Ascot

A small village until 1711 when Queen Anne moved the Windsor race meeting to here and founded the world famous Ascot Racecourse. Its future was secured when the Duke of Cumberland established a stud at Windsor in the 1750s and, by the end of the century, the meetings were being attended by royalty on a regular basis. Today, Royal Ascot, held every June, is an international occasion of fashion and style with pageantry and tradition, and the very best flat-racing spread over five days.

To the west of the town is Englemere Pond, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and also a local nature reserve. Once part of the royal hunting ground, which surrounded Windsor Castle and is still owned by the Crown Estate, the main feature is the shallow acidic lake, which offers a wide range of habitats from open water to marsh, for the many species of plants, birds, animals and insects found here.