Ruislip Lido - Ride On A Railway Train

A delightful day, with sand and purate ships full of climbing points. After an affordable late lunch of melted cheese sandwich, carrot cake, we bought tickets for the miniature train.

The station shop sold buckets and spades.

The train chugged through shady woods. Walkers on the paths beside the train followed beside us and stopped to wave at us.

Half way along is a small station, no shop or cafe or toilets, just some flower pots and gnomes for photos.

The far end had a smaller cafe selling crisps. But enhanced by a teeny train running around overhead on two sides of the room.

Beyond the first car park, was the most expensive part of our day as we had to buy a full day's parking. 

A short walk or drive brings you to The Water's Edge restaurant, famous for its carvery Sunday lunches. 

Beyond that you are back on the main road  and Majestic wine warehouse which intermittently runs tastings.

The smaller shop with the smaller cafe, but the delight of the teeny overhead train. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
 

Free Fun On A Fine Day - Ruislip Lido

 At Ruislip Lido.

The main entrance from the street, Reservoir Road.

Panels tell you about the birds, and the history of the lido and area.

Steps down to the waterside.

Here come the green headed ducks and other water birds.

Close up of the water birds.

Walking around the lido, level, fine for pushchairs, bikes, children, the elderly.

Guide to the bird life.

At the far side, a stile to a path amidst the trees.

We walked anti-clockwise around the water towards the sand, reminising about our past trips here. I remembed how our son had though that the sand was sugar and tried to eat a mouthful of it. He quickly spat it out in disgust.

Continuing clockwise, you reach the sandy beach, busy with families and delighted children. A feature for play is the large mock pirate ship.

Another area with water play showers.

In summer a small train runs around beyond the beach area. Beside the beach at the back are a cafe and toilets.

If you want more food and drink, you have the WatersEdge on the same street, visible from the park entrance.\

Back on the main road is the Majestic Warehouse. They stock a vast range of wines, as well as soem unusual nuts and crisps.

Useful Websites

https://www.stonehouserestaurants.co.uk/nationalsearch/london/thewatersedgeruislip/breakfast#/

https://www.stonehouserestaurants.co.uk/nationalsearch/london/thewatersedgeruislip/sunday-menu#/

Free wine tasting at Majestic

On the corner of the road leading to the wonderfully art deco Ruislip Lido lakeside restaurant selling cheap meals and drinks is a branch of Majestic where you can try tasting some new wines and spirits for free.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

More thoughts on Crown Carvery, Water's Edge, Ruislip

The location is great. Desserts are great. Good choice of drinks.

They have a feedback survey.

At around £27 for an all you can eat main course, dessert and drinks it would have been great value if the main course food had been better quality.

The midweek deals and occasional offers are good value.

The meat was dry. The place was pretty empty, so one of us said we could hardly expect them to bring out fresh meat for no customers. The other person said that surely restaurants have to replace food at regular intervals as a legal requirement.

Staff were friendly. The girl taking drinks orders was warm and friendly by the time we left. The man serving the meat made the evening with his tales of his past.

Can you cook and travel the world? I recall that if you wear glasses you might be turned down by the RAF and navy, but could get a job as a chef in the army. Earlier this year at a food show I met a group of chefs who worked on ships.

You could not leave food out from 9 am to midnight even if you had no customers. I thought it had to be replaced every hour, or at least every two hours, worldwide (in Singapore because of the temperature being about 90 degrees f, every hour.)

Feedback Survey
You need the phone number of the restaurant to register the survey. You can find that on your bill (make sure they give you the bill and you keep it). If you forget to keep your bill, you can find the restaurant phone number on a website.

The car park is big and free.

My last tip. Hang on to your unused paper napkin in case the toilet paper has run out.

To end on a happy note, the view was just great and I loved the apple crumble dessert. Yum yum.

Crown Waters Edge

Reservoir Road

Ruislip

HA4 7TY

Tel: 01895 625241.

Angela Lansbury Travel writer and photographer, author, speaker. 

See Suburban Trees In London

   Spring is the season for strolling the city, London, Washington DC, and all over England and the USA. Start, in the south, as the warm weather creeps north through the spring season. Check the weather, often on the back page of your national newspaper.
   You can walk along Hadrian's Wall which was built by the Romans to keep England and Scotland separate and prevent raids. From Easter time many Roman museums will be open.
    National Trust properties will be open to the public and you can choose a walk around the park of a stately home, starting and ending at the gift shop and tea room. Or choose an RSPB site and do some bird-watching.
   Pick a railway station in  a shopping centre and look for a walk from the station to another station or in a loop and back. London libraries have leaflets on local walks. Many walks are signposted.
   You can walk along the Thames river. Pick landmarks, statues to see and photograph, bridges to cross. A place such as a pub or tea room where you can end up for tea. For example, the Tate Gallery and the bouncing bridge.
   Take London's underground railway out to the suburbs. Go South to Kew Gardens (entry charge).

    London is surrounded by the 'Green Belt'. For example, going north, Pinner has a historic high street with the Victory pub turned into a restaurant. The Park has a pond and the Heath Robinson Museum where you can see the cartoonists drawings. Walk uphill from Harrow-on-the-hill on the Metropolitan Line to see the famous school.
   Over in Ruislip there's Ruislip lido. Walk around the Lido admiring the swans. Finish with a reasonably priced lunch or dinner in the Water's Edge carvery.
   Take the Euston line North towards Watford and get off at Hatch End station. A map on the station wall shows how you can walk along pre-historic Grim's Dyke via Grimsdyke Hotel, home of Gilbert who wrote the words for Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. In just one street, in Hatch End, I took these photos of trees in the gardens and along the verges.

Magnificent magnolia trees in bloom in white or the prized pink.

Beautiful pink magnolia blossom against a blue sky.

Looking up, even the white clouds and telephone polls and rooftops cannot spoil the view of the wonderful pink petals.

Delicate pink blossoms on prunus (cherry tree family).

Grey clouds warn of rain.

But trees like rain.

Silver birch with its elegant slim silver-white trunk and delicate branches.

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