Track-and-Trace: please provide email address (preferred) or mobile phone number at the start
Rule of Thirty: up to June 21 (at least)Net Walking Time: ca. 2 ¼ hours
Take the 18.20 train from Waterloo to Reading (Clapham J 18.28, Richmond 18.37),
arrives Twickenham at 18.40.
Twickenham can also be reached by taking the District Line to Richmond and changing onto the train there.
Return trains: 8 per hour in the evening, (some fast,
some not). Twickenham is in Zone 5.
Starting from Twickenham station, the route follows the River Crane
inland through a mix of riverside paths and local parks. It then joins the Duke
of Northumberland's River along another riverside path, which passes the Stoop
and Twickenham rugby stadia – as well as a sewage farm, to reach the Thames at
Isleworth. Here, the nature of the walk changes completely, from a small river
through suburbs, to the wide, open River Thames towpath passing luxury houses.
Pass Richmond (and several riverside pubs) to enter Marble Hill Park
(free) and House (museum, English Heritage), with views of Ham House (NT) on
the opposite bank. You come to Eel Pie Island opposite York House (council
offices) – do not miss its riverside gardens and statues, before heading inland
to Twickenham station.
Walk Option: A shortcut is shown via Cole Park, which cuts off a
pleasant loop of the Thames and Marble Hill House.
2 comments:
The towpath from Richmond to Twickenham is lovely. Note the old black walnut tree in Marble Hill Pk (just inside the first gate off the towpath) described as 'possibly the oldest in the UK'. Check out also the viewpoint (opposite Ham House, along from Hammertons Ferry) in Orleans Gardens - nice view down river. Impressive old plane trees and avenue of chestnut trees there also. At the end of the path through the chestnuts you come to a lane - there you can glimpse what's left of Orleans House (gallery) before continuing towards Eel Pie, past The White Swan riverside pub. Walking under the ornate bridge brings you to the statues (best viewed inside the gardens - entrance just near Champions Wharf, opposite the church). Catch another good viewpoint down river from there. Note: St Mary's Church has a surviving 15th century tower). There are two pubs in Church Lane and another opposite Eel Pie (where some well known bands once played in the Eel Pie Hotel (no longer there sadly). See wiki for further info... Emma
7 minutes delay picked up on a 20 minutes journey from Waterloo, rush hour must be back!
Crane River and Duke of Northumberland's River had interesting stretches, but there are also plenty of garden fences, industrial estates and railway subways to contend with in that bit of the route. The inland bit past the stadia and through the sewage plant (3rd largest in the UK apparently) was quite unique, and not THAT smelly. Onwards through a couple of parks and along waterways, finally to the Thames. Quite a fine stretch of the Thames Path this, with some impressive real estate and parks, plus locks and views across.
All in, we saw herons in about 5 different places, egrets in 1 or 2, and plenty of swans, ducks and Egyptian Geese.
On the last stretch, we whizzed past the first pubs, then found the kitchen already closed in a couple of the later ones, so ended up at a nice Osteria in a (Covid-)pedestrianised lane in Twickenham for a meal. 22.41 train.
n=4 walkers were up for this longish midsummer outing in w=warm weather.
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