The Royal Landscape - October 4, 2008

Also known as the 'Windsor Great Park' or locally as just the "Great Park" is the Queen's garden. It is absolutely beautiful. William the Conqueror first claimed the area around 1100 when he built what was to be the beginning of a growing royal residence at Windsor that is still in use today, 900 years later. At the time, it wasn't actually called a park, it was gigantic and reserved for royal hunting for food. Now days it is 5,000 beautiful acres (still pretty big) and is open to the public. There is a lake, streams, manicured gardens, beautiful bridges, a totem pole, an Egyptian obelisk, and some Roman ruins that I mentioned in an earlier post a few months ago.

We are quite fortunate to have an entrance close to us. Our kid's school is across the street from it. I get to run here three times a week.

To get to the Great Park, we simply walk out the front door, take a right and then the first right, and the entrance is 1/2 mile down Watersplash lane. When the Queen comes to Ascot for the races, this is how she get here. The park runs right up to her door (as you will see).
It is a great place to run, walk, bike, ride horses and ride carriages, as many, many people have discovered long before I did.

On my run today, I took pictures. Here's a quick tour of what I saw today ...

The first picture is the end of Watersplash lane, looking to the left you see the entrance to the Great Park. Looking directly across the road, you see that we are six miles from Windsor. It is an automatic gate, for those with the proper electronic tag. But there's just a button to get out. As you can see, one of the horseback riders pushed the button to open the gate.

After about a half mile run, you get to the more formal gate with the house of one of the Park Rangers. There's little traffic coming in this gate, I occasionally see a car or two, and some walkers and joggers. It really gets busy further along. The first picture below is the first time you see Windsor on the run. If you click on the shot you can see both the castle, the city, and the "Windsor Wheel" - the ferris wheel.

(you can see it's called the "Prince Consort's House)

The next gate a mile or so farther in the park is a deer gate. As you will see, the Queen likes her deer. There are a ton of them.


About a half mile past this gate, you get to a left turn which is called "The Long Walk." It runs right up to the castle and is constantly full of people doing any and every activity allowed. I've seen races for both full sized and shetland pony sized horses and carriage. The carriage riders and horses all wear matching outfits. Cool! A week or two ago I ran right into the middle of a women's half marathon. And every week I see walkers, biker riders, horseback riders, and many joggers. This is the most popular part of the park because of the deer. At the top of the hill facing the Long Walk is a statue of George III on horseback. Looking the other way you see the Long Walk leading right up to Windsor castle.


And then there are the deer, hundreds of them, oh deer, oh deer ... There's just something about deer that makes you feel good. I know they can get scary if threatened, but they are graceful and in this particular case, not really afraid of humans because this has been a sanctuary for them for many generations of deer.




Then about a mile and a half or so down the Long Walk, you get to Windsor castle.
The first shot is taken about half way down the Long Walk, the next is the gate house. You can see that the right side of the building is designed to match the exterior of Windsor Castle but the left side just looks like a regular building.

Then there is the gate itself. There are four guys in tuxedos having their picture taken for some reason. I'm guessing a wedding. I have seen a bride and groom having their picture taken there too. The picture on the left are 'bollards', they raise and lower as needed to either keep out the 'nasties' or to let the royals drive out.

The first picture is the view from the gate, as you can see I am pretty close. The second is zoomed in to see the royal guard in his booth, in all his red jacketed, fuzzy hatted, splendor.


From the gate, I turned around and ran back up the Long Walk. Another three miles along and you get to the royal Polo fields. Prince Albert loved his horses, polo and the park, his statue is beside the practice field. He was Queen Victoria's husband and she loved him dearly. When he passed away she was so saddened that she hardly came out in public ever again. There are at least three polo fields. The one in the near ground is a practice field on which I've seen them playing on many Saturdays. In the background is the grandstand where the formal matches are held. And then off to the left of the grandstand is another practice field.

Then there are acres and acres of beautiful scenery, reminding you that the whole, giant thing is a garden.


And then you get to the opposite end of the road I have chosen (there are many), this is one of the gates coming in from the Windsor side. The pink gate houses are sort of a standard, you see them at most of the entrances. All shaped and painted the same. When I see them, I think of a crown. The whole run to this gate, including the Long Walk, is 10 1/2 miles.

Now I have to go back ...