Local Walks & Attractions
Local Walk: Englefield Green and Runnymede Meadow
Information
Distance: 5Km Difficulty: Moderate. Includes uneven tracks and steps and uphill ascent though woods. Accessibility: Poor because of steps and unmade tracks. Facilities: Café and toilets at National Trust Magna Carta Tearoom. Toilets at Cooper's Hill Lane Car park. Food and drink at Barley Mow Pub near start point. Start Point: Free car park behind cricket pavilion on the village green TW20 0YX......Printable Version......Directions: From the Cricket Pavilion walk towards the green and turn left along the road to junction. Here cross Bishopsgate Rd. diagonally right to enter woodland path and turn left through woods. Where path splits take the right-hand fork and continue until exiting the woods right onto footpath opposite junction with Coopers Hill Lane. Here turn left on pavement, cross Castle Hill Rd. and continue down Priest Hill on left hand pavement past bus shelter. With care cross this busy road part way down the hill into Oak Lane on other side. Follow the lane down past tennis courts on right hand side and when the drive turns to the right towards a private entrance take the footpath directly ahead. Continue your descent until reaching The John F. Kennedy Memorial (A) Dedicated to the American President and respected statesman following his assassination in 1963 the memorial and the acre of land below the memorial was gifted by the British Government to the United States. Turn left at the memorial for distant views from the stone seats at the end of the short path. Returning to the memorial take the granite steps left and with care continue down to exit the woodlands into Runnymede Meadow.Here, take the footpath diagonally left across the meadow past the 'The Jurors' (B), an artwork by Hew Locke, installed here in 2015 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta in this very meadow. Head towards the Magna Carta tearoom (opening times vary) The café is housed in one of four buildings in the meadow designed by Edwin Lutyens. After a break for refreshments cross the road at the pedestrian crossing behind the building and follow the path down to the riverside. Turn right along the 'Thames Path' for views of the river and carry on a short way keeping an eye out to the right for the car park barrier. (To extend the walk you may wish to carry on along the Thames Path to visit the 4M high statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II created by sculptor James Butler located at the edge of the Pleasure Grounds. Return along the same path after this 15 mins diversion) When level with the barrier cut back to Windsor Rd and cross at the traffic island back into Runnymede Meadow. Take the path directly ahead towards the trees and to the left of the Jurors here to visit the Magna Carta Memorial (C) Designed by Sir Edward Maufe and erected by the American Bar Association commemorating King John's historic sealing of the Magna Carta in 1215.Return to the Meadow and turn right and follow the fence and through two kissing gates to visit ''Writ in Water (D) an Architectural artwork by Mark Wallinger providing an immersive space for contemplation.At the rear of the building take the footpath through two kissing gates and follow the route to the right marked purple up through the woods along paths steps and boardwalks. Ignore the path/bridge to the right and continue up to emerge through one final kissing gate onto Cooper's Hill Lane. Here turn right along the lane and follow through a right-hand bend to visit The Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial (E) which commemorates over 20,000 men and women of the air forces, who were lost in the Second World War.After your visit, return to the lane and turn right. Proceed along the lane past the car park and past Great Charta Close on the right until you reach the junction with a grassy island in the middle. Just past this junction in the same direction and nearly opposite the entrance to Magna Carta Park retirement village take the footpath on the left into the woodland which runs parallel to the road you have just passed. As you emerge from the woods cross St Jude's Rd towards the stone cattle trough and then cross Bishopsgate Rd. and cross the Village Green to return to the start.