A WEEKEND IN WINDSOR & HENLEY-ON-THAMES

 

Windsor is somewhere I’ve been looking forward to visiting for a while and so I decided to book 2 days away on one of the many bank holidays in May for Tony & I along with my parents. Windsor always looks stunning in the sunshine when you see it on TV for Royal events and as luck would have it, we’d chosen two glorious days for our visit. 

After a smooth journey down & an easy check in at the hotel we headed straight for Windsor Castle. You must book your tickets ahead as at busy times you definitely won’t get a ticket if you haven’t pre booked. Despite having a set entry time there was still a big queue, but it moved along fairly quickly.

The Castle & the grounds are huge, far bigger than I realised and absolutely immaculately groomed. The stone, which is Bagshot Heath Stone, is simply beautiful and so well maintained, it’s extremely hard to believe the Castle is almost 1000 years old.

 Inside the Castle is simply astonishing. The collections, of everything imaginable, are out of this world and I was blown away by the sheer magnificence of it all. The upkeep must be immense on a daily basis and the staff must be vast, however, seeing the volume of visitors each day, it is a hugely popular attraction and continues to fascinate people from the UK and far far beyond.

After we’d been in the Castle, we then walked into Windsor Town Centre which is a lovely place to visit. We had cocktails in what was the old railway station and is now an area full of shops, restaurants and bars but with all it’s original features. It has such a great atmosphere and there is so much to see & do. We then followed this by a meal at the Italian restaurant Sebastian’s. This had been recommended to me and was a small, family run eatery with delicious food & wines. We had a wonderful meal and I can highly recommend this place if you are in the area.

www.rct.co.uk

www.sebastiansitalian.co.uk

 

On day 2, after a lovely breakfast in our hotel, we ventured out to

Henley-on-Thames.  

Wow, what a stunning place with so much to do such as bowling, putting, rowing, boat rides along with lots of lovely places to eat & drink. This delightful placed is steeped in rowing history and the boats moored on the river are simply stunning. We took a lovely boat ride which was heavenly, especially in the sun. The houses on the riverside are beautiful, what a gorgeous place to live and somewhere we’ll definitely visit again. Oh to live on the riverside and be able to write with that stunning view every day. It was a lovely place to relax, switch off & escape and we had such a fabulous 2 days.

We have so many beautiful places in our country and, since lockdown, along with still loving travelling abroad, I’m enjoying visiting new places in the UK each year and exploring new areas.