From Norbiton: to Hammersmith 16¾ km (10.4 miles), to Putney:19½ km† (12.1 miles)
From Barnes: Approx. 9km 5.6 miles to Hammersmith 12km 7.5 miles to Putney Bridge.
Difficulty 2/10
Posted to coincide with an Open House event at Emery Walkers' House (see below)
The full walk from Norbiton takes you through Richmond Park, where the deer might be at it. Keep your distance.
For an easier day, skip the morning and start at Barnes.
After a possible lunch in Barnes you cross the river for a foray along the north side of the Thames. En route, you could divert to Chiswick House & Gardens and back (free entry to gardens), but, depending on the time, you might want to skip that and continue along the river, past attractive 17th and 18th C houses. Along here is Emery Walker’s House, open free today from 2-5, as part of the Open House season. Associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, it contains original William Morris décor from way back when.
While you’ve got your Arts and Crafts hat on (no doubt a large floppy one with twirly leaves), you might want to dip into Kelmscott House (William Morris’s gaff) a little further along. It isn't doing Open House today, so would cost you £5. Open till 4 .
The walk ends in either Hammersmith, or, for the tough nuts, Putney. Decisions, eh?
Bishops Park, just before Putney bridge, is where Father Brennan was pursued by lightning bolts in The Omen, but I’m told that doesn’t happen very often.
Trains
The 9:48 Shepperton train form Waterloo (Clapham Jct 9:57) would get you to Norbiton for 10:13 (zone 5)
The 11:44 Windsor & Eton train from Waterloo (Clapham Jct 11:54) arrives at Barnes12:03. You might find the others in the Sun or one of the other hostelries, all 1km ahead. Then again, you might not.
Finishing: There are two tube stations in Hammersmith (Zone 2), one for the District and Piccadilly lines, the other for Hammersmith & City and Circle lines.
If you travel further to Putney there is a rail connection from Putney Station to Waterloo. Putney Bridge station is on the District Line (zone 2/3).
Lunch
Maybe a teensy bit early for the Barnes mob, there are many possible lunch places in Barnes village, about 1 km from Barnes Station. On Barnes Green the (recommended) Sun Inn (020-8876 5256) has plenty of seating (including a small front patio and a larger back garden). Along the High Street there are several cafés, a Pizza Express and the Coach & Horses (020-8876 2695). On the riverfront there are two more pubs, the Bulls Head (020-8876 5241) and the Watermans Arms (020-8878 8800).
Another possible would be the cafe in Chiswick House.
Tea there are several riverfront pubs and a deli the closer you get to Hammersmith Bridge. The Black Lion, the Old Ship, the Dove, the Rutland Arms and the Blue Anchor. The Dove is the oldest but maybe a bit small. (I’m not one for tittle-tattle, but some say Charles II ‘liaised’ with Nell Gwynn there).
At Putney bridge,, there's a riverside Wetherspoons, the Rocket, hiding behind the church on the Putney side..
Directions here
Emery Walker's house is on Hammersmith Terrace (between Chiswick Mall and Black Lion Lane).
T=swc.261
1 comment:
N=1 alighted at Barnes and, after orienting himself, headed to Barnes Pond. He looked in the Sun for any early starters. Nobody. “I’ll give them till 1” he thought.”Have some beer” he thought.
Still nobody.
So across the river and onwards. He decided there wasn’t time for Chiswick House and got to Emery Walker’s House for 2 on the dot. And guess what. A huge slow moving queue. 20 minutes later, almost in. And quess what again. Along came n=4 early starters. Had he looked back when leaving the Sun, he might have seen them, sat round the pond. But is that possible with eyes streaked with tears?
After hearing how long he’d been queueing they decided to skip Emery’s and wait in the Black Lion.
The visit didn’t take long. Only the dining room and a bit of stairway were open for Open House. In and out in 5 minutes. Not worth the queueing. Time for the Black Lion. One more from the queue joined us in the pub and continued with us as far as Hammersmith. So that’s n=6
A few of us coughed up the pennies to visit William Morris’s House. This was much more interesting.
At Hammersmith, 2 headed for the tubes. 3 tough nuts and the Barnes lightweight continued to Putney. Once past Hammersmith Bridge, that side of the river is not particularly enthralling. Apart from a few sculptures, and cormorants, it would have been better to have crossed over. There was a stop at The Crabtree, where two had puddings while others watched. Weather? W=cloudy-occasional-spots_of_rain
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