Runnymede
About
Runnymede is the riverside Thames meadow where Magna Carta was sealed in 1215, now a National Trust site a few miles downriver from Windsor. It holds the Magna Carta Memorial, the JFK Memorial, Mark Wallinger's Writ in Water installation, Hew Locke's The Jurors bronze chairs, and the Ankerwycke Yew, said to be over 2,500 years old. General access to the site is free, with pay-and-display parking for non-members, and it makes a genuinely quick, quieter contrast to the Castle crowds rather than a full day out.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The meadow where Magna Carta was sealed in 1215
- ✓The Magna Carta and JFK memorials and modern art installations
- ✓The Ankerwycke Yew, said to be over 2,500 years old
- ✓A quiet, historic contrast to the Castle
Tips
- →Site access is free; parking is pay-and-display for non-National-Trust-members.
- →It is a few miles from Windsor, an easy short drive or a Thames Path walk.
- →Combine it with a riverside walk rather than treating it as a full day.
Best Season
More Outdoors Activities
Windsor Great Park & the Deer Park
More than five thousand acres of former royal hunting forest with a red deer herd and ancient oaks, free to walk and only minutes from the Castle.
The Savill Garden
A 35-acre ornamental garden inside the Great Park with seasonal set-pieces, a few miles from the town. Book online for the cheaper ticket.