Leptis Magna ruins
Genuine Roman columns from Libya, set up in 1826 on the shore of Virginia Water as a folly.
Smithr32 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stuart Logan — CC BY-SA 2.0 · David Short from Windsor, UK — CC BY 2.0 · David Short from Windsor, UK — CC BY 2.0
Real Roman columns from Leptis Magna in Libya stand on the shore of an artificial English lake, shipped from the Tripoli coast in the early nineteenth century and set up in 1826 as a mock ruin to amuse a king. That is the mood of Windsor Great Park: roughly twenty square kilometres of a Norman hunting forest that never went away, run today by the Crown Estate and enclosing Royal Lodge, the private royal residence that was the Queen Mother's home for half a century. The park itself is free and opens daily from dawn to dusk. There are two quite different ways in. From Windsor town you step out from under the castle onto the Long Walk, a dead-straight avenue of about four kilometres ending at the Copper Horse, the statue of George III raised on Snow Hill by his son George IV, and the most photographed view of the castle in England. Around five hundred red deer graze either side; bikes and scooters are banned, and the deer park closes on some days in autumn for the rut and deer management, so check the visitor updates page first. The southern entrance is Virginia Water, where a car makes far more sense: a lakeside loop of about seven kilometres passes the Leptis Magna ruins, the Cascade waterfall of the 1780s (only convincing after heavy rain) and the spot where a thirty-metre Canadian totem pole stood from 1958 until it was taken down in 2024 and left on the ground to decay, as the carvers' First Nation tradition asks. The one paid element is The Savill Garden, thirty-five acres of designed planting. Adults pay 14.95 pounds if booked online before 9am on the day, 18.95 at the gate; under-fives go free, prices drop in winter, and the car park is free with a garden ticket. In April and May the neighbouring Valley Gardens, ablaze with azaleas and rhododendrons, rival it for nothing at all. In July and August the park is dark green and quiet, and the only real headache is weekend parking: it fills early, costs 3.20 pounds for the first hour rising to 16 pounds beyond four hours, and takes cards only. A straight word for families: distances are long and exposed to sun and wind, so do not plan the full lake circuit with small children. Stick to the stretch from the Virginia Water car park to the ruins and the Cascade, which is fine with a pushchair. The park earns its place if you are staying in Windsor overnight or arriving in a hire car; it is not worth a separate day trip from London by train if time is tight. In winter it is dark before five and the ground is muddy, so the visit shrinks to the Long Walk and the Virginia Water cafe.
Genuine Roman columns from Libya, set up in 1826 on the shore of Virginia Water as a folly.
A four-kilometre straight avenue from the castle to the statue of George III, with the classic view back over Windsor Castle.
Around five hundred red deer roam freely either side of the Long Walk, easiest to see in the early morning.
The Long Walk, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 2HT
In April and May the neighbouring Valley Gardens are free and nearly match it for azaleas. The rest of the year Savill earns its ticket only if you specifically enjoy designed gardens or want a day without long walking for children; book online before 9am to save four pounds per adult, and remember the car park becomes free with the ticket.
You can, but it is tiring: the train to Windsor and the Long Walk out and back eat the first half of the day, and Virginia Water is a separate station with a fifteen-minute walk. It works far better combined with a night in Windsor or a hire car on the way west.