Car Park - Virginia Water — Attraction in Borough of Runnymede

Lovely Day Out, But Watch the Ice Cream Van

We had a lovely family day out at Virginia Water. It’s a beautiful, peaceful place—great for a picnic and perfect for families with kids of all ages. Lots of greenery, open space, and scenic views by the lake.

The only downside was the ice cream van near the lake by the ducks. The vendor insisted on cash rather than card—we all know why that might be. My brother-in-law, who paid in cash, was overcharged by £5. At the time, the man rushed him to pay quickly—likely a tactic to confuse and overcharge customers. When he went back to question it, the vendor was difficult to communicate with and seemed to use the language barrier to his advantage. Instead of a refund, he offered extra lollies, which wasn’t ideal.

Just a heads-up: double-check your total and change when buying from the ice cream truck.

Aside from that, we’d definitely recommend Virginia Water for a relaxing and...

There is a wonderful walk all the way to Windsor starting at Virginia Water, allowing you to go through the entire park and passing beautiful lakes and bridges as well as hidden idylls tucked within the parks grounds. I'm sure there's still numerous places to go I haven't seen yet, given the size of the place! Also be sure to look out for wildlife - was very lucky to see a kingfisher hunting on the river! There are also lots of birds and also deer in the park adjacent to Virginia Water. However the parking prices are ridiculous- for a 4 hour stay the cost was £15.50 which I find overpriced. You used to be able to park in nearby lay-bys but these have either been replaced by paying bays or have been double yellow lined, so they are making you pay to visit the site, which I think is a...

A well maintained car park with plenty of spaces and well laid out, although it can still get very busy at peak times. The parking charges are quite high but for regular visitors the annual car parking pass at £60 for the year does represent very good value.

Dog walkers tend to park up at the northern end of the car park where there's a gate through to the very dog friendly woodland areas of Virginia Water and Wick Plantations.

Unfortunately the cash payment machines seem to forever be having problems and at the time of our recent visit were out of order altogether, leaving just the two card payment ones working. Thankfully, those working on the other end of the machine's help button are very good at helping if you do find yourself stuck with cash but no...