Great Meadow Pond, Virginia Water and Obelisk Pond

This easy-going circuit through Windsor Great Park links three of its most attractive waterside landscapes: Great Meadow Pond, Virginia Water and Obelisk Pond. At around 18 km / 11.2 miles with only about 100 m / 328 ft of ascent, it is a long but generally gentle outing, best suited to walkers who are comfortable spending several hours on broad estate tracks, lakeside paths and open parkland routes rather than tackling steep or technical terrain. The setting is far more about scenery, history and wildlife than physical challenge. (windsorgreatpark.co.uk)

The walk is most naturally based near The Savill Garden & Adventure Play Visitor Centre, Wick Lane, Englefield Green, Egham TW20 0UJ, which is one of the main access points for this part of the park and the nearest clear visitor landmark for the route area. Official visitor information gives this as the road approach for The Savill Garden, and the nearby estate paths connect directly toward Obelisk Lawn, Obelisk Pond, Great Meadow Pond and onward to Virginia Water. (windsorgreatpark.co.uk)

If arriving by car, the simplest option is to park at The Savill Garden car park, TW20 0UJ. Another useful access point for a variation is the Virginia Water car park, GU25 4QF, though that suits lake-focused walks more than a full circuit linking all three ponds. Windsor Great Park notes that visitors should not attempt to drive through internal estate roads unless authorised, so it is worth following the official approach roads rather than relying blindly on satnav. (windsorgreatpark.co.uk)

For public transport, the park advises that several rail stations lie within a 15 to 20 minute taxi ride of The Savill Garden. In practice, walkers commonly use stations such as Egham, Virginia Water or Windsor depending on where they are coming from, then continue by taxi to the trailhead area. If planning the route carefully in advance, HiiKER is the best tool to check the exact line of paths, entrances and distances between the station approach and the main circuit. (windsorgreatpark.co.uk)

What the route feels like

From the Savill Garden side, the opening section is usually calm and spacious, with wide, well-kept paths crossing classic royal parkland. The terrain is mostly level to gently rolling, so the elevation gain tends to come in small undulations rather than any single climb. That makes pacing straightforward, but the distance still matters: even on easy ground, 18 km / 11.2 miles can feel substantial, especially in warm weather or if you stop often around the viewpoints. (historicengland.org.uk)

Obelisk Pond and the surrounding lawn give the walk one of its most open and formal-feeling stretches. This area sits close to the visitor facilities yet still feels expansive, with broad grassland, long views and a more landscaped character than a typical woodland hike. Dogs must be on leads around Obelisk Lawn, which is useful to know if you are walking with a pet. (windsorgreatpark.co.uk)

As the route reaches Virginia Water, the atmosphere changes from open parkland to a more varied lakeside walk. Virginia Water itself is about 3.21 km / 2 miles long, and a full circuit of the lake alone is about 8.44 km / 5.25 miles, so on this longer route you can expect a substantial waterside section with a mix of shoreline views, wooded edges and ornamental features. (windsorgreatpark.co.uk)

Great Meadow Pond is quieter and less famous than Virginia Water, but that is part of its appeal. It helps break up the route with a more secluded feel and adds to the sense that this walk is exploring a designed landscape rather than simply circling one lake. Historically, Great Meadow Pond became less important as an ornamental focus once Virginia Water was expanded, but it remains one of the notable water features in this part of the park. (parksandgardens.org)

Landmarks and historical interest

This landscape is deeply tied to the history of Windsor Great Park, a royal park covering roughly 2,020 hectares on the Berkshire-Surrey border. The area around Virginia Water was shaped in the 18th century as a royal pleasure ground, with major works associated first with **William