From the start: the culinary section
Head right out of the car park and turn right on the roundabout by the bridge. There's been a bridge here since 1280 and the original bridge brought traffic that helped Maidenhythe grow into a major stop on the London to Bath Road.The current bridge was opened in 1777. It was a toll until 1903, when a car cost the modern equivalent of £6 to take across. Its standing up to the almost constant pounding it gets from modern traffic is a testament to Georgian engineering.
The next roundabout is signed left to Bray and you continue to Bray over a couple of mini roundabouts and a decorative roundabout. Bray has two main claims to fame. One is the song "The Vicar of Bray". It's is a satirical song running through the vicar's contortions of principle to keep his living through changes in church doctrine from the Restoration onwards. It's not known who it is based on, but four different vicars of Bray were noted for their belief flexibility so it could well have been an amalgamation of them.
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| First sight of the church at Bray, over the cricket pitch. |
One of the richest places in Britain - nearly one in 10 of the population is a millionaire - Bray's other claim to fortune is it has two out the UK's four three-star restaurants and a one-star restaurant too.Heston Blumental runs the 3-star Fat Duck, with the duck cutlery logo and the 1-star Hind's Head. The Waterside, the other 3-star Restaurant, is off to the left along Ferry Lane. Sadly none of the restaurants is open early enough to be a ride control, so in the case of the Fat Duck I have saved you £265.00, excluding drinks and service.
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| Clockwise from top left, Waterside, Fat Duck,Hind's Head |
On the road out of Bray, on the right, is the 17th Century Jesus Hospital. Set up with 34 places for the poor of Bray and a further six for the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers. It is still providing sheltered accommodation, but to a reduced number. In 2010 an attempt by a charity to buy it for development and rehouse the residents in Maidenhead was fought off.
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| Jesus Hospital, Bray |
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| Jesus Hospital |
Shortly you cross a narrow bridge where you get priority. A T junction with the busy A308 follows where you turn left under the M4 and immediately right to Holyport. Left and left at Holyport's
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| The green, Holyport |
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| Holyport, the duck pond with duck |
village green. At the corner of the next T you get an information control.
A turn left into the not so busy A330 is followed shortly by a right on the B3024 towards Twyford. You enter Paley Street. Oddly, it's not really the name of the road but Street was used in medieval times to denote a long straggly village. At the far end of Paley Street we encounter our final Michelin Star in a Restaurant owned and run by the family of Sir Michael Parkinson, the Royal Oak. A quick perusal of the menu shows that prices are not quite as eye watering as in Bray.
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| The Royal Oak, Paley Street |
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| Is this a failed joke, or just a bit nauseating? |
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