ETON ANTIQUE BOOKSHOP c.1940

The sort of bookshop that makes you want to abandon your holiday plans for an afternoon. Eton Antique Bookshop has been doing what it does since around 1940 - selling proper old books in Windsor, just across the river from the castle. You'll find everything from leather-bound Victorian novels to dusty first editions, the kind of place where you can lose two hours without noticing.

This isn't a browse-and-buy-a-postcard operation. Serious collectors come here, but so do casual readers after a decent Penguin Classic or an odd volume of something long out of print. The stock shifts constantly, which means repeat visits actually pay off. Staff know their stuff, which saves you from buying dud editions at premium prices.

If you're camped at Queens Acre or Amerden nearby, it's a proper excuse to head into Windsor proper rather than staying at the caravan park all day. Park the car and walk along the High Street - you'll stumble on other independents while you're at it. Allow a good hour, maybe longer if you're the type who reads the spines of every shelf.

Families with young children won't get much from it, honestly. Teenagers who actually read? They might surprise you. It's not a major attraction - don't plan your whole trip around it - but if you like old books and you're in Windsor anyway, you'd be daft to miss it.