This was one of those sort of walks where it was a case of see how I felt in the morning before committing to it (namely as I had just returned from holiday the previous day). In the event I felt quite chipper when the alarm went off. Apparently plenty of other people did as well, as this was one of the largest turn outs I have seen on an IVC walk.
As we entered Windsor Great Park the abundance of blooms left no doubt that Spring was here with a vengeance. This being most clearly illustrated as we passed through the colourful Valley Gardens area. Our leader however seemed a little more preoccupied trying to work our way along with a combination of a map and the parks signposts, but on a day like this and with scenery like this, there can be no such thing as a wrong turn. Lunch was at the Savill Gardens cafeteria where I had: Tomato soup and a roll, a bag of Mini Cheddars, a slice of chocolate cake, and a bottle of Orange juice. All these things are relative I know, but for £10.55 that didn’t seem too outrageous.
As we entered Windsor Great Park the abundance of blooms left no doubt that Spring was here with a vengeance. This being most clearly illustrated as we passed through the colourful Valley Gardens area. Our leader however seemed a little more preoccupied trying to work our way along with a combination of a map and the parks signposts, but on a day like this and with scenery like this, there can be no such thing as a wrong turn. Lunch was at the Savill Gardens cafeteria where I had: Tomato soup and a roll, a bag of Mini Cheddars, a slice of chocolate cake, and a bottle of Orange juice. All these things are relative I know, but for £10.55 that didn’t seem too outrageous.
After lunch we walked through some of the more remote (read less parents and kiddies) areas of the park. Eventually we joined up with the Long Walk which takes one down to Windsor castle, at the other end of which stands the Copper Horse. Now this part of the park has special meaning for me as it is (going back to my running days) the last mile of the Windsor Gt. Park Half Marathon (a race I ran seven times between 1983 and 1993). In fact a picture of me in my running kit coming down the Long Walk still adorns my parents living room. But enough of all my yesterdays, for todays walk we continued all the way down to the gates of the castle itself accompanied by a horse drawn carriage going back and forth. The straight nature of the path did encourage some of us to pick up speed and we were getting somewhat strung out at this point. However once at the castle gates we regrouped, and hit the town centre for some afternoon coffee, and the train home. Hardly as demanding as the ten miler I did earlier in the week, but a nice walk and day all the same.
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