A 20 Mile Run Round The Great Park, With...

Windsor, United Kingdom

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Posted:  Thursday, January 4
Runner:  Roddy Fisher

A 20 mile run round the Great Park, with almost no traffic on the park roads and several toilets. Pavements, gravel tracks and park roads with mown grass verges, mildly undulating. A very nice run - it would be worth coming to Windsor by train for this one. It's circular, you could start anywhere - I mention possible parking places. I start in Eton, where there is car parking in the High Street. Just past the main front of Eton College (on the right facing North) go through a brick arch into a yard, then out through another brick arch onto the playing fields. Follow the obvious wide track over a bridge, bearing right to a road at which go right and run carefully (no pavement) for 200 yards past the Thames Valley Athletics Track, crossing the road to a pavement. At the roundabout in 1 mile go right into Datchet then first right, across the railway line and left at the T-junction. In 1 mile cross the Thames by the stone Albert Bridge and immediately go left down steps to the tow-path. Follow the river past Old Windsor Lock until short steps lead up to the road opposite the "Bells of Ouseley" Harvester pub. Cross the main road carefully and continue in the same direction for 100 yards to the roundabout at which turn right and up the long Priest Hill, go right at the top just past the bus shelter, then bear immediately left through a small wood then right at the T-junction along a quiet wide road to enter the Great Park at Bishopsgate (car-parking and pub). Past the gate lodge an immediately left through a gate into Rhododendron Drive, track becomes tarmac and goes straight on past Saville Gardens (car-parking, toilets and water in cafeteria), down past the end of Obelisk Pond, up a short rise then go left at cross-road, down then up and follow the road bearing right at Wick Gate. In 100 yards, past the car park, the road leaves the park, follow the track to the right, and go through a wood, the track getting rougher. Straight across at a cross-road by cottages and on to touch the pedestrian gate by the junction of Wick Lane and the A30 (car-parking in Wick Lane). Turn back and bear left onto a wide soft track through the woods then keep left as the main track bends right and follow the good track parallel to the A30 until it enters the large car-park at Virginia Water (toilet in brick block at the far end). Leave the car park through the pedestrian gate by the tea-stall (drink and food if you've brought any money) and then turn left along the banks of the lake. In 200 yards go left down the obvious tarmac track under the waterfall and back up, and follow the lakeside. At the road (Blacknest Gate, car parking otuside the park) go right then immediately left off the road before the bridge and follow the green ride which becomes a lonely riding-track past the last arm of the Virginia Water. At the next road (Ascot Gate, car-parking outside the park) go right and follow for 1 mile to cross-roads by cottages on the right. Turn left and up the steady hill and follow the road hard right at the top, downhill past a club-house on the right (water available here), past a pond then take the first right past the village and on to a cross-roads at which go left, views of Windsor and the Chilterns in the distance. bear right, through the deer fence and up to the T-junction under the Copper Horse statue on the hill on the right. Go left down the Long Walk (but keep running) all the way to Windsor Castle - fine views. Car parking to the left as you cross the main road. Turn left through the gate out of the park just before the gate into the Castle, along Park Street and left at the main road, uphill through Windsor, toilets and water by the Guildhall (Central Station, trains to Slough then Paddington of points west on the left), then downhill (Riverside Station, trains to Waterloo on the right), lots of parking, straight across the pedestrianised bridge (R.Thames) and up Eton High Street to the start. Well done.

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