Runnymede
Children will enjoy the various installations from willow structures to an art installation they can go inside. As well as this, you can make a diversion to the pleasure grounds where there is a play area and a splash pad. You can even take a ride on a paddle steamer up the Thames.
Inside the Writ in the Water installation
The Basics
Time: 1 hour for the ‘Summer Route’.
Distance: We followed the ‘Summer Route’ (3km). There is also the shorter ‘Accessible Route’ (1.5 km) and the ‘Views Route’ (2.5 km), with steeper terrain that provide views of Windsor Castle and London.
Terrain: Most of the ‘Summer Route’ is on surfaced paths that are flat. There is a small portion that is on rougher, narrower woodland and meadow paths. There is a busy road to cross twice, once with traffic lights and once with an island.
Pushchair: Pushchairs can follow the ‘Accessible Route’ around the meadow to the key artworks and monuments.
Dogs: Dogs will need to be on leads around the memorials and on the further meadow of the ‘Summer Route’, where you may encounter cattle. Dogs are allowed in the tea room.
Refreshments: Runnymede Tea-Room (National Trust) with some indoor and outdoor seating. There is also a café and ice-cream vans at the pleasure grounds and lots of opportunities for picnics.
Toilets: Beside the tea-rooms.
Public Transport: Take the No.8 First bus from Windsor or Egham. The nearest stop is the Bells of Ouzeley, Old Windsor from where it is a short walk along the Thames Path. The French Brother’s Ferry runs from Windsor to Runnymede.
Parking: There is an all year car park on tarmac and a summer car park on grass, both free to National Trust members and blue badge holders, for everyone else, parking charges apply (Postcode: TW20 0AE - W3W: agree.fault.skips)
Some of the wicker sculptures next to the National Trust tea room (children can go inside these figures)
Runnymede, the birthplace of modern democracy, where the Magna Carta was signed, is now a beautiful open space of meadows and woodland beside The River Thames. The area is managed by The National Trust and throughout the site, you can find various art installations and memorials. Riverside walks connect you to the pleasure grounds with lots to do for families (not National Trust). You can even return via a Victorian paddle steamer.
The Route
From the routes mentioned above, we chose the ‘Summer Route’ because it did not involve steep hills, it passed all the main art installations, it includes the riverside walk and can easily be connected to the pleasure grounds. The route is easy enough to follow using coloured markers and the National Trust map, but here are a few hints.
The route starts out by following the path across the meadow from the tea-rooms. First you will pass the willow structures which children can go inside. If you are visiting during the summer holidays, The National Trust provide some free, nature based games and toys for children scattered around the meadow.
The next installation you will reach across the meadow is The Jurors by Hugh Locke, which is an arrangement of 12 bronze chairs created to mark the 800th anniversary of the signing of The Magna Carta.
Continue walking across the meadow away from the tea rooms and the next highlight will be The JFK memorial.
From here, keep going into the next meadow to find the roundhouse structure of Writ in Water by Mark Wallinger. Inside, the peaceful cocoon provides a fascinating place for reflection.
Keep going ahead after this as the surfaced path gives way to a rougher woodland path. Walk through the woodland until you spot a gate on your left with a yellow marker. Take the gate into the meadow - you may encounter grazing cattle here. Initially, bear right across the meadow and then bear left into a clump of trees towards the middle of the meadow. This will take you across a little boardwalk over the wetlands of Langhams Pond.
After the boardwalk, exit through the gate and then head to the right hand corner or the meadow. This will take you out to the busy road, where there is a traffic island to help you cross safely.
On the other side of the road, you can turn left to walk straight back to the car park, or turn right for a short walk to the pleasure grounds (not National Trust). The pleasure grounds have a café, toilets, play area, splash pad (bring swimming costumes), children’s amusements such as a bouncy castle, ice-cream vans and extensive river frontage, which is ideal for picnics.
Did you know?
On the 15th June 1215, King John and the country’s noblemen, met at Runnymede for the historic signing of The Magna Carta. The document put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law. It sought to prevent the king from exploiting his power, and placed limits of royal authority by establishing law as a power in itself.
