Trail Activity Area Type(s) Author Distance Ascent Location : BRKSTR0008 : Walk : Windsor and the South East : Country Escape : Andy Oakes : 5 miles / 8.1 km : 239 feet / 73 metres : SU947727 / SL4 2BT The Copper Horse Lodge, Windsor Park George III statue and view of Windsor Castle Andy Oakes Julian P Guffogg Don Cload Trail Summary A delightful walk in the peaceful parkland of Windsor Great Park, with some extensive views over to Windsor Castle and beyond. Fascinating buildings and statues, together with extensive woodland and wildlife, all add to the enjoyment of this easy walk. Trail Details Leave the car park, cross the A332 and enter Windsor Great Park through the Cranbourne Gate. Follow the drive, enjoying distant views to Windsor Castle on your left, until you meet a crossroads. Turn right towards Cumberland Lodge and follow the drive to a junction, with two ponds just beyond it. Turn left, passing one of the ponds on your right and continue past the Post Office and General Store. Continue straight on, ignoring the turnings to the left, until you meet Queen Anne's Ride. [1] Turn right down Queen Anne's Ride, pausing first to look back over the park to Windsor Castle on the horizon. Continue with Poets Lawn on your left to meet a tarmac drive. Turn right and follow the drive keeping left at the fork. Continue straight over the next junction and ascend a slight incline as the drive cuts through trees. Keep straight ahead where a road joins from the left and after the Chaplains Lodge take the second right turn, signposted 'Cumberland Lodge'. [2] Follow the drive to the lodge, turning left where the drive ahead is marked 'Private' and follow the drive round past a tennis court. At the junction with a second entrance to the lodge, turn left, passing through rows of lime trees. Ignore the drive joining from the left and then almost imediately take a left fork where the drive splits. Bear left at the next junction (ignoring the hard left turn) and follow the drive through woodland. Page 1 of 5
Continue to a crossroads. At this point, a right turn will take you out of the park and shortly afterwards, to the Fox & Hounds pub. [3] Continue ahead (slightly-left) across the crossroads, with the entrance to the Royal Lodge off to the left, and pass through a deer gate. Follow the drive as it winds through the park, with occassional views to Windsor Castle through the trees on your right, until you reach the Long Walk. Turn left and head up Snow Hill to the Copper Horse and enjoy one of the most photographed views in Britain - down the Long Walk to Windsor Castle. [4] Facing the statue with your back to the castle, turn right to enter woodland (the statue of George III is pointing in the right direction). Follow the path, shorly joined by a bridlepath, through the deer park to meet a drive. Pass through the deer gate and continue straight ahead on the drive, ignoring any side turnings. Pass Queen Anne's Ride and The Village to return to the Cranbourne Gate and the car park. Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park, also known as The Great Park, extends for 5,000 acres on the Berkshire/Surrey border south of Windsor. The landscape varies between open grassland and woods, with oak, beech, chesnut and birch all well represented. The park also supports a variety of fauna, including prolific birdlife and deer, which were re-introduced in 1979. The Copper Horse The Copper Horse, a statue of King George III depicted as a Roman Emperor on horseback, stands on top of Snow Hill at the end of the Long Walk, 3 miles from Windsor Castle. The statue dates from 1829 and is one of several in the park with an equestrian theme, including one of Queen Elizabeth II near The Village. Page 2 of 5
Trail Map Page 3 of 5
Trail Location Windsor Great Park Page 4 of 5
Trail Profile Location Details The trail starts from the car park opposite Cranbourne Gate on the A332, between Windsor and Ascot. Alternatively, the route could be started from Bishopsgate, where there is a pub to provide refreshment at the end of the walk. Page 5 of 5