Windsor Great Park

In the last two weekends, I have twice visited different areas of the Windsor Great Park. This is the land near Windsor Castle, which is part of the Royal Landscape.. so yes, the Queen's Land. It is mostly open to the public, and the gorgeous terrain is a great way to make use of time off and good weather.

This is a map of the main part of the park, which is right behind Windsor Castle. The area is not the largest of the parks, but it is great for cyclists and horse riding (though apparently, being allowed to ride a horse through the park is quite a difficult feat to get permission to do). 

The Copper Horse

This statue is at the end of what is called "The Long Walk", which is a walking path that leads from Windsor Castle to the top of this hill, called Snow Hill.

 This is a statue of King George III, commissioned by his son, King George IV (so original). There is a Latin inscription on the stones, which reads "The best of fathers". Sweet, but apparently they really hated each other.

 The view down "The Long Walk" of Windsor Park. Can you see Windsor Castle at the end?

Farther from Windsor, at the southern end of the park, is Virginia Water Lake.

One of the first things you come to as you walk around the lake (if you go clockwise, like we did) is the Virginia Water Cascade. While not natural, the waterfall is quite picturesque, made even more enjoyable due to the fact that you can get close to it and (although the signs say not to) climb the rocks.

The lake itself is calm and alluring. Surrounded by greenery, to me it would be ideal for floating with on a tube with a cooler and some friends. Apparently, the Queen does not share my ideas. We walked around the whole lake, about 2 miles, and only saw one small area where a few children and dogs were wading in the water. 

 As we wandered around, we explored areas that had been pruned and primped by the royal gardeners. Unfortunately, we missed all the blossoms of flowers (too late in the year). The most interesting part to me, was that a short distance from the carefully manicured landscape were paths through the woods- dark, mysterious, and intriguing. Completely safe of course, the only animals we encountered were domesticated dogs and swan (though I did here a rabbit-like rustle in a bush). As we walked though the intricate tangle of trees, we felt as if we were in a fairyland- who knows what secrets the entwined branches hold!

 As I said, we found a few swans as we wandered around the lake. Handsome and proud, they swam around the shore as people shared their bread crumbs, but safely backed off when dogs entered the water, mocking them from a distance.  Important to remember- the swans are protected. Wild swans and deer are historically owned by the Monarch of Great Britain, and it is rumored that to kill one means the death penalty (though this is most likely not true).

Another site to see around the Lake is the ruins of Laptis Magna. These columns and stones are parts of the Roman city, which is located in present day Libya. The ruins were given to the UK as a gift back in the 18th century. For awhile, they stood in the British Museum, and then were relocated to the park. They fell into disrepair, but just recently they were reconstructed using only time correct tools. 

At the end of the walk around the lake (or the beginning, if you chose to go counter-clockwise) is a tall totem pole. This 100 ft tall totem pole was presented to the UK by British Columbia, having been carved from a 600 year old cedar tree. 

I have seen but a small area of Windsor Great Park, but what I have seen so far is beautiful and tranquil. While I am fairly certain the Queen herself has not set foot in one of these public parks in a long time, I am glad that the areas are protected and able to be enjoyed by the masses.