When
you have had your fill of Windsor Castle (full
details of Windsor Castle page), its time to start the walk!.
A decent map of the town centre might be a good start.
Windsor Town Centre Map
As you went up Castle Hill the main approach into the castle, you
may already have been attracted to the Olde Worlde shops on your right,
at the corner with the High Street.
Our walk starts here, the shops may be in your face tourist fare but
the cobbled lane between the shops is better than the standard pavement
alternative.
Guildhall
Walk into
the lane between the shops which runs parallel with the High Street,
with the castle at your back. Loop round back to the High Street and
you will be next to this fine building as you exit on the High Street.
Immediately next door on the High Street is the Guildhall, (signposted).
The Windsor Guildhall is over 300 years old. It was designed by Sir
Thomas Fitz and completed by the famous architect Sir Christopher
Wren. The building was completed on 17th October 1689. On close inspection
you will notice that the central columns do not touch the ceiling.
You can visit inside on a Monday (free entry).
Now retrace your steps back down the High Street towards the Castle,
down the High Street on the left hand side of the road. |
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Just before the road begins to descend steeply to a right hand bend,
you come to the entrance of Windsor Royal Station on your left. You
will see the view below.
(If you came by train from Paddington this is where you got off the
train - Windsor Central )
Windsor Royal Station is a "shopping opportunity" aimed
at squeezing the last pennies from visitors. There are some pleasant
coffee shops, but most of the shops are the type you find at an airport
lounge.
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Walk
into Windsor Royal Station and keep going. At the other end is a "normal"
shopping centre called King Edward Court. If you like your shopping,
then wander around.
King Edward Court leads into the main shopping streets of Windsor.
The Windsor area is a relatively wealthy area, and many of the shops
reflect this.
At the corner of King Edward Court nearest the station is a supermarket
called Waitrose. Ask any local looking person and they will guide
you if you don't find it straight away.
Waitrose serves two purposes on this walk.
The first purpose is an opportunity to stock up on picnic food for
the walk ahead. More importantly, its an opportunity to purchase food
for the birds that you come across later in the walk. If in doubt,
a loaf of sliced bread will do the trick. |
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The
second purpose is as a waymark. Down the side of Waitrose on the station
side is a path out of the shopping area. At the back of Waitrose you
will see stairs descending down to the scene in the picture above.
The railway arches support the railway line out of the station. If
for any reason this doesn't happen, or you have gone a long way shopping
ask or follow the signs to the river front, to join the walk at the
next page.
At
the far end of the picture is a road, not particularly clear here.
Turn right under the railway arch without crossing the road. Follow
the road for about 100m to a pedestrian crossing. On your left you
will see a park (called Alexandra Gardens), cross over the pedestrian
crossing to the park.
If you have travelled in by car, you may well have parked your car
down here in the car park on the far side |
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