Windsor Great Park 17.10.2015

On this cold misty morning I left home early and parked at Queen Anne's Gate for a walk into the Great Park, to be confronted by this sign.

There were a few people around and they didn't seem deterred by the prospect of rutting stags, so I took my cue from them.

I headed up the long walk which, if you walk from Windsor Castle, is two and a half miles long and dead straight between avenues of trees. So the Castle at one end and a statue called the Copper Horse at the other. This is of King George III.  Yes, the mad one, dressed as a roman emperor and pointing towards Slough. An inscription on the base names him as Pater Optimo.  Big Daddy?

There were deer - lots of them. They really are quite ridiculously photogenic and not terribly preturbed by people, as long as you didn't get too close.

Lots of stags wandering around, trying to get close to the ladies.

There was one stag who looked older than the others, who was frantically protecting his herd. He made such a noise!  It did keep the others away though.

This is such a well used park - walkers, cyclists, horse riders.  No bicycles allowed on the Long Walk at all though. There's as much conflict here between cyclists and everyone else as there is in SA.  Some things don't change...

So up the small hill to the statue and a great view back to the castle.

Then back to the car as the weather was turning quite cold.  Back past the old stag protecting the ladies, who was still roaring and the forlorn youngsters looking for love.