The John Betjeman museum has enough to entertain for a couple of days.

Isgortio@reddit

There's a good kebab van near the American Golf shop.

Weaubleau@reddit

They tore down the building that was on the opening and closing credits for The Office, so I'm not sure what else there is to see there.

yossanator@reddit

Slough is, er, an interesting choice. Slough is not what I consider a destination place. Maybe a place to travel from, at a pinch. It is very close to Heathrow airport, so noisy as hell. Very close to M4 motorway, so also noisy. Town centre reminds me of the '70's and there often drunk chavs berating clouds/police etc.

Windsor is a short train journey from Slough, with frequent trains - Windsor Castle and the Great Park/Royal Mile, Eton (great pubs/restaurants) and it's famous Eton College. If you get a train to Twyford (heading West from Slough - very frequent), you can hop a train to Henley on Thames, which is a pretty market town. Nice wee journey along the Oxfordshire side of the Thames. Great boat trips from there. Nice walks along the river, which will give you time to contemplate why the hell did you choose Slough as a base for a holiday.

unbelievablydull82@reddit

You'll love the scent of human shit, it gives the area a certain tang. The only place I've been where members of the public have laughed loudly whilst walking past me as I made a joke to my family. Twice on the same day, that's two times too many, made me deeply suspicious of the place.

tunnocksmystery@reddit

Have a pint of Courage

Gc1981@reddit

We did 10 nights and it didn't feel like enough. There's just so much to see and do. Spent 8 days just at the trading estate.

Superbgraph@reddit

“Spent 8 days just at the trading estate” what a line 😂😂😂

'Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough! It isn't fit for humans now.'

You don't solve town planning problems by dropping bombs all over the place, so he's embarrassed himself there.

Specific_Telephone_3@reddit

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough, it isn't fit for people now

Diligent-Till-8832@reddit

😂😂😂 omg, please come back and tell us how your trip goes

mgs20000@reddit

If you want a really good pie - The Gardeners.

D0wnb0at@reddit

They don’t allow satire in AskUK.

Sto0pid81@reddit

Greggs is nice.

B&Q around the corner.

Dont forget to visit Farnham and Britwell, Burnham is a bit too posh though, dont go there.

lewispatty@reddit

probably best just to wait in the station for the train back where u came from tbh lol

fernofry@reddit

I'm sorry to hear about your accident, hopefully you recover from the head trauma before having to go on this trip

LuckyOneTime@reddit

GUY'S GOT JOKES

Substantial_Tutor_97@reddit

Slough? Seriously? I believe Mos Eisley has similar descriptors....

HauntingTheVoid@reddit

Last time I was in Slough there was a middle aged woman running around with a pack of teenagers at midnight telling them how if she didn't sort things out with (redacted) he was gonna rape her arse. That was near the station so I recommend staying near the station for the real Slough

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