Romantic things to do in Windsor

England’s most famous castle lies across the river from Datchet at Windsor. Towering above the town on a steep chalk bluff, Windsor Castle is an undeniably imposing sight, its chilly grey walls, punctuated by mighty medieval bastions, continuing as far as the eye can see. Inside, most visitors just gape in awe at the monotonous, gilded grandeur of the State Apartments, while the real highlights – the paintings from the Royal Collection that line the walls – are rarely given a second glance. More impressive is St George’s Chapel, a glorious Perpendicular structure ranking with Henry VII’s chapel in Westminster Abbey, and the second most important resting place for royal corpses after the Abbey. The Round Tower is what everyone thinks of as Windsor Castle. Climb the 220 steps for the wide valley view, but you won’t be able to see the east side of the Upper Ward, which houses the Queen’s private apartments.

Really make a day of it at the Castle - after all it’s one of the most romantic things to do in Windsor. After you’re done exploring the building, you should put aside some time for exploring Windsor Great Park on a fine day, which stretches for several miles south of the castle. The lush greenery is exceptionally pretty, as is the Savill Garden. It was created in the 1930s by Sir Eric Savill, and is renowned for its rhododendrons, and incorporates a landscaped garden created to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and a Rose Garden by Andrew Wilson.

Close to Windsor lies Maidenhead, the starting point of some of the most beautiful countryside in the area. Known in medieval times as Maydenhythe, its bridges are its most interesting feature: the 128ft (38-metre) arches of Brunel’s railway bridge are thought to be the largest brick spans ever constructed.

Cookham, a tiny, prosperous Berkshire village five miles northwest of Windsor on the border with Buckinghamshire, was home to Stanley Spencer (1891–1959), one of Britain’s greatest - and most eccentric - artists. Much of his work was inspired by the Bible, and many of his paintings depict biblical tales transposed into Cookham - which he once famously described as “a village in Heaven”. There’s a fine sample of his work at the Stanley Spencer Gallery, which occupies the old Methodist Chapel on the High Street. Three prime exhibits are View from Cookham Bridge, the unsettling Sarah Tubb and the Heavenly Visitors, and the wonderful (unfinished) Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta. Download details of an hour-long walk round Cookham, visiting places with which Spencer is associated, from the gallery website.

Who said Legoland can’t be for adults? Bring out the inner child in you and your partner with a visit to Legoland Windsor. A popular theme park it’s based around the children’s building blocks - millions of them. Its 150 acres (60 hectares) of wooded landscape include rides - such as the underwater Atlantis Submarine Voyage - shows and workshops. Fun fact: Lego is a contraction of two Danish words, leg godt, meaning “play well”.