Wraysbury: Walks, History and Nature

Wraysbury offers several distinct starting points for planning a trip: a named walking route, historic buildings and nature-related attractions. If you are looking for a hotel in Wraysbury, these themes can help you decide whether a particular route, architectural history or birdwatching should shape your stay.

Walk and getting there

The Wraysbury and Ankerwycke walk is 4½ miles long. It follows the Colne Brook and Wraysbury Lakes, passes through the National Trust’s Ankerwycke Estate and goes through the village of Wraysbury. It starts in the village centre. Before setting out, check the route conditions; it is best to confirm the starting point against the current signposting.

For rail travel, Wraysbury station is a useful reference point: trains from Windsor and Staines stop there. Check the current timetable before travelling.

Church and priory

The Church of St Andrew in Wraysbury is a Grade II* listed building. Its arcades and piers date from the 13th century, and the Lady Chapel from the 15th century. It also features an early brass depiction of a knight in Tudor armour from the 16th century. The different centuries show that the church reflects several layers of construction and design.

Ankerwycke Priory was founded in the late 12th century. Its remains include part of a ruined 13th-century building, a moat, fishponds and extensive earthworks. The surviving part of the building is Grade II listed. In contrast to the Church of St Andrew, the focus here is on a building remnant as well as the moat, ponds and earthworks. The historic highlights therefore differ: on one side is the architecture of a church building; on the other, the structural and landscape traces of a priory.

Ankerwycke and the lakes

Near Wraysbury lies Ankerwycke, a rural National Trust estate of significance for its wildlife, archaeology and remarkable trees. Also near Wraysbury, the Ankerwycke Yew is thought to be around 2,500 years old; it is the oldest tree in the care of the National Trust.

The flooded former gravel extraction sites around Wraysbury comprise 12 main bodies of water between Horton Pits, north of the railway line, and Hyde End at junction 13 of the M25. Birdwatching is possible at Wraysbury and Horton Gravel Pits. Goldeneye and Smew are sighted there in winter.

Diving in Wraysbury

Wraysbury Dive Centre offers a different kind of activity. It is the only inland dive site in London and South East England dedicated exclusively to scuba diving. The centre has numerous wrecks of various sizes, including the fuselage of a 737 aircraft. This diving activity is therefore quite distinct from the walking route, historic buildings and nature-related attractions around Wraysbury.

Explore more destinations: Old Windsor, Ascot, Sunninghill, Cookham, Hurley, Sunningdale, Maidenhead, Windsor

For the broader travel overview: Windsor And Maidenhead.