Another Waterfall (Virginia Water)

In early July we sent a few days with our youngest daughter in Sonning. This included an early birthday present for Mary - lunch followed by a performance of Three Men in a Boat at the Mill at Sonning.

A few days later, we attended the funeral of a very dear friend in Feltham where we lived before moving to Hereford. We thought we'd break the journey (Sonning to Feltham) with a visit to Virginia Water, a popular haunt of ours when we were London-based.

Virginia Water, part of Windsor Great Park, gets its name from the 2-mile long lake (Photo 1) ...

Photo 1: Virginia Water (July 2024)

You can read more about the history of Virginia Water lake and park here.

We planned on spending a couple of hours (Car Park, £6.20 for two hours) wandering around, and having a bite to eat and a drink. Weather was on the dampish side so we kept the walk short. Enough time to visit the waterfall (The Cascade) and the Roman ruins (Leptis Magna).

Photo 2: First Sight of The Cascade

Photo 3: The Cascade from the Viewing Platform

The Cascade is 30 foot (9 metres) high but beautifully formed - as it should be, being entirely man-made. Unsurprisingly, it features in the top 7 waterfalls in South-East England although there isn't a lot of competition to be fair!

As usual, a couple of short videos of the waterfall, one in slow motion - all taken with a Pixel 7 Pro.

Video 1: The Cascade, Virginia Water (July 2024)

Video 2: The Cascade, Virginia Water (July 2024) - slo-mo

By the time we reached Leptis Magna ...

Photo 4: Leptis Magna, Virginia Water (July 2024)

... the rain came a little heavier so we took to the woods ...

Photo 5: Woodland Walk, Virginia Water (July 2024)

... until it turned into a drizzle and we could head back to cafe for some hot food (vegan sausage roll) and hot drinks.  The toilets were clean and well-serviced and there was a dog-washing station, if needed.

While we were warming up with our drinks & food, I suddenly had a thought! We were going into London, only just, but still into a London Borough (Hounslow). Did the Ulex charge apply? A phone call to our hosts and, yes, we would need to pay for two days even though we would be in London for less than 24 hours. Our campervan was too old by one year.

By the time I'd sorted the payment on-line, we had strayed into a third hour so the car parking charge went up to £9.30. Mind you, there are plenty of people complaining about the price of the car park ...

Perhaps they should consider an annual pass (£89) for free unlimited parking! I suspect the cost of travelling to and from Virginia Water was greater than the car park charges everyone was moaning about.

It almost got more expensive for us when Mary couldn't find the £9.30 ticket at the exit barrier. After searching the car, bags, coat pockets, etc., I wandered back to where we had parked and found it there. We were doubly fortunate. If we hadn't found the ticket, it would have cost another £15. Also, it had stopped raining so the found ticket was dry enough to work the ticket machine at the exit barrier.

Quite enough excitement for the day. I'd recommend Virginia Water for a great day out - we've always enjoyed our visits.