Last fall, I did a 25km charity walk along the Thames that passed through Richmond and I made a mental note to come back. It took 8 months, but I made it back and am so happy I did – what a beautiful place!

Living in Battersea, the trip to Richmond was incredibly quick – we were able to catch a direct train from Clapham Junction which meant door-to-door it took less than 30 minutes. If you’ve ever tried to get anywhere in London, you’ll realize that this is unbelievably fast! Once we arrived in Richmond, we headed towards Kew Road and walked alongside Kew Gardens until we arrived at a little pub on Kew Green for lunch. Kew Gardens is a place I am dying to go back to, but I want to allocate a full day to wander around the gardens – they also have a summer concert series that I intend to look into, what a fun night out that would be!

The pub lunch was simple, but wonderful – I normally go with the veggie breakfast (they have these everywhere in London) if it’s still within brunch hours, and it was! It comes with over-easy eggs, sauteed spinach/mushrooms/tomatoes, baked beans and potatoes – so filling for the rest of the day spent walking around! After lunch, we headed back en route to the water – we only had a few hours and knew we wanted to grab a pint and sit along the Thames for a bit while the sun was still out. En route to the water, we stumbled across a cricket match, the cutest afternoon tea/pastry shop and the Richmond May Fair with carnival rides and vendors selling all sorts of goodies. I think I fell in love with Richmond during this walk – people were everywhere and seemed to be genuinely enjoying their Saturday, so lovely!

Once we got to the water, we spent some time walking along the river just taking in the scenery – there were people EVERYWHERE! There’s so much to take in – people sitting on the lawn having picnics, painters painting, rowers rowing, lots of ice cream and kites. We finished the afternoon with a pint at The White Cross and then meandered back to the train station and were back in Battersea in 8 minutes! When (not if) we go back to Richmond, I want to venture to Richmond Park and try to spot some deer – they are known in the area as a sight to see – and definitely wander through Kew Gardens in addition to exploring all the back alleys that make it the quaint, beautiful place that it is.

If you come to London and have an extra afternoon to fill, consider Richmond as a place to visit – you can get here directly from Waterloo (on the SW train lines) or on the Tube as well. I know you’ll just love it!

Cheers!

CHH