Thames Path - Battersea to Richmond (★★★☆☆)

This route follows on from a stretch of the Thames Path previously walked, running from Waterloo to Battersea (having started at Kings Cross originally).

As before, this walk was done on a trip down through London - heading south to see family (although on this occasion I do not really benefit at all since the train from Richmond has to head back to Clapham Junction before it can take me south again). 

And today it is here at Clapham Junction that my walk begins - taking a fairly direct route back to the river, and joining up with it near Plantation Wharf Pier.

Joining back up with the river

And although we are starting to edge out of the city, it is clear that this is still very much part of central London - and not yet a more rural outskirt.

From here I head along the river (in the opposite direction to central London) - passing under Wandsworth Bridge, and then navigating around the Refuse Tip (yay!), before returning to the river at Wandsworth Park.

The view across the river while walking through Wandsworth Park

After an enjoyable walk through Wandsworth Park, we continue on past Putney Bridge, and then the river starts to bend round to the north, with Craven Cottage football stadium coming into view as we start on this bend.

This marks a point where the river does start to take on a more rural feel - firstly with a busy stretch past some boathouses, and then as we head past London Wetland Centre - which seems to some sort of theme park for birds. And although  I don't pay it a visit, it does seem to be busy which is usually a good sign.

At this point I'm getting ready to make a mental note to return one day, and have a look around when I look up the price of wandering through ponds and marshes. You can look up the price for yourself, as I really don't want to be the one to inform you, that you are going to need to bring your bank manager along to see some ducks and marshes.

London Wetland Centre

This might be the greatest spot on earth for watching birds and I might turn out to miss out on all the excitement, but I spend enough time walking through marshes anyway, and have never felt the need to pay to do so.

But having passed these wetlands, the path continues, on a tree-lined path, with the trees opening out to give views of the rowing boats heading past - and of the houses, across in Hammersmith.

New Developments at Hammersmith

Passing underneath Hammersmith Bridge, the path starts to bend to the east, to round a loop in the river.

Hammersmith Bridge

This marks a continuation of the tree-lined section, that almost feels forested - although in reality with it only being a small tree lined path - that just about flanks the path of the river.

Passing a small reservoir on the left - which while very visible on the map, is not much to see in real life - the same tree lined path continues on.

But after a while there is a change, as the path joins up with the road - and as it starts to head past Barnes Bridge. And whilst this road section is not amazing, and quickly forgotten - once under the bridge, Mortlake has a strong historic market town vibe to it.

And this market town vibe continues on round to Chiswick Bridge, where we switch back to that familiar tree lined path, that we follow round to the railway bridge. 

But whilst the trees continue through this section, there is a change in the next section - as the area once again has a similar feel to Hammersmith, as the path heads past Kew Bridge - with more modern apartments reappearing once again.

Just the other side of key bridge

Heading on round the bend of the river, you do get a glimpse of Kew Palace as you head past, and then on the left sits Kew Gardens - but it feels fairly well fortified behind a bit of a barrier - and there is very little to see of Kew Gardens on the way past.

If you are a ticket holder for Kew, you unfortunately cannot really divert off through the gardens and then come back on the other side - since while you could enter at Elizabeth Gate, there is no real way out on the far side that neatly connects up with the Thames Path route.

And indeed, the only real glimpse you get of Kew Gardens, comes when Kew lowers the barricades, and relies on a bordering stream alone to keep out the hoi-polloi out (you). 

And for those who are interested in visiting the gardens, whilst walking the Thames Path, there is plentiful accommodation around Kew and Brentford - and my suggestion would be to visit Kew late in the day, as you then get half price access.

Whilst this would usually be a little restrictive, if you are already doing a lot of walking you probably won't want to spent too long looking round the gardens anyway.

Heading past the far end of Kew Gardens, you pass Syon House on the far side of the river - and here you have the good folk of Kew to your left, sat on benches, looking at the same site. 

Here I do my best to walk through all their photos, and do my best to look particularly smug about my marginally better view of Syon House (I'm not in any way bitter about Kew making it impossible to see anything from the path).

By this point we are leaving Kew behind and starting to close in on Richmond - and beyond the limits of Kew Gardens we soon reach the edge of Old Deer Park.

And just as a bit of advanced warning, through this section you will also see a lot of low flying planes - as here we pass under the flight path for Heathrow's southern runway (neeeyoooow! neeeyoooow! neeeyoooow!).

But trying to put these planes to the back of my mind, I head on, and shortly after passing Richmond Lock, we come into Richmond itself.

The final stretch coming into Richmond

A building in Richmond

Here I turn off, and head up the hill into a very busy Richmond town centre - where I go and find the station and my onward train.

Total Distance: 11.2 miles (10.2 miles on the Thames Path)

Total Ascent: 213 feet (180 feet on the Thames Path)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐ ★ ★ / 5

Click to see the next section of the Thames Path with a walk from Hampton Court to Richmond.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 176 OS Landranger map - while there is also a Thames Path guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.