Windsor

it’s a real pleasure for me to write about Windsor; having grown up close by, I feel so lucky that I have enjoyed visiting there as a child and as an adult; I still always find plenty to do and come home feeling like I’ve had a brilliant day out. It’s definitely one of my favourite places to go to, that feels welcoming, despite how inundated it is with tourists each day.

There’s a huge amount to offer and with the town evolving in recent years as retail trends change and come and go, what keeps me coming back is how grounded it is in it’s history – that will not change and I find it absolutely joyful to drive and walk around.

A Saxon town, once village, the first king to inhabit it was William The Conqueror; with it’s position above the river and close to a Saxon hunting ground, he really did choose well. The castle itself has been home to British Kings and Queens for years and years and of course most recently, royal residence to Queen Elizabeth II.

No matter which way you come into Windsor, you’ll be able to spot the castle from the road, which gives you a constant landmark to navigate your way in (some of the streets on the way in have had me going round in circles before!). The surrounding areas of Datchet, Eton and Old Windsor, are nice to look at and whether you’re here for a day or able to stretch it out for a weekend, I hope my top tips will make for a great time!

Walkers

You really are in for a treat, with the Long Walk and Windsor Great Park among others! The Long Walk is approx 3 miles long, a really lovely tree-lined avenue that takes you from the George IV Gateway of Windsor Castle, all the way along and up to a copper horse statue of King George III. The walk is sectioned into three parts, separated by a road crossing and a gate, so you have a couple of options depending on the time you have and fitness levels. I’ve walked this many times with my partner, friends and family and people picnic, run, walk their dogs and it’s quite busy, whatever the season.

Windsor Great Park is expansive! With over 4800 acres to explore, Savill Gardens, Virginia Water lake, the deer park and stag meadow making for a variety of walks that will easily make your day fly by just by doing these alone. Savill Gardens has a really lovely cafe on site and parking. Although you can’t drive on to the Great Park, you can park in one of many car parks dotted about and plan your route from there. We did complete a 2 hour walk around the edge of the deer park and along some of the long walk, which we didn’t anticipate – time does get away with you and before you realise it, you’re quite far into the park so take supplies! I’ve also cycled around some of the park too which is a really great way to explore and enjoy it.

Shoppers

Windsor’s shopping is all fairly contained to a few streets and you’ll find a wealth of tourist-type offerings along the main stretch opposite the castle, along with pubs and independent shops tucked away on the side streets. As you start to venture off of that road, there’s a pedestrianised area that leads to one of the two train stations in Windsor; the central windsor station. (the riverside one is a little closer to you guessed it, the river!). From a mixture of high street, designer and independents, you’ll find it very easy to find what you are looking for (and take home things you probably didn’t need too!). There’s also Artique Gallery and Castle Fine Art to check out for a respite from clothes shopping!

Drinkers

Most of the pubs I have visited over the years serve food too and a few that I would recommend are The Duchess of Cambridge directly opposite the castle – although less of a pub and more of a restaurant, it’s got a small outdoor space and a nice informal feel to it and I’ve popped in for just a drink here plenty of times. A pub that is also opposite the castle and which is absolutely huge with several floors and a big open outdoor seating space at the back, is the King & Castle Wetherspoons. Once a chemist, it became a pub in 1967 – if you go in or even past it, take a look at the passageway to the right of the pub as there is a bust of Edward VII. The Two Brewer’s Pub is also great for a drink (outside in the summer) or a meal inside in the winter, in my opinion as it’s so cosy! Just at the start of the Long Walk (or a great place to stop after you’ve done the walk) you can’t miss the pretty exterior of this. All Bar One is also something you are likely to come across while walking around the shopping areas of Windsor and is also right by the train station. Situated in a listed building, there is plenty of character and some great cocktails to be had. It also does some great food options. If you would like your pubs to be a bit more “riverside” then I recommend The Boatman; easily walkable from the town and with a car park just beside it, this lively gastropub offers drinks or food and drinks. Browns is also on the riverside, perfect for a summer’s day cocktail – but as it’s a Brasserie, more on that later!

Cafe’s / Delis

As part of a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, we stopped at Windsor Farm Shop where you’ll find locally sourced goods to buy as well as a cafe onsite for light bites. We also loved Cinnamon Cafe, once a station booking hall!
There are SO many cafe’s in Windsor, every few doors seems to offer you an alternative, it really is a case of taking your pick of the one you like the look of.

Restaurants

You really are spoilt for choice for dining in Windsor. Brown’s as I mentioned earlier, has a premium spot right by the river and is informal and pretty inside and is a nice place to stop for a bite to eat.
I absolutely enjoyed the Real Greek on a recent trip, tapas done well and exceptionally priced, and I have enjoyed meals at some great chain restaurants, Bill’s, Bel & Dragon and Cote. If you are a big meat eater, you have to try the ribs at Cattle Grid! If you are looking for something a little upmarket, I have heard such amazing things about Gilbeys in Eton, which is a short stroll over the bridge. The Ivy has also recently opened in Windsor.

Places I’d like to try
A La Russe
Sebastians
Gilbeys

Hotels

I’ve stayed at the Castle Hotel which is incredibly central and they have a car park at the rear (chargeable). If you stay here, try to get a room at the front of the hotel so you can enjoy the view! I’ve also stayed at the Macdonald just a few doors down, which was also nice. If you want to stay out of town at a plush, gothic-style hotel, you should check out Oakley Court Hotel, which is about 15 mins drive away, set in stunning scenery and also does an exceptional afternoon tea!

I’d love to stay at:

Gilbey’s in Eton, again fantastic reviews
Sir Christopher Wren
Monkey Island Estate – in Bray, out of Windsor but it does look incredible

Sightseeing

I would absolutely recommend many things that you can do in Windsor, from the Toot Bus Tour that takes you on a lovely journey through Windsor and Eton, with plenty of stop off points or stay on for a more “whistlestop tour” of the area.
Also, if castle’s are your thing, well you couldn’t be closer to a better one to visit! Check out Windsor Castle in all it’s glory! Taking in the town by foot is also a good idea, as you’ll get to see the ancient well, the shortest street in England, Queen Charlotte Street, as well as (right next to this street) Crooked House which used to be a tearoom (and has some great history behind it including allegedly having underground passageways that led directly to Windsor Castle). There is also the Guildhall, and Windsor Parish Church of St John the Baptist (there are in fact several churches around Windsor) in quick succession as you walk along. There’s the Queen Victoria statue that you would be hard pushed to miss and I would also recommend trying to catch the changing of the guard if you can as it’s just so rare to be able to see these kinds of things, especially in a smaller town.
There’s Legoland just down the road for kids and has an onsite hotel, as well as brilliant boat trips to enjoy – in fact I am yet to do a Duck Tour, but I can absolutely recommend any of the French Brother’s boat trips. If you just want to take a picnic to the river, you’ll have plenty of options to do so, with some lovely open spaces either directly onto the river, or Alexandra Park just behind; don’t forget to get an ice-cream from Mamma Mia’s, on the riverside frontage. Perhaps stop by the Diamond Julibee water fountain and stop to watch members of the bowling club taking turns to bowl. The Sydney Camm memorial is a plane replica commemorating the Battle of Britain near to Alexandra Gardens, which in the summer often has a ferris wheel.
The racecourse is also just down the road, for a fun day out; they have plenty of events on throughout the year from bands to cinema nights; if you don’t want to go there or have time to, you can view it on one of the boat trips (along with taking in the sights of many pricey houses that have gorgeous gardens backing on to the river).
If you are staying for the weekend, why not check out The Theatre Royal or head to the comedy club Fuzzy Bear (this area is called the Arches and there are several bars down here too, which could tie in nicely after a lovely dinner at Sebastians – I have it on good authority that this Italian is worth a trip) or see a live band at The Old Ticket Hall ! And if you happen to visit during the week, and it’s a little quiet keep an eye out for Dexter; a well-loved and homed local grey cat that quite often pops into shop windows to snooze or walks about the town. He’s very friendly!

Would I go again?

It would be the shock of your lives if I said no; I hope if you’ve never visited, you will find time to come to this lovely bustling town and enjoy it either in the summer where you can people watch from the benches on the edges of the castle grounds or in the winter where they project Christmas holograms on to the side of the castle wall. I have some imagery that I would love to retake so watch this space for an update in the future!

For more of my travels, check my main page https://wanderingwanderluster.co.uk/