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Days Out from London : Windsor
One of the most popular days out from London is Windsor which is a historic market town in Berkshire and is known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family.
The town is situated 21 miles (34 km) west of the centre of London and is easily reached by train, car or coach. Windsor has two railway stations, Windsor & Eton Central railway station connecting which connects via Slough to express trains to London Paddington and to Reading and Windsor & Eton Riverside station provides a service to London Waterloo. Windsor has frequent bus services to/from London Heathrow Airport and Victoria Coach Station in central London.
Because Windsor has been a popular tourist attraction for a long time there is a well-developed tourist infrastructure with a several hotels, bars and restaurants. Various boat trips operate on the River Thames which winds its way through creating attractive riverside walks. Windsor is linked to the town of Eton which is on the opposite bank of the River Thames by Windsor Bridge.
Windsor Castle has been an important site for centuries, it was William the Conqueror who chose the site for Windsor Castle around 1070. The Castle was originally constructed to guard the approach to London. In the late 12th century, Henry II began rebuild the castle and Edward III in the 1350s spent a fortune to transform the castle into a palace
Charles II, who reclaimed his throne in 1660, modernised the royal apartments with expensive textiles and magnificent tapestries. Queen Victoria was especially fond of Windsor Castle and added a new private chapel in the 1840s.
One of the most dramatic events at the castle was more recent, when in 1992 a fire broke out in Queen Victoria’s private chapel destroying a number of areas in the building. The long process of repair and restoration began immediately and was completed within five years.
Although Windsor Castle is the main attraction, Windsor does also boast another major attraction with Legoland Windsor. The attraction is the only Legoland park in the United Kingdom and is one of the largest Legoland park in the world.
Like many tourist towns, there are plenty of gift shops and shops, one of the main shopping areas is the Windsor Royal Shopping arcade which is inside Windsor & Eton Central railway station.
Windsor attracts crowds of tourists who just stay for the day, however it has plenty of attractions and provides a good base to explore the surrounding area if you would to stay for a few days.
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Attraction Review : Legoland Windsor
Legoland Windsor is a child-oriented and family friendly theme park and resort in Windsor which is around a one hour trip from London. The park opened in 1996 and was the second Legoland after Legoland Billund in Denmark.
The park’s attractions are a mixture of Lego-themed rides, Lego models and interactive areas where children can build with Lego. In 2015, the park had 2.25 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. The theme park is located a couple of miles outside of the centre of Windsor and is accessible by car, local bus, coach or taxi.
The park is split into 12 themed lands, incorporating various attractions for particular age groups. The Beginning, Imagination Centre, Duplo Valley, Miniland, Adventure Land, LEGO City, Pirate Shores, Heartlake City, Knight´s Kingdom, Land of the Vikings and Kingdom of the Pharaohs.
One of the innovative aspects of the park is that once you have gone through the ticket check at the entrance, you can go to The Beginning which is the entrance to the park and provides some distractions for children before the rest of the park opens. In this area is the Hill Train, the Lego Star Wars model display and the Model Making Studio. Nearby is the Imagination Centre which features educational attractions and workshops.
At the heart of the resort is Miniland which is a remarkable miniature park which features in Lego form, towns and cities from around the world. Over 40 million Lego bricks were used in creating the models which often have some moving parts including cars, boats, planes and an extensive train system which is run by computers.
Nearby Duplo Valley is generally aimed at the 3 – 6 age group with a series of water features including Fairy Tale Brook, Raft Racers, Splash Safari and Drench Towers.
Lego City has transport themes and allows the 6-13 age group to try Balloon School: Experience the ups and downs of a hot air balloon ride. Coastguard HQ: an interactive boat ride for children. Fire Academy: helping the ‘firefighters’ to power a LEGO fire engine and putting out a ‘burning’ building. Lego City Driving School is a large course in which children drive their own car to gain their driving license. For young children there is a small driving school.
Heartlake City is based on the Lego Friends product range and includes the Heartlake Express, Mia’s Riding Adventure and Olivia’s House. Located around a lake, this is a good place to sit and relax and perhaps have a bite to eat.
Other areas such as Land of the Vikings, Kingdom of the Pharaohs and Pirate Shores are built around a number of popular attractions.
A large castle awaits visitors to Nexo Knights Kingdom with the major rides being The Dragon and the Dragon’s Apprentice. This area also has a very popular Adventure playground.
Adventure Land is situated around a lake at the far end of the park. The main attraction is Atlantis Submarine Voyage which features “submarine” vehicles used to travel through the tanks of sharks and other marine creatures.
Many children’s love affair with Lego is as strong as ever and Legoland Windsor will not disappoint with a wide range of attractions and activities. However it is worth noting that the park will generally appeal to the 3 to 13 age group, there is none of the large blockbuster rides that would appeal to teenagers. Most of the rides are quite short in duration and will provide plenty of enjoyment for the intended age group.
In some ways, Legoland Windsor is a victim of its own success and does get extremely busy in peak times especially weekends and school holidays. Queues can be quite long for some rides and if you want to get the most out of your visit regarding rides it may be worth paying extra for the Q Bots system which can “reserve” places in queues virtually. It is also cheaper to book tickets in advance, these can be quite a saving from the walk up admission price.
Legoland Windsor generally opens from March to November, but there are closures on some days.
See Video Review here
Visiting London Guide Rating – Highly Recommended
If you would like further information or book tickets, visit the Legoland Windsor website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and the latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
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