Lady’s Delicious Itinerary for 24 Hours in Bray, Berkshire

Today I want to bring you my itinerary for spending 24 hours in Bray, Berkshire. This famous village near London is known for its Michelin-starred restaurants and picturesque cottages. From The Fat Duck to The Waterside Inn and The Hind’s Head, there’s no shortage of places to try world-class cuisine in a bucolic setting on the Thames. If you love excellent food and pretty villages in equal measure, read on.

24 Hours in Bray, Berkshire

I’ve traveled to Bray with my boyfriend for a foodie getaway from London. We wanted to go somewhere far enough from the UK capital that we felt like we were escaping the city, but near enough that we didn’t have to spend ages in transit.

Having had an amazing dinner at Heston Blumenthal’s flagship restaurant The Fat Duck a while back (not to mention a great one at his London restaurant, Dinner by Heston), I suggested Bray.

It ticked all our boxes for what we enjoy on our travels (namely great food and beautiful surroundings), and it’s close enough to London to satisfy our transport requirements.

We took the Elizabeth Line train to Maidenhead, from where it was a 10-minute taxi ride to the village. Now we’re here and we can’t wait to spend 24 hours in Bray.

Where to Stay in Bray

A few weeks prior to our arrival, we booked ourselves a Friday night stay at The Waterside Inn, a 3-Michelin starred restaurant in Bray. It has hotel rooms upstairs, and reserving accommodation here guarantees guests a table for dinner.

We arrive mid-morning to drop off our bags, and we love the rich color scheme and traditional decor in the lobby. We can’t wait to return later to check in and see our room (spoiler alert: it’s amazing).

Walk in Bray, Berkshire

The weather forecast calls for rain later, so we start our 24 hours in Bray by heading out to discover the village before the sky falls. Bray is small, and it’s easy to walk around the conservation area in the heart of town in an hour or so.

We start at the Thames, where we say hello to the resident geese and get a view of The Waterside Inn’s famous dining room. There’s a small pier outside for boating in the warmer months, and scenic views across the water.

From the river we walk past the inn and down Ferry Road to get to the main part of the village.

The short stroll takes us by black-and-white Tudor facades, swoon-worthy cottages, and worn wooden doors with plaques saying “The Old Dutch House” in historic lettering.

When we reach the center, we find ourselves on the high street. It features a Grade II listed war memorial, a picture-perfect cottage with vines climbing the facade, and historic houses galore. I can’t put my camera down.

A sign next to the memorial explains that the heart of Bray village dates back to medieval times and is home to many listed buildings.

It also mentions that the green-thumbed locals participate in the Royal Horticultural Society’s “Britain in Bloom” regional and national competitions. The awards on the surrounding honors boards and the flowers throughout the village prove it.

The high street is also home to more Michelin-starred restaurants in Bray. To our right is Heston Blumenthal’s 3-starred The Fat Duck. A few doors down is Heston’s 1-Michelin starred pub, The Hind’s Head.

To our left is The Crown, Heston’s other pub in Bray (he seems to run most of the culinary establishments in this village).

But we’re not ready to eat yet. We walk past The Fat Duck and find ourselves on Church Lane. Lined with historic cottages sporting colorful doors and seasonal blooms, it’s one of the most idyllic streets I’ve seen in Britain.

At the end of it we come to a tower with a sign saying “Lich Gate A.D. 1448”. I’m a sucker for all things old, and I’m awed by the sense of history here.

We walk through the gate and find ourselves in the village churchyard. St Michael’s Church in Bray is a Grade II* listed parish church. It’s surrounded by swathes of grass punctuated by weathered gravestones.

Like much of Bray, it has a long history. St Michael’s dates back to 1293, and the original Saxon church in the area was mentioned in The Domesday Book in 1086. Goosebumps.

We peer inside the church before making our way back to the high street. Passing The Hind’s Head and The Fat Duck, we walk by 15th-century foresters’ cottages, The Crown pub, and the Jesus Hospital almshouses.

The last of these opened in 1628 to accommodate 40 people. Its brick facade and eye-catching painted sculptures and reliefs stop us in our tracks. We love the sign over the entrance that reads “Vagrants Hawkers & Dogs Are Not Admitted”.

Lunch at The Hind’s Head in Bray

From Jesus Hospital we retrace our steps back to The Hind’s Head. A few weeks prior to our arrival, we booked a reservation for lunch here. We can’t wait to see what this segment of our Bray itinerary has in store for us.

As soon as we enter through a low door with a sign saying “Duck or Grouse”, I know I’m going to like the place. The interior is steeped in history, complete with timber beams and low ceilings.

Stained-glass windows and red leather banquettes vie for our attention as fireplaces and solid wood furniture round out the scene.

Sitting down, we pick up a pamphlet on the table with information about The Hind’s Head’s history. The building dates back to the 15th century, when the area around it was a royal forest.

It started life as a manor house, then became an inn in the early 19th century. From there The Hind’s Head became a respected hotel in Bray.

Not far from Windsor Castle, it naturally attracted royalty. Prince Philip had his stag do here in 1947, and Queen Elizabeth II and her family lunched here with three other monarchs in 1963.

Heston Blumenthal bought The Hind’s Head in 2004 after the recipes in a 15th-century culinary manuscript imbued him with an interest in historical British cuisine.

He developed his own recipes based on them and others, and the end result is the lunch menu in front of us.

The Hind’s Head menu has pub classics and inventive dishes alike. From Devils on Horseback to Shepherd’s Pie and Heston’s famous Scotch egg, we spot all the favorites.

But we’re also intrigued by items like the hash of snails with caperberries and the quaking pudding with compressed apple and fennel.

Eventually I settle on a pickled beetroot salad to start and fish and chips (the daily special) for a main. My boyfriend goes with the roasted rump of lamb and a pint of Sheppy’s Oakwood Aged cider.

It all goes down a treat in the historic dining room. A dessert of quaking pudding completes the meal nicely.

Afternoon in the Village

After lunch, we plan to continue our 24 hours in Bray by taking a big country walk along the Thames. We need to burn off some (er, a lot) of calories before our dinner at The Waterside Inn, after all.

But the British weather has other plans. We barely get a half mile outside the village before our waterproof clothes are soaked through.

We turn around, trudge through the downpour, and check into our hotel room at The Waterside Inn. It’s a welcome respite from the inclement weather, and we take an indulgent nap as the rain thunders outside.

Drinks at The Crown in Bray

We wake up in time to make one quick stop in the village before dinner at The Waterside Inn: The Crown. This country pub in Bray dates back to the 16th century. A former inn, it has classic low-beamed ceilings and open fireplaces in its warren of rooms.

Now owned by Heston Blumenthal, The Crown serves traditional pub food, real ales, and a range of other fare in its atmospheric interiors.

The bar area is buzzing when we arrive, and we manage to snag a small table to enjoy our pre-dinner drinks. It’s a great way to experience a more local part of Bray, and to soak up the low-lit ambiance.

Dinner at The Waterside Inn in Bray

After drinks, we walk back to The Waterside Inn, dress for dinner, and head downstairs to the dining room. We’re seated at a table on the perimeter that allows us to sit next to each other and enjoy a view of the proceedings.

It’s the perfect table for a 3-Michelin starred restaurant, where the service is as much a part of the experience as the cuisine.

In fact, the service is renowned. The Waterside Inn was founded in 1972 by brothers Michel and Albert Roux after the success of their London restaurant, Le Gavroche.

They bought the building (which was a shabby old pub back then), and turned it into a restaurant. By 1985, its cuisine and service had earned The Waterside Inn 3 Michelin stars. It’s kept them ever since.

In 2010 this place became the first restaurant outside France to retain 3 stars for twenty-five years. Its record is still going strong under the helm of Michel’s son, Chef Patron Alain Roux.

The dining room is done in fresh greens with mirrors and floral art along the walls. The front is all windows looking out onto the Thames.

We regret not being here in high summer, when we would be able to enjoy pre-dinner drinks on the terrace and views of the river as we dine.

But we’re not here to look out the window. We’re here to enjoy our meal. We opt for the 7-course Le Menu Exceptionnel. It’s billed as a “mouth-watering gastronomic experience” featuring balanced dishes of Alain Roux’s “creative, light, modern French cuisine”.

Out from the kitchen comes a parade of amuse bouches followed by everything from marinated scallop slices to the restaurant’s classic lobster medallions and grilled squab.

I particularly like the courgette flower filled with wild mushrooms, and my boyfriend can’t get enough of the foie gras. The dessert souffles are divine, too.

Throughout the meal we enjoy the top-notch service The Waterside Inn is known for. The team of 60 is impressive in its precision, timing, and ability to navigate the room.

Our servers are friendly, knowledgeable, and professional, and they take good care of us. By the end of the meal we’re full of good food and wine, and grateful our commute home is nothing more than a flight of stairs.

Breakfast at The Waterside Inn

But our 24 hours in Bray aren’t over yet. The Waterside Inn is famous for its breakfast, and we wake up the next morning to enjoy a big tray of deliciousness in the comfort of our room.

Everything from a viennoiserie basket to yogurt, juice, fruit, and coffee graces the table. They’ve even gone so far as to make a separate batch of baked goods for my boyfriend, who can’t have gluten.

The breakfast is the perfect culmination of our trip to Bray, and a great send-off. We check out of our room afterwards and the receptionist calls a taxi to drive us from the village to Maidenhead for our train back to London.

24 Hours in Bray, UK

We’ve had an amazing 24 hours in Bray. We’ve eaten three memorable meals, had drinks in a historic pub, and explored one of the prettiest villages in England. The fact that we’re so close to London is the cherry on top.

We get back to the UK capital in an hour and start planning our next trip to Bray. If the British weather smiles upon us, we’ll finally get to do a country walk. But even if it doesn’t, I know plenty of places where we can take shelter from the rain.

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