 |
| Daffs on the river bank |
With the prospect of a nicer day today, weather wise, I thought it would be good to fit in a short walk. The walk was a 'fill-in' section on the Thames Path. There have been odd gaps as we have not walked sections in order. This was one of those sections. Although I've walked it many times before, it has mostly been from the other direction (Kingston to Hampton Court). It's crazy how doing a walk in the other direction makes a difference!
The weather was cloudy when we left, but I had high hopes. That is what it proved to be - high hopes! The weather did not improve and it was actually cold with a keen wind blowing.
We began by entering some gardens on the opposite side of the River and Hampton Court Palace. I'd not seen these gardens before and made a mental note to come again. They looked lovely with all the spring flowers. I also decided that I would make a return visit and explore Bushy Park again (over the road from the main entrance to the Palace). I'd not been there in years and that is where my husband proposed to me!
We then crossed over the bridge to
Hampton Court Palace. Years ago there were more parts you could walk around without having to pay. Now you have to pay for the gardens and I couldn't work out how to get to the fountain and gardens (which is free). Never mind, there were other things going on. Hampton Court Palace is celebrating a 500th anniversary and so there were mock-up carriages on the green and kids running in them to have their photos taken. We arrived as some sort of ceremony was about to start, as a whole bunch of people came walking across the path dressed in Tudor costumes. Then a couple of big drums sounded out and trumpets played a fanfare before the Tudor-dressed people entered the Palace in twos. Without tickets we could not follow.
 |
| Mock-up carriages |
 |
| Tudor costumes |
 |
| Hampton Court Palace main entrance |
 |
| Something big is about to go down! |
 |
| A fanfare! (No, not for me, sadly!) |
 |
| The Tudor party enter the Palace |
I have been to Hampton Court Palace many times and particular like the kitchens, the tennis court and Chapel. Today we were just passing through. We wandered around the outer gardens (so I make use of the comfort facilities there!) and then we headed back to the river to begin the walk. I noticed how much more built up this section of the river is now to how I remember it. The route follows the wall of Home Park, which I have also walked in. This also takes you between Kingston and Hampton Court.
 |
| Spot the swan taking off |
I was struck by how wintery the trees still looked. I'm aware that spring has come late this year and it shows. The daffs look lovely though. At one point we heard a great noise. I thought it was someone coming up behind us on a bike until my husband pointed out that it was a swan taking off. I whipped out my camera and tried to take a photo (my dream photo is of birds taking flight from water). I did manage to get something but not quite what I wanted. One day......
 |
| Ah, another bird. It was doing well for worms! |
That cold wind was freezing my ears and I really wished I'd picked up a hat and scarf (though I did have gloves). I sat on a bench to eat a sandwich but the bottle of water stayed unopened. What I really wanted was a hot chocolate!
As we neared Kingston, the sky was quite dramatic. In one direction the sun came out in the blink of an eye. In the other direction it looked stormy. I love dramatic skylines. We headed over Kingston Bridge and into the town, did our little bit of shopping and came home. The first thing I did was put the kettle on!
 |
| And another bird - a Great Tit |
 |
| Dramatic sky |
 |
| And a very old bird! (Kingston Bridge in background) |
 |
| Houseboats - Kingston |
Comments
Post a Comment