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The Riverfront at Windsor
A Splendid Leisure Area To Relax On Your Visit To Windsor



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Windsor is blessed with a delightful riverfront, the river is of course the River Thames.

All along the riverfront is a wide paved pathway giving access to all the riverfront activities described later.

Behind the riverfront for much of the way is a large traditional park, called Alexander Gardens. This is the kind of place where (at least during the summer) you'll see visitors lazing on the grass taking a well earned break from the serious business of sightseeing.

 Windsor Riverfront
On the other bank of the Thames opposite is Eton, much of the frontage is just a mud bank with empty grassland behind. By Eton Bridge there is Eton rowing club. The bank opposite is a favourite place for people cruising the Thames to put up. There is often a large funfair travelling through on the grassland area.
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Windsor Riverfront
Starting by Eton Bridge at the eastern end of the waterfront is the Sir Christopher Wren's Hotel right on the river next to the bridge. This is a historic old hotel, the original home of Sir Christopher Wren famous for St Paul's Cathedral in London.
The hotels restaurant has a delightful terrace garden open during the summer facing the busy waterfront.

Eton Bridge From Sir Christopher Wren's Hotel
The riverfront path is at its narrowest here. There is always lots of Swans, ducks and Canadian Geese here. You will find them all along the riverfront.

Their numbers are so high because of a mutually beneficial practise of visitors feeding the birds and the birds quite ready to tamely almost eat out of your hands. Most people bring along a loaf of bread out of the supermarket in the town centre.
Boat Trips & Rowing Boats
Next to Sir Christopher Wren's Hotel is where the pleasure boats do a good trade during the summer months.
French Brothers run two regular trips lasting 35 minutes and 2 hours on the Thames. See their web site for details : French Brothers

If there is a race meeting (horses) at Windsor racecourse the boats run a shuttle service to the racecourse.
There are also rowing boats and motor boats for hire in this section too.
The river frontage continues westwards until by the railway bridge is a pleasant parkland area by a small island in the river, a great place for a summer nap.
The main park is behind the river and is called Alexander Gardens.


Alexander Gardens With Windsor Castle in Background

Alexander Gardens
Alexander Gardens is an old fashioned traditional park established a century or so ago in Victorian times.
Complete with formal flower beds and grass its not as stuffy as it sounds. It runs parallel to the waterfront for much of the riverfront area. There is always plenty of space just to lie out on the grass, a great place to have a picnic or just 'chill out'.
There are plenty of ice cream and other food outlets in the vicinity as well as public toilets.

At the far western end of the park is a mini funfair for the kids and a small skateboard park, complete with candy floss, hot dogs etc..
The park is used to accommodate a big wheel (see photograph left) during the summer. This is a slightly smaller version of the London Eye. The wheel was sited at the end of the park nearest Windsor Castle.

During December this area has also been turned into an ice rink and is becoming a seasonal fixture.

Also within Alexander Gardens is a bike hire shop. Windsor is in the bottom of the wide Thames Valley and there are excellent rides along the river, to Runnymede or over to Windsor Great Park and Virginia Water.