48 Hours in Slough
When is comes to a UK staycation, Slough isn’t up there as a popular tourist destination, however, it is a brilliant base for exploring the delights of the surrounding area.
We were invited to stay at the Residence Inn in Slough for two nights and took the opprtunity to explore some of the local attractions.
The hotel is one of the Legoland Holiday partners, as it is just a 15 minute drive away from the theme park.
It is also a short drive to Windsor Castle and Thorpe Park, or a short 5 minute stroll to Slough train station for the 20 minute train ride into Paddington Station. The hotel also offers free parking in the TVU car park opposite the hotel.
Our 48 Hours in Slough
Legoland
A visit to LEGOLAND® is one of kids favourite days out and the kids were keen to try out the new LEGO® MYTHICA: World of Mythical Creatures area.
The new LEGO® MYTHICA area is fabulous and the kids new favourite ride is the Flight of the Sky Lion, which sees you go up and soar into a mystical realm powered by imagination on the UK’s first Flying Theatre Ride!
We only spent one day at Legoland and managed to squeeze in all the kids favourite rides, including, Ninjago, the Dragon rollercoaster, Haunted House, Spinning Spiders and Merlin’s Challenge.
As we visited in February, all the water rides were closed, so we are looking forward to a revisit during the summer.
Top Tip: If you want to do all the rides in one day, it is worth investing in the Reserve and Ride pass which enables you to virtually wait a rides queue time, freeing you up to visit other attractions.
London
We took a short stroll to Slough station to take the train into Paddington Station, from where we jumped on the tube to embankment to board the Thames Clipper Uber Boat.
The Thames Clipper is a great way to see London from the river and we bought the River Roamer, so we could hop on and off as we pleased. It is worth noting, that there is no commentary onboard, so if you wanted a trip which points out the landmarks, this isn’t for you.
There are lots of places to visit from the various stops including London Eye, Tower of London, HMS Belfast, Greenwich and the O2. We planned our journey and pre-booked tickets, but be aware that if the boats are full, you will have to wait for the next one, so leave plenty of time between visits.
HMS Belfast
HMS Belfast is a Town-class light cruiser that was built for the Royal Navy and is permanently moored as a museum ship on the River Thames in London.
There are nine decks to explore of this iconic warship and the kids really enjoyed the D-Day task, which is an interactive family activity where you use your Kit Bag to find hidden messages, predict the weather for sailing, discover ship life and crack Morse code.
If travelling with young children, be aware that there are steep stairs and ladders to climb, so it may not be suitable to visit.
HMS Belfast is a fascinating because it is the most significant surviving Second World War Royal Navy warship. Since her launch over 80 years ago, she fired some of the first shots at the D-Day landings, served in the Arctic Convoys, and even in the Korean War.
We visited the D-Day Landing beaches a few years ago, so it was fascinating to see how it was organised from the sea.
Cutty Sark
From HMS Belfast, we took the Thames Clipper to Greenwich, where we visited the Cutty Sark.
The Cutty Sark is a celebrated historic sailing ship and the fastest of its time. It is filled with interactive displays featuring some of the goods it has carried and some of the routes it took.
It is a fascinating place to visit and the kids loved seeing the ship from underneath.
We had wanted to visit the Royal Observatory, but sadly it was closed during our visit, so we wandered around the Old Royal Naval College grounds.
Arcelormittal Orbit Slide
From Greenwich, we jumped back on the Thames Clipper to the O2, where we then jumped on the tube to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Here we got to test our adrenalin levels and ride the Arcelormittal Orbit Slide, the world’s tallest tunnel slide, with 12 twists & turns and speeds of up to 15 mph which is set in the magnificent, ruby red looping structure of the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
If you don’t want to ride the slide, there is a viewing platform at the top of the sculpture which offers fabulous views over London.
To ride the slide, you are provided a padded safety hat and arm / elbow pads before being ushered into a giant black sleeping bag before launching yourself down the giant tunnel slide.
From the Arcelormittal Orbit, we then retraced our steps back to Slough, stopping at the O2 for dinner.
Jump In Trampoline Park
We checked out of our hotel on Sunday morning and instead of heading straight home, we booked into Jump In Trampoline Park at the request of the kids.
The trampoline park featured a dodgeball area, foam pit, a duel beam and even a giant slide into the foam pit.
Prices for the tickets and hotel package for a family of 3 start from £282 incl VAT (based on 2 adults and 1 child sharing a one-bedroom suite).
To find out more or to book visit https://www.legolandholidays.co.uk/legoland-windsor-hotels/residence-inn-by-marriott-slough.html or call Legoland Holidays on 0300 332 1421.
Have you visited Slough before?
Disclaimer: We were invited to stay at Residence Inn, Slough, for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own
