This is a classic walk along one of the most popular stretches of the Thames Path, including a visit to Hampton Court garden with the chance of purchasing a ticket for the Palace courtyards, kitchens, State Apartments and gardens, including the Rose Garden with the Tiltyard Restaurant, the Wilderness with its wonderful show of daffodils in March, the Maze, the Kitchen Garden and the children’s Magic Garden. A visit to the Palace and the formal gardens is one of life’s great experiences for anyone who visits London. There is absolutely no problem with any kind of attire or footwear on this walk. You can bring your dog and, provided it is on a lead, is welcome in the less formal parts of Hampton Court Garden. Walk taken from fancyfreewalks.org.
1. Starting in the Diana Fountain car park, walk to the back of the car park (away from the entrance) and take a sandy path beside a small pond on your left. This is the Model Boating Pond and if the Model Yacht Club are gathering today you should see their craft in action, sometimes competing with a course marked out with coloured floats. Keep ahead past the second, much larger, Heron Pond, usually with resident geese as well as herons. At the end, keep left round the end of the pond to go over a bridge across a culvert with a long straight strip of water on your right. Turn immediately right along the grass beside the strip of water and follow it till it widens and becomes the Leg-of-Mutton Pond. At the end of the pond, by a grassy bank, shift left to join a tarmac footpath, known as Cobblers Walk for a reason to be revealed. This path veers right and takes you over a bridge over the strip of water. Soon you reach Hampton Wick Gate, leading out to a main road.
2. Cross the road (Sandy Lane) by the crossing, turn left for 50m and sharp right on Vicarage Road. This road elbows right and leads into the main road of Hampton Wick. Turn right on this road, Upper Teddington Road. On your left is Hampton Wick railway station. Continue along the main road, passing several opportunities for refreshments.
3. Go left at the roundabout, cross the road right by the pedestrian lights and take a wide tarmac path (Barge Walk) which runs down to the river, signed Thames Path. You now have an easy 4¼ km=2½ mile walk on the towpath. There is usually a choice between a wide tarmac path and a dirt path closer to the river. The only other traffic is a steady stream of bicycles. You pass some isolated houses and a yacht club. Kingston is on the other side, then Surbiton. The tall italianate church on the other side, topped with a cross, is St Raphael’s Catholic Church. You come through a metal barrier. In 1½ km you pass an island, Ravens Ait, once a centre for sea cadets, now a wedding venue. Just after the island, on your right, is a gate into Home Park.
4. In one more km, there is a brick column which is rather mysterious, though some say it’s the end of a ventilation pipe. Immediately after, there is another limited-use gate into Home Park as the towpath takes a wide curve. After a wooden barrier is The Hermitage, of Queen-Anne vintage, now a private house, and later another gate up steps into Home Park. The rounded wall of Hampton Court Gardens is on your right as you gain a view of Hampton Court road bridge. Continue to the bridge and turn right on the main road — but, as a worthwhile diversion, by turning left across the Thames bridge into East Moseley village you will find a line of pubs and eateries, such as Zizzi. You pass the ornate entrance to the forecourt of the Palace. Unless you are a Historic Royal Palaces member, you need a ticket to visit the palace and the gardens.
A visit to the Palace with its courtyards, kitchens, Great Hall, State Apartments, Cumberland Art Gallery, Formal Gardens, Maze, Wilderness and Magic Garden is a great experience. The ticket office is on the left. The State Apartments and courtyards are straight ahead whilst the Rose Garden, Wilderness, Magic Garden, Maze and Restaurant are on your left just before the main moated entrance. As you come through the Rose Garden, there is the kitchen garden and loos on your left. On your right, before the Tiltyard restaurant, a gate in the wall leads into the Wilderness (an informal garden) and loos. By veering left, you pass the famous Maze (with entry charge). Hampton Court Palace was built in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. When he fell into disgrace he gave the Palace to King Henry VIII. In the reign of William of Orange, an entirely new extension to the palace was built in Baroque style, unfortunately by demolishing part of the Tudor palace. Ann Boleyn had an apartment in the palace and, after her execution, some people fancy they’ve seen her ghost there. The formal gardens include the Great Fountain garden with its lines of yew trees, the real tennis court, the large privy garden (restored to its original layout), smaller pond gardens and the 250-year-old Great Vine, largest in the world, which incidentally does not produce wine.
5. Continue along the road, turning right with the road, until you reach the large Lion Gate. Go left here aross the road into Bushy Park. Immediately fork right, through trees and across the grass, past a café on your left, leading to the car park where the walk began.
DISTANCE: 5 miles
MAP: Explorer 161 (London South)
START: The walk begins at one of several railway stations (Hampton Court, Hampton Wick or Kingston) or in the large free car park in Bushy Park, near Kingston, nearest postcode KT8 9BY. This is the car park near the round Diana Fountain, not far from the entrance at Hampton Court’s Lion Gate.
Images: Hampton Court Palace (wwww.hrp.org.uk)