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| Wimbledon Park looking towards the All England Lawn Tennis Club |
New Year's Eve, a dull day, but at least not too cold, and it wasn't raining! This walk has been on my mind for a while. I had a friend who was interested in walking it with me, but somehow it's never come off. So, after dilly dallying about where to go on this free day I had, I decided to do this walk.
This one is local to me, and I know Wimbledon Park well. Usually I walk there from Wimbledon station, but as the walk was stated as seven and a half miles, I was lazy and caught the tube for one stop, to save the walk up the hill!
I have to say I was a little worried about this walk on my own as it crossed commons and parks. It was the common I was most worried about. I get lost on commons! The first part of the walk was an easy one, through Wimbledon Park, along the lake, and on the other side you can see The All England Lawn Tennis Club. Exiting on the other side, there was a road walk until a turn-off, which my map wasn't clear about, so I asked a local lady, who directed me the right way. And then I entered Wimbledon Common. I may have gone in through a different way and asked someone if I was going the right way to the Windmill, and soon I approached it. Here I stopped to grab a hot chocolate and take my bearings.
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| Wimbledon Common |
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| The iconic windmill by the cafe |
I crossed the car park and headed downhill to the pond where a dog was swimming and chasing the ducks. The owner was shouting for it to come out, but dogs being dogs, it wasn't interested. As I walked away, I wondered if the dog would eventually get tired and if the owner would have to wade in and rescue it. The yapping was like something was being murdered. Quite unnerving. While Rue would chase ducks, he wouldn't go in the water. He avoids puddles, except if he wants to drink from them! Anyway, I didn't have Rue with me.
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| Wimbledon Common |
It was here that I took a wrong turning (told you!). It said to take the second path, but I couldn't find a second path, so I just legged it up through the woods to the golf course, where I was due to come out on anyway. Again, the directions weren't that specific and there were no sign posts. I did however, find a gentleman's golf ball for him, for which he was delighted!
I looked for a path and ended up going downhill through the woods. This felt familiar and I think I may have walked this with my son and Rue last year. At the bottom, I doubted myself and asked a lady gathering greenery, if I was right for heading to Richmond Park. I was and was only a little further right than I should have been. I actually knew this bit, but I'm such a worrier. Here I crossed Beverley Brook.
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| The downhill stretch |
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| War Memorial by the playing fields near the A3 |
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| Beverley Brook |
I crossed over the A3 and headed into Richmond Park via the Robin Hood Gate. Now I know Richmond Park well. At least I thought I did. It turns out this way was not a route I had taken before and it took me a little while (and Google Maps) to get the right path with Spankers Hill to my right. I was aiming for Pen Ponds. I'd not been here in years (hence the uncertainty). On approaching Pen Ponds, I realised the path was closed that leads between the ponds. I had to take a muddy track around one of the ponds to reach the other side, so I could go uphill to the next point.
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| Richmond Park |
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| Pen Ponds |
Thankfully, it didn't add too much to the walk, and I got the right turning off at the brow of the hill (yes!). Here I walked through woods and across a road towards Pembroke Lodge. The view from here is wonderful. I toyed with the idea of stopping for lunch, but I wasn't hungry and it looked very busy. So, I followed the path around the outside of Pembroke Lodge and finally down the hill towards the Petersham Gate.
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| Looking back to Pen Ponds |
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| The view from the hill near Pembroke Lodge |
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| St Peter's Church, Petersham |
Once out of Richmond Park, I crossed the road and took a path between houses and down towards Petersham Nurseries, though branched off before reaching there. I passed a lovely church and took a right hand footpath which went across Petersham Meadows. Here I got my first glimpse of the River Thames to my right. Eventually, I came to the gate that joins the Thames Path. I stopped for lunch at the little cafe here, as it was quiet and I've used this place before when I walked from Richmond to Kingston along by the river.
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| Petersham Meadows looking uphill to Richmond |
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| Lunch break |
Following the River Thames is always a pleasure, and soon I was coming into Richmond. The bridge was up ahead of me. I walked under it and stopped to say hello to the Virginia Woolf bench before making way to Richmond station to come home.
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| On the Thames Path |
My Fitbit told me I had walked over nine miles by the time I got home. This is the longest walk I've done wearing my new walking shoes. I'd worn them to the shops and short walks with Rue, and increased the mileage. I am so pleased with these shoes, though they are not waterproof, but I try to avoid walking in the rain! They will do me very well when I'm next back on the Thames Path later in the year. I took loads of photos with my new mobile (including some accidentally which we won't talk about).
I'm looking forward to tackling another Capital Ring walk soon. I'm hoping for some company next time. It's always more fun getting lost with someone else!
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