What a full day this was! Our sixteen-mile walk started at Windsor Castle, and our stroll along the Long Walk through Windsor Great Park took us past many mature deer. We were reminded how small we are by the Air Force Memorial, the acre of land gifted to the US after JFK’s assassination, and the location of the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. After six miles, we finally made it to the river and enjoyed locks, a sailboat, many beautiful flowers, and passed under two motorways. A roast beef dinner and a lunar eclipse closed out a full day – all of which was spent under Heathrow’s flight path.
The psychological start for Team Thames’s adventure was Windsor Castle.
Team Thames and Windsor Castle’s Henry VIII gate in the morning light with no other tourists in sight.
After a fine breakfast at Black Sheep Coffee, we walked along the Long Walk through Windsor Great Park, which was a long, great, walk. The highlights were the views of the castle and of the crown’s deer herd.
The best view of the castle is from the Long Walk. We introduced Keesha and Eric to conkers, also known as horse chestnuts.Aeroplanes passed overhead about every minute on their final approach to Heathrow.Eric’s eagle-eyes spotted these deer in the trees.What a fine Sunday morning stroll towards the statue of George III on his horse.
There appeared to be a bird on this deer’s back.
The Long Walk and the castle from the George III statue.The statue of George III on his horse was created in 1821 by his son George IV to recognize his father’s contributions to the park.This stag let us get quite close. Eric was excited!
After the park, we headed to the Air Force memorial. It honours the 20,000 airmen who were shot down over enemy territory in WW2 and have no grave. Each name is engraved on the walls of the memorial, which looked out over the Thames towards Heathrow airport. It was quite moving.
We walked through the forest towards our next stop, and enjoyed introducing Eric and Keesha to blackberry foraging…
… and the kissing gate!
Next, we walked over to the acre of USA land, gifted by Queen Elizabeth in remembrance of JFK.
The entrance plaque to the memorial.This intricately carved gate includes some words from JFK’s inauguration speech.The natural-born Americans and the stone dedicated to JFK, which says, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.”
This was close to where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, guaranteeing the rights of all Britons to a fair trial, and was a foundational concept of the UK and US legal systems.
This Twelve Jurors sculpture commemorates the Magna Carta appropriately.This monument to the Magna Carta was a celebration of the American Bar Society, who paid for it in 1953, and was remarkably tacky.However, Runnymede’s National Trust tearoom was tasteful, especially their orange cake and their stacking teapot and cup. Cool, but clueless about what it was.This statue of Queen Elizabeth was built in 2015 to celebrate the Magna Carta’s 800th anniversary.
After all that history, we returned to the Thames Path and enjoyed the variety of scenes as we walked along its shores, into and out of Staines.
The river and footpath were busier than other days as it was a Sunday, but still relatively quiet.Signs helped keep us on the right path.We walked under the M25 Motorway, London’s orbital. Houstonians – this is like Beltway 8.This stone marked the original boundary of the Corporation of London when defined by Edward I in 1285. This lone sailboat was running fast before the wind.More tranquil river, but it continued to get wider as we progressed downstream.Passing under the M3 Motorway.
As we passed along the towpath, Keesha kept spotting amazing flowers.
Passiflora caerulea, commonly known as the Blue Passion Flower.The fruit of the Blue Passion Flower.A Hardy Fuchsia.Salvia microphylla, also known as Hot Lips.
The planned thirteen miles turned into a sixteen-mile day. We enjoyed a functional lunch from Sainsbury’s supermarket, and a 99 flake ice cream gave us the energy for the final couple of miles. We were very happy to see Chertsey Bridge and arrive at our hotel.
Chertsey Lock was interesting, but the bridge behind was more interesting as we knew that was the end of the day’s walk. This was our hotel from the other side of the river.Chertsey Bridge was built in 1785.We arrived at our destination – yay!
We had a couple of hours to rest, which refreshed us surprisingly well before dinner, with the help of some ibuprofen. We all enjoyed roast beef and chatted about the day and other travel adventures.
My roast dinner!We ate outside, on the deck, overlooking the Thames and this Great Blue Heron.The view from our hotel room, and our first evening view of the Thames. There was a lunar eclipse which my phone camera could not capture.
It was a long day which should lead to good sleep. As I type this, I can still hear planes on their final approach to Heathrow. I think the day’s sixteen miles will prevent them from keeping me awake!
"Cajunlimeys" combines Lousiana (Janet) and England (Peter). For "limeys," check out scurvy in the English navy.
We love adventures and use blogging to write a photo diary to preserve our memories. Some crazy friends enjoy following us and my notes might help others plan.
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One thought on “The Thames Path Day 5: Windsor to Chertsey”
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 
What a thrilling adventure!! Go, Team Thames!!
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