"Well....what can one say?" a Windsor Travel Page by leics

The Queen (known to some of us as Brenda, for reasons which are far too complex to try and explain here) was at home (castle flag fluttering merrily in the breeze). However, I felt it would be rude (and somewhat pricey) to intrude. So I didn't pay her a visit.

I had always been curious about Windsor, clearly a must-see on the itinerary of so many UK visitors, so when the opportunity arose I decided to have a wander.

I have to admit to being entirely stunned by the railway concourse; I had never suspected taht arriving at an English station would be an experience akin to entering a high-class shopping arcade. It was this which first made it clear that here was a town almost entirely geared to its tourist trade (fair enough, I suppose, though I hate the idea that visitors think this is how English towns generally are). However, Windsor does seem to manage its visitor provision quite well; the tack was there, of course, over-priced as ever, but not as overtly displayed as in many places. Every 'classy' shop you might think of is represented as well, down the High Street or in the concourse. There are even some charity shops, although their contents were not quite the cornucopia of discarded quality clothing I had hoped for (sadly). I suspect that the ordinary folk of Windsor do much of their ordinary shopping elsewhere (Slough, perhaps? It must have some useful function.............).

The castle looms over the town, of course, as all good Norman castles should. William the Conqueror built it (not personally, of course) in the 1070's, probably because it offered good hunting (somewhat lacking in the area around his first castle, the Tower of London). It also guarded the western approach to the capital, a convenient day's march away.

Since then various bits and pieces have been added, including St George's Chapel where 10 British monarchs are buried. The Royals have used Windsor as one of their bases since it was built (apart from when we didn't have a monarch; Oliver Cromwell used it then) and I'm sure it's a cracking good castle as castles go. Maybe I'll visit it properly one day, but it will definitely be an out-of-season trip (February seems a pretty good time, actually).

Of course, as the Royals were often around lots of other famous people were too. Nell Gwynn had a house conveniently near the castle gates (I wonder why?) and William Shakespeare is supposed to have stayed nearby to write his 'Merry Wives of Windsor'. There are plaques and information boards to tell you who was where, when and why. Some of the interesting bits I found are less obvious; they'll be in my tips for those who wish to explore more than just the main drag(s).

Overall then, Windsor is an interesting enough town for a couple of hours' exploration on a February greyday but not somewhere I'd go out of my way to visit again (castle aside). In the high season, I imagine it is absolutely thronged with parties and visitors (and, I suspect, with attendant pickpockets/con artists/purse snatchers etc). So go out of season if you have any choice and if you don't, be aware that Windsor is most definitely not a streotypical English town!