On 3rd May, another lovely Spring day took Yayoi and I out for a walk around our back garden of Windsor Great Park.
We ambled down the Long Walk within the Deer Park, taking photos as we went. As well as a few pheasant in the woods, we also took some photos of all the deer grouped together – we didn’t go any closer as they can be a bit dangerous at this time of year.
The sky was incredibly beautiful on that day and deserved some photos, too!
Another walk around Windsor Great Park, another butterfly.
People must be bored by now by my interest in butterflies. Without doubt, I am definitely in the wrong job and should be working with wildlife and nature!
Yayoi and I spotted an Orange-tip in early May. We’ve seen a few around recently.
Unfortunately the Orange-tip butterfly was closed most of the time and we couldn’t see it in its full glory. You can just see the orange poking out though – and it certainly was a hairy little fellow!
Yayoi and I went for one of our walks in Windsor Great Park last Friday afternoon after work.
There were a lot of butterflies about, including the usual Cabbage White and a few Commas, but there was also an Orange Tip, which unfortunately didn’t stay still long enough for me to get a photo.
We did manage to capture these shots of a Peacock butterfly though.
More information about Peacock butterflies on the excellent UK Butterflies website.
Yayoi and I have also seen a couple of Blues flying around, but no identification and no photos yet…
On our little walk, we also came across this tiny cute rabbit.
And some tadpoles in the pond we often visit in Windsor Great Park.
This coming weekend – 25-26 April 2009 - is Advantage Weekend in Windsor.
More information can be found on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead website’s Advantage Weekend page. Lots of discounts on all sorts of things for Advantage Card holders!
So, what’s going on in and around Windsor and Maidenhead this weekend?
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is hosting an exhibition to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII coming to power and his life. There are four family activity trails, available free of charge all year round from the Admission Centre, Windsor Castle. Find out more at http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/
Savill Garden
The Savill Garden offering ‘Two for One’ entry. In the middle of Windsor Great Park, the Savill Garden has fabulous displays of magnolia and rhododendron. Open 10am to 6pm daily. Find out more at http://www.theroyallandscape.co.uk/
Bus Tour of Windsor and Eton
A sightseeing tour of Windsor and Eton on an open-top double-decker bus – you can hop on and off wherever you want. Special prices for the Advantage Weekend – £4 for any adult/senior/student/child and £10 for family. Buy tickets from the City Sightseeing departure point at Castle Hill/High Street (outside Windsor Royal Station). Show your Advantage Card to obtain your discount. More information at http://www.city-sightseeing.com/
Stanley Spencer Gallery
The Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham, dedicated to the work of the artist, is offering a special discount offer to Advantage Cardholders. 10% off prints, books and postcards for the weekend and £2 entry fee. Find out more at http://www.stanleyspencer.org.uk/
Eton College
Grab a tour of the College Chapel, Lower School, and the museum of Eton Life on 25 or 26 April at 4.30pm. You need to book in advance on 01753 671177. Spaces are limited to 25 on each tour. Tickets £3 each. Please show your Advantage Card to receive your discount. Find out more at http://www.etoncollege.com/
Boat Trip on the River Thames
French Brothers are offering Advantage Cardholders a 50% discount on a 40-minute trip or a two-hour round trip from Windsor Promenade, available from 11am until 5pm. The Windsor two-hour round trips run at 1.30pm and 2.30pm. Find out more at http://www.frenchbrothers.co.uk
LEGOLAND® Windsor
Just down the road from where we live, LEGOLAND® Windsor is offering £5 off for all Advantage Cardholders this weekend. Show your Advantage Card at the booth to get your discount. Ts&Cs apply, so check out the Borough Advantage Weekend page. Find out more at http://www.legoland.co.uk/ (LEGO, LEGOLAND and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group. © 2009 The LEGO Group.)
Royal Borough Leisure Centres
You can win one of five one-month gym memberships this Advantage Weekend by answering the following question: ‘Name five Royal Borough Leisure Centre Gyms’. Write your answer on a postcard with your details, addressed to ‘Advantage Competition’, and drop it off at your local Bodyzone.
The White House at the Beaumont Estate
Where my Dad used to work in Old Windsor before it was taken over by a conference company, the White House at Beaumont Estate is offering Advantage Cradholders a 50% discount on accommodation with breakfast. Call reservations quoting “Advantage” and bring your Advantage Card along on arrival. Find out more at http://www.principal-hayley.com
Brasserie Roux
Brasserie Roux, situated in the Sofitel London Heathrow Terminal 5 is offering Advantage Cardholders a 15% discount this weekend. To book your table, call 0208 757 5029 quoting BRT5 or book online at http://www.brasserierouxheathrow.co.uk/
Windsor Welcome – The Blue Badge Guides of Windsor
Book in advance. Only £2 for adult Advantage Cardholders, under-14s go free. A guided walk through Windsor with facts about Windsor Castle, St George’s Chapel, and The Copper Horse. Tours on Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April at 11am. More information at http://www.windsorwalks.co.uk/
Windsor Tours – With Hugh Burn
A one-hour Blue Badge guided tour. See Eton on Saturday 25 April. Take a tour of Windsor Castle on Sunday 26 April. Tours depart at 2.30pm, with 20 places available on each tour. £3 for Advantage Cardholders, £6 for non-Advantage Cardholders. See http://www.windsor-tours.co.uk/ for more information.
Spirit of England Tours – Laura Comley-Smith
Take a walk around Windsor Town on Saturday 25 April, starting at 12.30, and hear all about the history of the town. Advantage Cardholders £1 minimum donation (Non- Advantage Card £5). All profits go to Thames Valley Hospice, which is a very worthy cause. More information from http://www.spiritofengland.net/
The weather is supposed to be nice, so why not get out and about in and around Windsor and Maidenhead this weekend?
If the weather is nice, Yayoi and I sometimes drive over to the other side of Windsor Great Park and walk through the Valley Gardens that are part of the Royal Landscape.
We did just that a few weeks ago and here’s a few random photos of shrubs, trees, and butterflies. It’s a really nice day out.
Yes, the butterflies were out and I managed to capture a Red Admiral – one which I didn’t manage to get last year.
It’s been really nice weather recently, so at the weekend Yayoi and I wandered over the road and went for a walk in Windsor Great Park.
We go for walks there quite often if we can’t be bothered to take any daytrips away from Windsor.
We wandered up to the little pond we usually go to – very few animals were around as it was still quite cold. Just a few ducks. All the grass had been cut back, ready from the Spring and Summer plant growth.
On our way back home, we came across a little frog – which looked like it had just crawled out of the ground and was making its way back to water. We initially thought it was dead, until we noticed it breathing and then it moved!
The video below of horses racing around an obstacle course, taken by Yayoi at the UK National Carriage Driving Championships 2008 in Windsor Great Park, has now had over 200 views!
200 views is not much, but it’s the highest number of views for any video I’ve uploaded onto YouTube and it makes us amused! :-)
I haven’t updated my blog for quite a while now – almost a month in fact! It’s not that Yayoi and I haven’t been taking daytrips away from Windsor and doing lots of stuff, but just that I have had no time to write it all up - work has also been quite busy…
So, what have we been up to?
We’ve been to Dinton Pastures in Hurst, near Reading. Dinton Pastures is a country park / wildlife reserve with a number of lakes and walking routes to enjoy the scenery. It was very relaxing walking by the side of the lakes and through the woods, even though you do hear the buzz of the M4 the whole time. I even managed to get a good photo of a dragonfly in the sunshine, which I think is a Common Hawker.
We’ve taken quite a number of walks around Windsor Great Park at weekends and evenings. One time we actually saw a woodpecker. The photo below is of the woodpecker – if only I had a better camera…
Two weeks ago, we went up to the Cotswolds. We climbed Cleeve Hill, near Tewkesbury. Cleeve Hill is the highest point in the Cotswolds at 330 metres high, giving views of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and even across into Wales. What Yayoi and I didn’t realise is that there is a golf course right through the middle of Cleeve Hill!
We then headed over to Broadway, which is a very quiet little village with some very beautiful houses – including a Xmas Shop, which was very colourful.
On the way to Broadway, we stopped off at Hailes Abbey. Hailes Abbey was built in 1246 and is managed by English Heritage. The lady at the entrance to the Abbey was extremely rude and quite curt as we wandered up and started to look around while contemplating going in. As a result, we did not go in, she lost out on our custom, and English Heritage lost out on a no-doubt valuable £7. We went into the fields next door, down the public footpath at the side, and took some photos over the fence. 
We popped in on Stow-on-the-Wold on the way home, which is a quaint little market town. It even has some old stocks left in the middle of the square! We just wandered around the shops and the town before heading back to Windsor.
Yayoi and I both like the Cotswolds and we hope to take a week’s holiday in a cottage there at some point in the future – that being said, we’ve seen quite a lot of it already on our daytrips from Windsor!
