Thames Path Walk – Chertsey to Windsor via Runnymeade

We were quite excited about today’s walk. From Chertsey, we’d be heading to Windsor with a stop in the historic meadow at Runnymeade. We awoke to our first day of rain in England. It wasn’t a heavy downpour, but rather a light rain that alternated between sprinkles and soaking mist. We donned our rain gear for the first time, put rain covers on our packs and set out to Runnymeade.

The Swan Master by Diana Thomson

In Staines, we passed the Swan Master statue by Diana Thomson which led us to a discussion of swan-upping that I’d just read about. The swan-upping ceremony, which takes place annually in England the third week of July, involves rounding up all the mute swan cygnets in the River Thames, ringing them (i.e. marking them with a ring on their legs … think of it as an ankle bracelet) and releasing them. ‘By prerogative right’, all the mute swans in the River Thames are owned by either the Crown or two London corporations.

As is our pattern now, we stopped in a park at the Runnymeade Cafe for a break and morning tea. I always drank tea when we sailed on Nine of Cups; David always drank coffee. In Las Vegas, we drink voluminous amounts of coffee throughout each morning after our walk. Here, however, we’re both drinking tea each day and it seems to be just fine.

Statue of Queen Elizabeth II at Runnymeade

The rain let up as we admired a statue of Queen Elizabeth II and then made our way across the highway and into the celebrated grassy field, made our way through a pasture complete with cows and finally, on the other side of the fence, we saw the Magna Carta monument before us.

We crossed through a pasture and a gate, and there it was … the Magna Carta monument.

A little history about the Magna Carta … because I can’t help myself.

In 1199, King John ascended to the throne of England with ‘enormous resources at his disposal’. King John was, it seems, not the sharpest axe in the toolshed and through a disastrous political marriage and several failed, but costly wars, he managed to plow right through all the cash and deplete the Crown’s account. The nobles and barons were displeased with him and finally, by taking control of London, forced him to the bargaining table demanding a ‘Charter of Liberties’. Begrudgingly, in 1215, he applied his seal to the document, henceforth called the Magna Carta.

Interestingly, it was not the English, but the American Bar Association that funded the building and placement of the monument that stands here today inscribed with the words ‘To commemorate Magna Carta symbol of freedom under law.’ Hats off to the ABA!

JFK Monument at Runnymeade

We walked further down the track and up the ‘Stairs of Individuality’ to the JFK memorial, a simple, dignified monument in a peaceful, woodland setting which begs the question for every American around in 1963 … where were you when you heard the news of JFK’s assassination? I was a 9th grade student at Leicester High School in Massachusetts in class when the announcement was made over the PA system. When I got home, my mom was crying. David was in 10th grade at George Washington High in Denver. An announcement was made over their PA system and school was closed to allow students to go home and watch news of the event as it unfolded.

The Jurors by Hew Locke stands in the Runnymeade Meadow

In the middle of the meadow stood 12 chairs, an artwork entitled ‘The Jurors’ by Hew Locke. ‘Twelve intricately worked bronze chairs stand together on this ancient meadow. Each chair incorporates symbols and imagery representing concepts of law and key moments in the struggle for freedom, rule of law and equal rights. The Jurors is not a memorial, but rather an artwork that aims to examine the changing and ongoing significance and influences of Magna Carta.’

As we were admiring the chairs, the rain intensified and we headed to the Magna Carta tearoom for another cup of tea and then moved on. We still had miles to go to Windsor. Funny, if a highway sign indicates only five miles to go, you’re close. When you’re walking and your feet are starting to complain, five miles seems a long way away.

Oops … gotta go around!

As the crow flies, we were quite close to Windsor, but we were required to walk considerably out of our way because we were not allowed to walk directly through the Crown Estate. It was expressly forbidden for the likes of us to trespass on Crown property. Our feet complained, but we did what we had to do and detoured around the regal estate through Old Windsor. It really was quite a thrill when glimpses of Windsor Castle began popping into view.

Our first glimpse of the castle was a thrill.

As we approached the town and edged closer and closer to the castle, the views were awesome.

One of the many gatehouses we passed as we climbed the hill to our hotel.

We had the luxury of staying at the Hart & Garter Hotel for the evening … very posh, decidedly decadent and, fortunate for us, free with points I’d been accumulating. I’d booked a room with a castle view and hoped for the best. We lucked out. Windsor Castle was directly across the street. You could say the Tudors were our neighbors although they never did invite us in for tea.

A view of our neighbors from the balcony of our hotel room at the Hart & Garter across the street. No invites for tea though.

Windsor Castle is the world’s largest and oldest occupied castle. According to the Royal website ... ‘Founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, it has since been the home of 39 monarchs. Today the Queen spends most of her private weekends at the Castle. On 19 May 2018, the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle took place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.’ We were not invited, but we hear it was quite a grand event.

Despite being so, so close, we did not have the opportunity to tour the castle. The lines were long and the day was short. Instead, we grabbed a quick pub meal, nursed a pint of cider and headed to our room to shower, wear those plush terry robes and rest our dogs.

Today we walked 14.75 miles. Phew!

Next, we head to Maidenhead, then on to Marlow.

Note: In 2019, we returned to Windsor after our Via Francigena walk and had the opportunity to explore a bit more. Check out our return visit to Windsor.