Car-free around RichmondGreater London
Explore Richmond Park, the gardens at Kew, the palatial grounds of Hampton Court or the little villa that the painter JMW Turner designed for himself. Get there by bus, bike or even boat; walk along the Thames or climb above it. One of London’s finest areas for a riverside stroll, Richmond offers scenic stretches of the long distance Thames Path or Capital Ring. And whether you fancy a pint in a waterside pub or tea in a hilltop mansion, this is a refreshing car-free destination for everyone. You can get to Richmond in half an hour on a district line tube from Victoria, in 20 minutes via a train from Waterloo, or on the Overground line from North London. To use the 2 for 1 train offers (and there are several locally) make sure you follow the link and print the voucher.
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1. Cycle or walk the Thames Path
To see what all the fuss is about, head straight for the Thames. If you’d rather cycle than stroll, pay a visit first to Richmond Cycle Centre, right by the station. Cross the road outside Richmond station and walk through the tunnel by Yo Sushi. Turn left on Little Green and diagonally right across grass ahead.
- Richmond Theatre here is a great place for a show, with everything from Marlowe to musicals. Walk over the green to Old Palace Lane, past the White Swan pub, and left again along the Thames.
- The riverfront is heaving with pubs and places to eat, from carnivorous Gauchos, serving Argentine steaks, to the veg-focused Tide Tables café under Richmond Bridge, with its new sister branch, Hollyhock Café, up in the Terrace Gardens ahead.
- Elegant Richmond Bridge is the oldest surviving Thames bridge in Greater London. You can walk all the way along the river to Ham House (see map below).
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2. Petersham Meadows and Richmond Park
With a good network of paths, you can walk everywhere in Richmond, but there are also some handy buses to help cover the ground.
- Bus 65 runs from stop D outside the station frequently in the day and takes about quarter of an hour to transport you to the edge of Petersham Meadows.
- Or take bus 371 from the same stop; after a magical mystery tour of Richmond’s historic streets, it arrives at the American University. Hop off and keep straight here for a stroll through Richmond Park, recently voted one of Britain’s top 100 walks. London’s largest royal park and is a National Nature Reserve, home to ancient trees and herds of free range deer.
- You can also follow the map below for a lovely walk. From Richmond Bridge, keep going along the riverbank with the river on your right and straight across Petersham Meadows along a tarmac path. Just before the churchyard, turn left on a way-marked path and follow it to Petersham Road.
- Cross the road and follow the Capital Ring uphill with great views behind you. Go through the gate ahead and turn right through the gardens to reach Pembroke Lodge.
- After tea and more panoramic views, you can go on towards Ham (see 3 below) or back to Richmond.
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3. Ham House, Hammertons Ferry and more
Hammertons Ferry outside Ham House runs every day from March to October, 10am to 6.00pm. You can get there from Richmond by strolling along the towpath under Richmond Bridge or by catching bus 371 to Sandy Lane and following the avenue. Or you can follow a longer walk from through the deer park and woods (See map below).
- From Pembroke Lodge (see 2 above), follow the steps down from the terrace and turn left out of the gate. Look out for deer! Keep going in the same direction until you reach another road ahead and turn right down to Ham Gate.
- Go on along the main road (or the path that runs parallel in the woods by the road) through Ham village, over the crossroads near New Inn and past the green.
- Finally, turn right at a sign for Ham and Petersham Tennis Club along a straight avenue, crossing Sandy Lane (this is where bus 371 arrives from Richmond), towards red brick Ham House ahead.
- At the front of house, head diagonally right to the river. Take Hammertons ferry across Thames and turn right along towpath, past Marble Hill House, back to Richmond Bridge (Don’t worry if the ferry isn’t running; it’s just as beautiful to turn right along the near side of river and return to Richmond that way).
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4. Hampton Court by train, bus or boat
Henry VIII’s palace is a justifiably popular tourist attraction. Surrounded by acres of magnificent parkland, this riverside gem is conveniently near the train station.
- Trains run from London Waterloo frequently; you can get on at Vauxhall, Wimbledon and other stations and a travelcard is valid as it’s still in Zone 6. If you’re getting a train from Richmond, change at New Malden.
- The station is just five minutes walk from the palace. Come out onto the main road and turn right over the Thames, enjoying the fabulous views from the bridge.
- From Richmond, it’s simpler to catch bus R68. Hop on outside the railway station at stop C and step off outside the palace half an hour later.
- In summer, you can even catch a boat – with Thames River Boats (33% off if you’ve got a travelcard).
- Follow Good Journey’s directions.
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5. Visit Turner’s House in Twickenham
Bus R68 stops, on its way to Hampton Court, next to Marble Hill Park, with a great view of the white riverside mansion at the heart of this grassy field. It’s a four-minute walk from here (up Sandycombe Road) to the villa that the artist JMW Turner designed for himself in 1813. After a recent fundraising campaign, Sandycombe Lodge was saved from rot, damp and later extensions and restored. Turner also painted the local views, like the panorama from the top of Terrace Gardens.
- Sandycombe Lodge opened to the public in summer 2017 and you can now visit on Wednesday-Sunday afternoons.
- It is worth booking ahead as places are limited.
- There’s no café, but plenty of options nearby including the The Crown on Richmond Road, which offers a 20% discount to people visiting Turner’s House (get a code when you visit).
- You can catch the R68 or other buses, stroll over Richmond Bridge and down the road, or hop on a train to St Margaret’s station, one stop further west.
- St Margaret’s is also a handy station for visiting Marble Hill House, a riverside mansion full of grand furniture, hand-painted Chinese wallpaper and Georgian portraits. The Coach House café, open all week, can do you tea and lemon drizzle cake in a rustic setting or there are the pubs and cafés near the station.
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6. Kew Gardens
Bursting with flowers and jungle-scented greenhouses, Kew is a great destination in any season: from snowdrops, blossom and trailing palm-house orchids to autumn leaves and carpets of crocuses, there’s always something spectacular. Kids will love the treetop walkway or the giant water lily leaves and there are acres of safe, traffic-free lawns to run across. And it also offers two tickets for the price of one to visitors arriving by train.
- Kew is one stop from Richmond by train or tube (in summer there are boats here too), but bus 65 is also an efficient way of getting there. Running ten times an hour from stop C opposite the station, it takes eight minutes to trundle up the main road to Kew and drops you right outside the main Victoria Gate into the gardens.
- There are plenty of cafés inside the gardens and around Kew tube station, but for a local treat, don’t miss the Maids of Honour teashop, almost opposite the bus stop. Supposedly, Henry VIII originally named these custard tarts, when he found Ann Boleyn and other maids of honour eating them from a silver dish.
- The Musical Museum at Kew Bridge, just up the road, has a collection of mechanical instruments, from theatrical organs to clockwork music boxes is a treasure house of pre-electronic magic.
- Follow Good Journey’s directions.
