I've actually been to Windsor twice now in the last couple of months, and I have to say that I found it almost exactly the same as it was when last I set foot in the Queen's front garden! There are a few changes;
chirpy green parakeets chattering about in the ancient oaks of the Great Park, and a 'new' statue of the Queen on horseback... not new to the Park, indeed it's been there for well over 10 years now, but it's new to me.
There is also a mill stone from the Peak District for some reason that now escapes me... there was a story attached to it and it was a rather nice one too as I remember, but unfortunately I had about 20 minutes to get back to the car before the gates were locked and so I didn't hang around for long... just long enough to take in the fact that there was a story attached to the mill stone!
The car park was a fair old distance from where I'd found myself wandering aimlessly and absent-mindedly about the Park, and it only occurred to me when it started to get dark that the gates were locked at dusk.
Precisely when dusk officially is, who knows?
Did I have 20 minutes, or 30, or only 15? Could I have argued the point with the Park Ranger as to interpretation of dusk, or did he have accurate daily charts from the Meteorological Office with precise timing of dusk?
Not being the confrontational type, I hotfooted it back to the car park, obviously getting lost on the way and adding at least another mile to the walk resulting in it being decidely deeply dusky when I did eventually find it! Thankfully there were no Park Rangers in sight and I managed to escape from the car park before the man or woman with the keys turned up!!
I did have a very pleasant amble round the Great Park, however, and managed to find my way up to Snow Hill and the Copper Horse.
The last time I was there was in 1977 (I think), when the bonfire was lit here that started the chain of beacons across the British Isles to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Not that we went that night, I'm not sure riff-raff were allowed in, but we did go the next day and rummage about in the remains of the great pyre to see if we could find any souvenirs that may have been left by the Royals... perhaps a burned stub of a match or something. But no, we didn't find anything!
I do remember being totally awestruck by the immense size of the statue though, and the beautiful view straight up the Long Drive to the Castle, about two and a half miles away! The view was just as captivating as it was back then. It may be touristy and a bit cheesy, but I love cheese (mmmm, Barkham Blue Cheese, if you see it, try it!!!) and I was being a tourist for the day, so why not enjoy it?!!
The Great Park is fairly manicured, although it's ancient and noble heritage is still very much evident. It may not be wild, but it is still beautiful and I can still spend a huge amount of time just bimbling about here... until dusk!
Rebecca, x
www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk
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