Home Park

 

Home Park is just one of several parks in the Kingston and Hampton Court area. Its closest neighbour is Bushy Park. Both are Royal Parks.

I'd not been to Home Park in a long time. The River Thames runs along one of its boundaries, and at the end is Hampton Court Palace. Years ago, one could walk from Home Park into Hampton Court Palace Gardens. Sadly, this is no longer possible. There are gates and railings along it now. If you want to visit the gardens, you have to purchase a ticket for Hampton Court Palace. You can't even use the cafe anymore without buying a ticket. Every so often, you can visit the gardens for free (on certain weekends). It annoys me as I used to visit the gardens quite a lot, and I have been to the palace at least twice before, so I don't want to pay an exorbitant price just to walk around the gardens and visit the cafe. Anyway, at least Home Park is free, and you can get sight of the palace from the gates.

The day I visited was dull, windy and cold. Not my ideal walking weather, but it was the only day I had free, and I was meeting a friend later in Kingston, so everything fit together.

I followed Hampton Wick Pond near the far boundary., where the road to Hampton Court Palace runs. There is supposed to be an ice house here, but I couldn't find it. After leaving the pond, I continued along the grass path towards the palace. Suddenly in the distance, I spotted deer. As I walked, the deer became more numerous, with a range of adults and young. The deer are skittish, so if they were on the path, they soon moved away. I only had the camera on my mobile, but I got a few good photos. Such beautiful and majestic creatures. They observed me with a mixture of disinterest and caution. These are wild animals, and one should let them be. However, it was lovely to see them. There are deer in Richmond Park, too, but often I don't see them. I would certainly be wary of them at certain times of the year - when the young are born -  but rutting season was over. I'd have heard the males bellowing if not!

Hampton Wick Pond

This park was, of course, the hunting ground of many English kings, the most famous being King Henry VIII. I could just imagine him on his horse, romping through the park, hunting for deer. These days the deer are managed through culling, not something I like to think about.

Hampton Court Palace in the distance

In the distance, I could see Hampton Court Palace, and finally, I reached the gates and railings through which I took photos. I had then reached The Long Water where there are other views of the palace. Here, I turned and headed back along The Long Water to eventually exit the park. The wind was in my face, and I was getting colder. It was good to get back to the town centre of Kingston and seek out a nice hot cuppa and lunch before meeting my friend. 

The back of Hampton Court Palace

The Long Water

My friend told me that the clubhouse of the golf club in Home Park is open to the public. I've never been there. Another time, I will follow the other path nearer the Thames. I'd choose a day when it wasn't so cold for my next walk there!