Uxbridge for the day - suggestions please

[SquashedFlyBiscuits]

Dh is working in Uxbridge on Sat. We don't live in the London area. Ds (11) and I are thinking of going with him. We would have from 11am to 5.30pm. Anyone got any suggestions as to what we should do for the day?

I sort of feel it wouldn't be worth going into the centre of London as we'd only get about 4 hrs there and by the time we arrived in Uxbridge we'd already have been travelling for 2hrs. Can't go to Kew as we are doing that in the summer with family. Google is telling me ww2 bunker perhaps but that only takes an hour.

Please help!

Battle of Britain bunker for an hour or two? Not that much else in Uxbridge imo. Has an odeon to go see the latest marvel movie?

Definitely not time to go into central london, that’s an hour journey there and back

@sashagabadon thanks for the reply. Is there anywhere nearish to Uxbridge then with more? Outdoorsy or museum type thing would be more us and not cinema.

Ds likes interesting shops, markets, antiques, NT, animals, anything sporty, museums

You could do central London but stay close to the metropolitan line to maximise your time. The area behind kings cross(granary square) is lovely now and you can check if there are any events there that day. Your 11 year old will probably find the area quite buzzy and fun.

Alternatively, Harrow on the hill is nice for a peaceful wander (not the new town centre, but the old village where the school is). Head to the Kingsfield Arms near the village for the best Indian food in northwest London - a hidden gem.

Will you have a car? Windsor isn’t that far away from Uxbridge, if its nice weather also Ruislip Lido? Also Watford not far. No idea how any of that would work with public transport though.

There are some good spots for walking if you take a cab from Uxbridge. There is a lovely pub to pub walk in hare field from the Coy Carp to the Old Orchard, for example, but it may not be exciting enough for an 11 year old!

@fridaseyebrows think dh will need the car. Off to check public transport.

Rickmansworth Aquadrome! A collection of lakes and a nature reserve. Lovely cafe, loads of wildlife. About 10 mins walk from Rickmansworth station - you’d need to take 2 tubes to get there from Uxbridge, but all on the Met line so pretty easy to navigate.
Aquadrome

I’ll be honest. You’ll struggle a bit, uxbridge has a shopping centre a cinema and that’s about it.

the bunker is very good and worth a visit, as is the bao bun and bubble tea shop in Windsor street, uxbridge.

you could head in to Windsor if your driving, and book a duck tour. That’s good fun. There’s the park and the castle to see.

to be honest I’d probably head up to the natural history museum in Oxford, but that might be tight on time.

London waterworks museum in brentford is good.

Windsor is out as it is an hour on the train.

Rickmansworth is lovely but it is the only place in the area we know as it is our stop off after visiting a cousin.

@PerditaNitt long walk plus pub lunch is quite a popular one with ds - he is a weird one!

Get DH to drop you at West Drayton railway station, 30 minutes into Paddington.

Ah you already know Ricky 😊
Wembley then? Stadium Tour & quirky shops IIRC?
Or Watford? It’s quite buzzy in town on a Saturday with street food and the market or there’s Cassiobury Park?

Dd1 just went to the bunker on school trip & enjoyed it.

This is on (disclaimer - haven't tried it yet)
highstreetsafari.com/locations/jubilee-uxbridge

You could walk along the canal to Denham Country Park (about 45 mins from Swan & Bottle) - or take Boris bikes?

Or get the tube to Wembley Park - Boxpark for food, Art trail, Indoor crazy golf.

Windsor might be dooable by cab, it’s not far, but the train would be a pig as it’s an in to a big station swap line and back out again.

denham country park is quite nice. Little cafe there. Frans tea shop on the canal is nice, but hit and miss when it’s open.

id do the bunker and Uxbridge for lunch at Ottimmo Bao Bao. Just take everything slow and steady and you’ll fill the time.

if your a good life fan, the houses it was filmed at are right by the bunker, but I’m not sure what they look like anymore.

you could head to Wembley - see the outside of the stadium and the shops.

Otherwise, if you walk out of Uxbridge and get to the Grand Union Canal you can walk along. There is a lovely lake called Little Britain Lake, not far of the canal. Plus the Malt Shovel pub is lovely for food.

if you had a car, Black Park is lovely.

Agree Black Park is good, there is a Go Ape there too. Lovely lake and walks and a cafe, backs on to Pinewood Studios. Sometimes there are film sets there. Probably 10 minute drive if you're able to get a taxi?

How about the chiltern open air museum: www.coam.org.uk or www.roalddahl.com/museum both within a short drive of Uxbridge and really lovely.

Or bit of a niche one, you are very close to LHR lots of people go a plane spot by the runway near Hatton Cross tube but it’s free and close wanderersandwarriors.com/heathrow-plane-spotting/

Saturday is the day of the FA Cup final, and there will be Man City supporters travelling on the M40/A40 nearby no doubt. So be prepared for traffic delays in the morning, and leave promptly at 5.30pm if you can.

As for walks, the Grand Union Canal goes through Uxbridge, and perhaps if you walk north there may be somewhere for lunch in Denham.

Uxbridge for the day? Oh, don't, will feel,like a week.

Outdoor swimming pool? It's heated now and there are some sunloungers, music.
(Will depend on weather though....)