Windsor Great Park
Children will enjoy the play area, totem pole, lake and the rhododendrons on this walk for free, as well as the ticketed Adventure Play.
Obelisk Pond
The Basics
Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Distance: 4 km
Terrain: Firm, well maintained paths. Mostly flat or very gentle inclines.
Pushchair: Yes
Dogs: Yes, but on leads in The Valley Gardens
Refreshments: Savill Garden Kitchen, Café in the Park kiosk beside the obelisk, Ice-cream van beside Wick Pond or coffee van at the top of Valley Gardens.
Toilets: At Savill Garden or at the top of Valley Gardens beside the coffee van
Public Transport: The White Bus 01 service runs between Windsor High Street and Ascot Train Station, stopping at The Great Park on Mondays to Saturdays
Parking: Savill Garden Car Park, around £3 per hour, pay on exit (Postcode: TW20 0UJ - W3W: lodge/hidden/vote)
The small, free play area
There are probably hundreds of different walks you could take in Windsor Great Park given that it stretches for 4,800 acres. You will find woodland, parkland, lakes, gardens, roman ruins, a waterfall, views, long grassy rides, cafes, kiosks, picnic areas and play areas. We will add more walks at the park to this page over time, but we are starting with our favourite family friendly walk as it starts by the free play area and the ticketed Adventure Play.
The Route
If facing the entrance to The Savill Garden, turn left and head along the path into the park. You will soon see the brand new Adventure Play. You can see a video of what to expect here and I think you will agree, it is incredible. It is, however, a ticketed attraction and will require an entrance fee and advance booking.
Just beyond this is the current play area, which is small, but free. It has a sunken pirate ship theme and is placed beside The Obelisk, a small café and a grassy picnic lawn.
To continue on the walk, head down the hill with Obelisk Pond to your right. You will see ducks and swans here, but children and dogs should not enter the water.
Continue straight at the end of the pond into an area of grass and trees. At the crossroads, turn left, following the sign to The Totem Pole. Along this section of the walk, the path is lined with rhododendron bushes, which my children absolutely loved climbing amongst and finding secret dens in the undergrowth.
The path will take you down and then up, where you will spot a large clearing and a very tall totem pole. Continue with the totem pole to your right, going down towards Wick Pond on your left. There is often an ice cream van parked here.
You need to turn right opposite Wick Pond to head into The Valley Gardens. You should have the totem pole up to your right, Virginia Water to your left and some large wooden dog poo bins marking the start of the path.
This path will take you towards The Valley Gardens with Virginia Water Lake to your left. Continue along the path until you come to Botany Bay Point. There is usually access to the water here, with a nice view to the other side. On our last visit, this had been temporally fenced off for some reason. After this point, you will come to a fork and you should take the right hand path which will steadily rise up hill through The Valley Gardens. The Gardens have a range of ornamental planting including magnolia, camellia and azalea, which all look marvellous in the spring.
At the top of the hill you will see a coffee kiosk and toilets across the lawn to your right. Take the path in the direction of these and then turn right. This path will take you through trees, signed in the direction of Savill Garden.
At a cross paths, continue straight on towards Savill Garden and the same again at a cross roads with an access road. After this, you will soon recognise that you are now retracing your steps past Obelisk Pond back towards the car park.
In autumn, some of our favourite autumn colour can be found on the trees along Virginia Water. When you reach the totem pole, instead of turning right into Valley Gardens, you could continue straight and walk with Virginia Water on your right and walk to the Pavilion for refreshments or to the cascade. If you want an even longer walk, you could follow the red route all the way around Virginia Water. You may find this map useful.
Did you know?
Stretching as far as Windsor Castle in the East, Windsor Great Park is a royal estate which has been enjoyed by many monarchs over the centuries from William The Conqueror’s Royal Hunting Ground to The Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh’s stewardship as Ranger of Great Windsor Park for nearly 70 years.
