Car Hire Slough

Slough Mini Guide

Slough Doesn’t Sound Inspiring, can you Prove me Wrong?
Slough’s name has led to it getting bad press from comedians and the press over the years but there’s plenty to recommend it. It’s known as the most ethnically diverse urban settlement outside of the capital and this gives it great variety in its cuisine, culture and atmosphere. There are also thought to be more people here who attend some form of religious worship than any other part of the UK. Whilst the town is dominated by the huge Slough Trading Estate, there is a much more attractive side to the town.

How do I get to Slough?
If you’re flying in, then Heathrow Airport is the closest and has several buses that make their way to Slough centre. Many of these routes serve the business traveller visiting the companies on the industrial estate including Mars. By road from east or west, the M4 is the best access route with the town being just off the motorway. By rail, Slough is just off the Great Western Main Line and again is easily reached from the capital or the west.

So What do I try to see in Slough?
The first stop should be to visit St Laurence’s Church at Upton-cum-Chalvey where Thomas Gray wrote his masterpiece, ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’. The church also has stunning stained glass windows celebrating the life and works of the scientist and astronomer, Herschel, who discovered the planet Uranus. He and his family are buried below the church tower. Outside of the town Windsor, with its iconic castle and Eton School are both nearby and certainly worth visiting. Eton has a small museum open to the public which details the role the school has played in the development of the country. Slough is also a great location if you visiting LegoLand, just 10 miles or so from the famous theme park.

Slough is a much maligned town in the Thames Valley. Its undeserved negative portrait comes from the despondent sound of the town’s name. The real Slough has a lot to recommend itself, even if much of the town’s importance is built on industry.

If you hire a car you can visit the Grade I listed church of St Laurence in the parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey. The church is the oldest building in Slough and dates from the 12th century when it replaced a wooden one. The building is famous as the setting for Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.