Picnic Spots on the Great West Way

The Great West Way offers countless choices for an al fresco lunch stop, with the opportunity to sit and enjoy stunning views with a glass of fizz enjoying delicately cut sandwiches atop a gingham rug. We hope you enjoy our eight best picnic spots for experiencing that most English of pastimes in some of the most scenic, historic and evocative places in England.

Starting at the eastern end of the Great West Way, and with the iconic Windsor Castle as a backdrop, Windsor’s Great Park is essentially the extensive grounds that make up King Charles’ back garden. And, in a coronation year, there can be few better choices for a picnic stop in 2023. The grounds are beautifully maintained, and as with all grand English estates, are made up of various elements and features making this a great place to spend a day or part thereof. The best spot for a picnic however, is at the top of the ‘Long Walk’ – a wide, grassy avenue guarded by trees, that leads right up to the castle.

Richmond Riverside is an open space that overlooks the River Thames in the centre of Richmond Town Centre. With many seats and terraced lawns, and in close proximity to bars, restaurants and cafes, this is an ideal place to relax on a summer day or evening. Watch the boats sail pass, people watch while enjoying your picnic. Afterwards why not hire a canoe or if you are feeling more adventurous go paddleboarding under the oldest bridge, Richmond Bridge that spans the River Thames.

The bucolic Kennet and Avon Canal opened in 1810 to provide the cities of Bristol and London with a costeffective method of transporting large quantities of goods between England’s two largest ports at the time. The canal winds through exquisite countryside, providing numerous idyllic picnic stops as well as incredible walking routes with some amazing pubs on the way. With so many spots too choose from, it’s hard to pick a favourite, but at least one contender would have to include the stretch around the villages of Great and Little Bedwyn. Set in classic English countryside, dotted with small yet striking settlements, sitting alongside the canal’s banks, it’s easy to imagine oneself transported back to a bygone time, well before the frenetic pace of the modern world was even a thought.

The village of Lacock is iconic in its own right. A medieval village set in the very southernmost part of the Cotswolds, the village has been owned, maintained and preserved by the National Trust since the 1950s. Having featured in countless TV shows and films, including Harry Potter, as well as almost every period drama you care to name over the last 30 years, Lacock, and it’s grand house, Lacock Abbey, attracts large numbers of visitors keen to connect with the past and the screen. Head east to the footpaths that follow the River Avon as it winds its way alongside the village and house, and you’ll not only escape from any crowds present, but discover some stunning picnicking and paddling spots with views across to the historic house beyond.

This hilltop location provides stunning views of the North Wessex Downs countryside for miles around, and is an ideal picnic stop. The name refers to a gibbet erected on the site in 1676 to hang two locals, George Broomham and Dorothy Newman. The two were having an affair and were hanged for murdering Broomham's wife Martha, and their son Robert, after the two discovered the lovers together on the downs. The gibbet was erected there for the execution as a warning to others, and a replica gibbet has remained there ever since. Ignoring its dark past, the spot offers incredible views in all directions, and is as popular with hang-gliders and para-gliders today as well as walkers and beauty lovers.

Set high above the village of Wilton, Wilton Windmill has the most fantastic views. The grounds are open all year round and there are picnic tables you can use or of course you can have a picnic blanket on the grass. Plenty of space for playing games! It's ideal for families with children or those with dogs as the site is very secure with a fence all the way round. And the views are just breathtaking.

West of London, beyond the belt of satellite towns that orbit the capital, lies the relatively unknown remains of Silchester. This walled Roman city flourished during the Roman occupation of Britain from the 1st century on, but was abandoned in the 5th or 6th centuries, once the Romans left. Unlike other Roman cities, it was never reoccupied, and much of the Roman walls, along with an evocative amphitheatre remain. Walk along the walls to find your ideal picnic spot, then sit down to enjoy the tranquil ambiance as sheep or cattle gently graze in within the grounds of the once great city.

The grand country house of Dyrham Park sits nestled in a valley just north of Bath. Built in the Baroque style in the late 18th century, the house is managed by the National Trust and preserved as it would have looked in the 19th century. The grounds are just as alluring as the house however, and its deer park spreads along the edge of the escarpment that defines the western boundary of the Cotswolds, providing views down to the city of Bristol sprawled out in the distance, and across the Severn Estuary to the hills of Wales beyond. The view alone would be worth a picnic stop, but sitting amongst the well tended, undulating estate grounds make it utterly irresistible.

The World Heritage site of Avebury is one of the most remarkable prehistoric wonders of ancient Britain. Set just off the King’s Road linking Bristol to London (the modern A4), Avebury and adjacent prehistoric remnants combine to provide some of the most fascinating and inspiring prehistoric remains anywhere in northern Europe. Climb atop the giant earthen banks carved out using deer antlers 5000 years ago and set your picnic down overlooking the stones and picturesque village that has encroached into the circle over the centuries. Or, make your way to Kennett Long Barrow, a large, prehistoric burial chamber that rests on a nearby hill overlooking the prehistoric, pyramid-like, Silbury Hill, in the valley below, to commune with the ancients over pimms and sausage rolls.

Ending our list at the western end of the Great West Way, in Bristol, is this gem of a spot. Sitting atop the eastern edge of the Avon gorge, this stunning park was established in the 1800s to provide the well-to-do of nearby Clifton with a space to ‘take the airs’. Clifton, a suburb of the the city of Bristol below, became the residential district of choice for merchants and slave traders in the 18th century as Britain’s trade empire and its wealth exploded. The suburb, set atop a hill close to town, but not in it, allowed its occupants the space and elegance to enjoy the good life without becoming caught up in the squalor and unpleasantness of the port below. Today, Clifton Down affords views of the river and gorge, as well as Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge, the first suspension bridge in the world, and is framed by stunning Georgian architecture along its other sides making it a remarkable spot for a picnic in a remarkable city.

Words | Jules Mittra