Staines-on-Thames to Hampton Court
On a cold bright morning, on 14th September Michala and I caught a train to Staines to pick up our route along the Thames Path National Trail. We were well prepared for a chilly start, beanies and gloves at the ready.
However, walking briskly from Staines station to the Thames warmed us up and our beanies remained tucked well away as we enjoyed the autumnal sunshine.
As usual on the outset of these hikes we were in high spirits, excited to get on the trail. We started by returning to the 'swan upping' statue which reminded us of the importance of a swan's wellbeing.
Swans Behaving Badly
We were not much further downstream when we came to a halt as we witnessed some aggressive behaviour between swans. To be honest, it was quite upsetting and a situation where we would very much have liked to intervene but had to accept nature's way.
There was no way of telling the cause of this behaviour. It is well known that swans can be very aggressive. However, research shows that 80% of aggression in swans is against their own kind. It can be to do with competition over food sources when they are in short supply. It is hard to believe that was the case with this bullying.
First off, we spotted a swan swimming extremely fast, like nothing we had ever seen before. He seemed to be trying to get away whilst two others gave chase. The swan then mounted the bank where we saw a tussel and then the bedraggled, exhausted creature managed to get away further up the bank. Perhaps our presence stopped the aggressors continuing to give chase.
The victimised swan waddled uncomfortably along the side of the path, leaving the bullies behind. With what appeared to be a safe distance between them, he returned to the water.
In no time he was under attack again, grabbed by the neck and being dunked.
By some miracle he got away again and managed to return to the bank. The poor creature was bleeding and was probably suffering for an extreme loss of pride.
Meanwhile on the river, the victor marked the end of the battle by displaying.
We hope that our very presences caused the fight to eventually break off.
Little Ships
Breathing a sigh of relief we journeyed on down river enjoying the view of the glassy Thames reflecting the blue sky above. Our spirits lifted as we continued on with an average pace of 2.8 miles per hour, despite our progress being peppered by stops for photos.
We found ourselves at Penton Hook Lock delighted by the sight of bunting fluttering in the light breeze. This very much reminded us of our walk on the Ridgeway a few days after the Platinum Jubilee when we walked through quiet Oxfordshire villages where the Union Jack flags greet us. This time, we learnt, the bunting were out in celebration of the Veterans' Cruise which was due to take place later in the day. This is an annual event run by The Association of Dunkirks' Little Ships. This event was first started 28 years ago as a tribute to the men and women who crossed the English Channel in their small vessels to rescue service men and women on the beaches at Dunkirk. However, since then this annual event has been expanded to pay tribute to many other WWII veterans.
We dawdled in the area for a while, really torn in our choices. Should we abandon our walk and remain around the area to watch the flotilla as it came through at 12:30? We would have a 2.5 hour wait. It really was a tough decision. We walked on debating, with thoughts of finding a circular walk that would bring us back around noon. It was not an easy decision but eventually we decided that there were so many miles we could cover during the wait time that we would continue on. When we looked at images later there was just a little tinge of regret.
The Big Apple
As with so much of the Thames Path, we have been intrigued by the huge variety of grand houses and their gardens backing onto the Thames. Today it was all about ornamental features.
In one place we saw a polar bear on his hind legs looking down from the balcony of a grand house with palm trees in the garden. At another, there were two 'men in black' sitting at either end of a high terrace. Then outside two separate houses we saw the big apples.
The apple is a symbol of temptation. I wonder how many are tempted to grab the apple and run. However, they may find the glazed ceramic rather too heavy to lift. During my usual post-hike research I found out that these are probably the works of Bruno Silva. A single apple is worth over £5000. Each apple is unique and is designed to bring together 'the essence of urban graffiti and organic elements'.
On the water's edge we enjoyed the views of many boats and islands.
Where the Smooth Waters Glide
At Chertsey, where smooth waters glide under the bridge, reflections danced on the Purbeck stone arches under which, a fisherman's tent sat. The fisherman was out of view undisturbed by the toings and froing along the Thames Path.
The whole day was drenched in sunshine, that blue ribbon gleaming all the way. It was hardly surprizing that there were so many people out and about.
We observed that we were seeing more people on this day than we had seen during the entirety of our walk along the Thames Path to date. The world and his wife were out with their dogs or cycling or jogging.
We had to move aside for many which is fair enough but over time I personally found it challenging. We may well have been following the flow of the river to the sea however, flowing against us was a tidal wave of runners as literally thousands were running the Thames Path Ultra Challenge, a 100K run from Putney Bridge to Henley. There were some shorter runs of 10K, 25K, 50K and 75K but they were all on 'our path'.
I had very much hoped that at some point we would find we had left the runners behind but it was a never ending flow.
As we entered the green space of Dumsey Meadows and Chertsey Meads it felt a little better as we were able to walk along the grass to avoid the contraflow along the path.
This was a surprising area of green space so close to Chertsey and Shepperton. It was important to make the most of this as it was going to be the final water meadows we would encounter before reaching the mouth of the River Thames.
We lingered a short while at Shepperton lock watching brighly coloured kayaks pushed down stream as the lock gates opened and a torrent of water rushed through.
Leaving Dry Land
At Shepperton, we had a choice to make. Should we follow the right bank or stay on the left which meant rerouting away from the river for a short distance? It was not a difficult decision. We would take a little ferry across the river. We were actually quite thrilled with the novelty.
We purchased our tickets in the local coffee shop and then rang the bell to hail the ferry. The ferryman was already there waiting for us. We were able to board and within minutes we were disembarking on the opposite bank.
No Escape
On the opposite bank there was still a rural quality with wooded paths, however we had not escaped the runners. We continued on, passing Walton-on-Thames and Sunbury-on-Thames. At East Molesey we admired the house boats lined up along the banks.
As we were nearing Hampton Court, I found I was dragging my feet. We had plans to walk as far as Teddington but I realised we desperatly needed to take some time to rest and break away from the crowds of people. We decided to halt at the next refreshments' stop we could find.
A Place of Refuge
Fortunately this stop turned out to be so much more than the kiosk it appeared to be. There was a nice area cordoned off from the ever flowing pedestrians, runners and cyclist. We were delighted to find our drinks served in ceramic rather than take-away cups and we shared a slice of much needed courgette and lime cake.
(Yes, I do have that habit of photographing my capuccino before consumption).
I removed my boots and melted into the comforable seat thinking I would never be able to walk another step. It was time to take stock.
Decision Making
Working out distances for each of the legs of our hike has been quite a challenge. We have found that the distances reported by Strava at no point have matched the distances outlined in our guide books. In addidtion to which my Strava tells me that I have walked further than Michala. When we planned this leg of our walk it was based on the guide book which claimed Staines to Teddington would be 16 miles therefore in reality is was bound to be even further. Perhaps we had been over ambitious.
Looking at the map we worked out that Teddington was in fact 4.5 miles further on and we would have an additional 1.5 miles to Teddington Station. I just knew I did not have sufficient energy in the tank. Coffee and cake for sure numbed the pain but it just was not going to be enough.
Within a stone's throw of Hampton Court is Bushey Park. Not only could we cut off a large loop of the Thames Path by walking through the park, but our train tickets were for a return trip via Teddington and we could reach the station by walking straight through the park and out the other side. But, more importantly I just felt we needed some green space away from the crowds to bring down the heart rate and recover the joy.
Whether it was the relief of our decision or the result of taking a short break but I felt a little better in those final steps towards Hampton Bridge. We stopped to admire the bobbing boats.
We stood for some time watching cormorants drying their wings.
Then we walked up the side of Hampton Bridge and crossed the precariously busy road to gain a view of Hampton Court Palace. We would return to this point on our next hike.
Then, leaving the Thames Path, knowing we were making the right decision, we followed the road around to the entrance of Bushey Park.
Reconnecting with Green Spaces
Within moments we both felt the positive effects of being among the trees and wildlife.
We no longer felt like this exhausted stag.
Our spirits lifted and we felt able to face the walk to Teddington station and the train journey home.
You can read about our next leg along the Thames Path National Trail - Day 14 from Hampton Court to Richmond.
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