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I made it a point to go somewhere out of the city every week while in London. This week was a day in Windsor. I thought it would be a cool spot, but I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was.

I left my flat around noon and got home around 7.30 pm, so you don’t even need an entire day if you are limited on time. However, if you do decide to stay, The Castle Hotel Windsor is a beautiful hotel right near the castle. Lucky for me, Clapham Junction station is a short walk from where I lived, and the overground went straight to Windsor and Eton Riverside.

Being the last minute decision maker that I can be sometimes, I got on the train’s wifi on the way there and ordered my ticket to get into Windsor Castle. Luckily, there were still tickets available for that day. If you are traveling in a group, don’t do that. My ticket was about £30, but you can save a couple of pounds by buying them in advance. If you’re coming from London and don’t want to worry about the train, you can also book a half-day trip there with a coach.

Museum in Windsor

My castle tour time was for 2 pm, so I had some time to slowly wander up there. On the way, I was right by the little Windsor and Royal Borough Museum. This is just a small, one room space, free to the public. It holds relics from different eras and has some really interesting items from Queen Elizabeth’s reign. Pop in, I only spent a few minutes here before I had to get to the castle.

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in real life. I don’t think I realized what to expect, but it was so magnificent (there’s no other word for it). Upon entry, there is a metal detector everyone has to go through. Then you have the chance to pick up an audio set with headphones. I took one, and even though it’s an annoying thing to bring around, it was worth having. Some of the information said on the audio helped me understand different parts of the castle. It gave me some history that I did not know, and who were in some of the paintings.

Something that was incredibly special, and I didn’t realize it was inside Windsor, was seeing Queen Elizabeth’s resting place. Inside St. George’s Chapel, many of the past kings and queens have been laid to rest. There was a massive queue for it. While I waited, I was able to listen to the audios and glean more about the cathedral and what is inside.

You get the opportunity to see the state apartments and, if you want to wait, Queen Mary’s dollhouse. This line was a 40 minute wait, so I decided to just go around and into the state apartments. If this is something you really want to see, that’s great! Just plan for the line. The apartments were very impressive and expansive. You can see out the windows how big the entirety of the castle is. Of course, people do live there, so you can’t just go wandering around wherever you want. There are limited spaces for visitors to go, and it doesn’t seem like much in the grand scheme of things.

By the time I got through the state apartments, I was feeling pretty run down. There is a cafe inside so I stopped to have cream tea and rest for a little while. Yeah, I had tea inside Windsor castle (it was £7.50 for the cream tea)!

Note: Photos are not permitted on much of the indoor castle grounds, so you’ll have to go to see it for yourself.

Magna Carta at Runnymede

Although a bit random, when I was looking at Windsor and what else I might do there, I came across a blip about the Magna Carta. Apparently it had been signed in Runnymede in 1215, and there was a monument there to mark the spot.

When looking on GoogleMaps, I found that it was a bit out in the middle of nowhere from the town. But I set my mind and decided I really wanted to see it! So I found the bus stop and took the number 8 bus into Old Windsor about 6 miles or so. The great part about this was the views. I got to see the castle from a different vantage point. Plus, the walk I had to take to get to the field where this monument is was beautiful.

It was off and on rainy again that day, so I did have my umbrella with me. The walk took me along the Thames (a very different Thames than the one you see inside London). It was gorgeous and so peaceful. When I reached the field, I saw a few things: 1. Hay Sculptured village and 2. The Jurors. Both are just a short walk from the Magna Carta monument.

The Long Walk

Honestly, this area is a perfect little oasis of English countryside. I would recommend coming out here just to escape the city for the day. I made the walk back to the bus stop and caught the bus back towards Windsor. When it approached town, I got off early so I could stop and walk along The Long Walk, a 2.5 mile path leading right up to Windsor Castle. I would recommend a stop here if you have time and energy. You can hop on the walk at different intervals, you don’t have to do the whole thing.

What else would you want to do in Windsor? Is there anything you’ve done that I left out on this trip? If you want to read about the week in London when I took this trip; click here.