We picked up my Mum and set off on our journey to Windsor which took rather longer than expected due to the volume of traffic on the bank holiday weekend. Whilst we were driving around Windsor struggling to find a place to park we spotted my nephew and his lady friend outside Windsor Castle and Mr C heckled them.
Once we had found a parking space and met up with them we made our way to lunch in a quaintly named cafe Madame POSH. It is a delightful patisserie and home emporium. We sat on elegant chairs amongst pottery, glasses, linen, silk flowers and other similar items. The food was good, I had chosen a waffle and by the time we had sat down and the food had arrived it was 3 o’clock and we were flagging a little because it was a long time since breakfast. We chatted over lunch and then walked along the River Thames and across the bridge into Eton to see the college.
We then returned to the car so to make our way to Ye Olde Bell where we were staying for the weekend. We detoured on the way so that we could drop my nephew off and he could show us around his flat. The flat, which he shares with others, is nice and cosy. When we checked into the hotel we found out that my Mum’s room was in a separate building even though we had been assured when we made the booking that the rooms would be in the same building. Ye Olde Bell has several buildings with accommodation and also a barn suitable for weddings and other events.
After freshening up we caught a taxi back into Windsor and met up with my nephew and his lady for dinner in The Boatman restaurant. We sat outside in an open top conservatory with large, open windows. The roof was slowly rolled shut in stages as the sun went down. It was a perfect setting for a warm summer’s evening. Before the roof was finally closed we were able to watch the aeroplanes taking off from nearby Heathrow Airport. Apart from being a nice place to dine it was a plane spotter’s paradise.
The company was delightful and the food was good although there was a bit of a challenge in finding vegan options. The waitress however was extremely helpful and gave suggestions that she then went and asked the chef to prepare.
After we had dined the taxi returned to take us back to Ye Olde Bell. Mum went to bed after the long day whilst Mr C and I had a nightcap. We had a bit of a banter with the foreign bartender, after which he proclaimed ‘I Manuel’ meaning in the style of Fawlty Towers.
Unfortunately our peace and tranquility was disturbed by Mr C’s phone ringing… Someone was unrealistically for that time of night (and distance) expecting his logistical problem to be solved immediately…
I like the look of the pub. And to hear of a barman who calls himself ‘Manuel’, well, what can one say. Que? He can work in the Tavern if he applies.
The building is a delight, but the experience was very ‘Fawlty Towers’.
I think you would enjoy having Manuel working in your Tavern. Let’s hope he applies
What a wonderful place to visit and what great pictures. Madame Posh looks great inside, Posh indeed.
Too bad that Mr. C’s phone disturbed the peace and quiet…
Our brief visit has whetted our appetite for the area.
I think Mr C has forgotten where his phone’s off button is
Fancy you being just a few miles from me and not dropping in for tea and naughty cakes. ;-o
Hurley is a bit upstream from me and Windsor is further downstream. All good walking along the Thames. I joke about the tea and cakes actually, as I have been out and about most of the summer. The nearest I got to the Cherrypie abode was when I was camped up at Hampton Loade by the River Severn. I was told it was in Shropshire.
Anyway, I glad you enjoyed this area. I’m afraid I give Windsor a miss these days as it is far too busy, but you did well to chose Hurley. From there I’ve walked the towpath to Henley-on-Thames and back down the River to Marlow. Did you visit Hambledon and walk across the weir? They filmed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines just up the road from there. You need a week to see everything. Come back soon.
Regards
Bernard (Bourne End).
Hi Bernard, it is lovely to hear from you
I didn’t realise I was quite so close to where you live. We do plan to go back to the area because we realised as you say that there is so much to do around there.
Windsor was very busy, especially as it was the bank holiday weekend and the races were taking place. I think we will only go back to Windsor to visit the castle. We didn’t visit Hambledon but I am interested to learn that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines was filmed nearby. On our last day we briefly visited Henley-on-Thames where a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang type car was driving over the bridge. It was making alarming noises and limped its way off the bridge before breaking down.
I wasn’t tempted to any naughty cakes whilst I was away, although I was tempted to a naughty Mr Whippy & Flake… Well the weather was hot, that is my excuse
Next time we visit the area I will let you know, we could perhaps meet up for a naughty cake
Hampton load is about 30 minutes away from where I live.
And talking of Fawlty Towers…that was filmed a couple of hundred yards up the road from me at The Grange Club, Wooburn. We used it sometimes before it sadly burn down and was demolished. It has now been knocked down and replaced by new houses. If you search ‘Grange Club’ on YouTube someone filmed the poor old building before the bulldozers moved in. A lot of filming is done here as Pinewood Studios is about ten miles away.
The burning down of a popular hotel/meeting place and then being replaced by houses rather than it being restored to its former uses reminds me of what once was a popular hotel, meeting place and events venue near to where I live.
It is sadly missed, never to be returned.
The one in Berkshire? I have been there!
It’s a posh neighbourhood.
Very different to Thamesmead.
Which place in Berkshire? I am not sure which part of my post you are referring to
Hurley, of course.
Is there another “Hurley”?
I have been to the one in Berkshire.
I mentioned several places in my post (one of them unnamed) so I wasn’t sure which of them you were referring to.
Before my visit I had not heard of Hurley