Thames Path - Kingston to Byfleet (★★★☆☆)

It was a wet start to the day on a walk where I would once again be ticking off another (fairly short) section of the Thames Path. 

Prior to this walk I had done four sections along this route - ticking off sections from the Thames Barrier to Hampton Court - with the last section being from Hampton Court to Richmond. 

Today my plan was to walk from Hampton Court to Weybridge (where the Wey meets the Thames) and then instead of continuing on up the Thames, I planned to continue on up the River Wey for a bit.

Initially I would be repeating the section from Kingston to Hampton Court I had walked previously, having made the decision to start this time from Kingston - purely as that offered the best chance to stop off and get something to eat on the way out.

And so I arrive in Kingston, stop off to get something to eat, and then on the way through Kingston it becomes clear that it was about to rain - and then as I cross over Kingston Bridge the heavens do indeed begin to open.

Kingston Bridge in the rain

At this point there is a lot of panicking among the general public, who by this point in summer hadn't seen rain in a long time - and so the crowds thin, and I have the Thames to myself - as everyone has abandoned their walks, and run off home.

Fortunately, I am good to continue on - as a quick Google shows that rain is not a fatal condition - and in the end this light spell of rain does not last too long.

From Kingston Bridge, we are walking a loop in the river that heads past Surbiton (with Hampton Court Park to the north). 

Here the path is good, and there is plenty of shelter under the trees as the last of the rain passes by - but it is not too long before the river starts to bend back round, and head towards Hampton Court.

Hampton Court is very quiet, and so I am hopeful of getting a number of good photos, but as I arrive in the perfect spot for a photo (without a soul in sight to get in the way), I look up to see the roof covered in scaffolding - and gave up on my photo shoot.

Instead it is time to head over Hampton Court Bridge - where I should have immediately cross the road, but instead cross the river first, and am then forced to head on down to the station - where I have permission to cross the road.

I have hidden the scaffolding behind the trees

Having made it across the road, I head back, and return to the river - and here we head on past Molesey Lock (which sits just past Hampton Court Bridge).

Molesey Lock

From here there is a short stint until we head into Hurst Park - where we get a view out to Hampton on the north side of the Thames (there is a ferry if you fancy a trip over).

Looking at a fancy house

One of the notable features on this stretch are the floating buildings that adorn this part of the Thames. 

The existence of these is somewhat puzzling, as the Thames generally encourages all traffic to keep moving - in an attempt to ensure that navigating boats are able to find places to moor - but these quite obviously aren't on the move. 

But since these have clearly been here for some time, it might be that there is some form of exemption for them - or they might just be very good at paying the right bribes to the right people.

Floating homes

But in any case, we are still moving on - and head on past Platt's Eyot - which is one of the many islands on the Thames. 

These islands are mostly occupied by restaurants or cafes, but this one is a tad more industrial - and here as we start to leave Molesey and Hampton behind, we enter a quieter and less populated stretch of the Thames - where many of the larger reservoirs can be found.

These reservoirs are not very visible from the ground, but are the dominant features on the map - with the Bessborough and Knight Reservoirs being completed in 1907, and the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir following in 1962. 

The nearby Island Barn Reservoir (south of Molesey) was built in 1911 - and alongside these we will be passing much more minor reservoirs, which sit closer to the river.

The ones we are passing are mere puddles, but even the larger Bessborough and Knight Reservoirs are pretty small compared to the king (or maybe I should say queen) of reservoirs - the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir. 

Combined Bessborough and Knight hold 1.2 billion gallons of water, but QEIIR holds 4.3 billion gallons - which is actually quite a lot of water. And indeed looking up these reservoirs helps pass the time whilst I head along this otherwise fairly quite stretch.

But eventually we make it past these to reach Sunbury Lock, with views looking out towards Sudbury-on-Thames - and as there are ample benches, I stop here for a bit of a rest.

Sudbury-on-Thames and Sudbury Lock

Sudbury Lock from the other side

From here, it does get a touch more rural, but this soon fades out as we head past Walton-on-Thames - and as we pass by that town, we have a stretch passing the houses along the river front. Soon though, we head past Walton Marina, and under Walton Bridge.

Walton Bridge

Here I think we do have to give Walton Bridge a bit of credit, as it is a nice high open bridge that is a nice design for those walking along the river. And by this point, this is actually the sixth different bridge to sit at this spot. 

The second was a rather nice stone affair that was even painted by Turner (and quite a few other artists), but it collapsed in 1859 - to be followed by a series of increasingly ugly bridges - until this bridge saved the day in 2013.

The second bridge (before Walton-on-Thames even existed)

From here the path continues on along a cut in the Thames, that avoids a large meander in it's path - and then at the end of this meander, we arrive at Hamhaugh Island.

If you wish to continue along the Thames Path, you have to cross over via the Ferry (or go on a long walk to one of the nearby bridges), but my plan is to join up with the River Wey from here - and I will  come back at a later date to walk the next section up the Thames. 

These ferries operate up and down the river, as there are long stretches with no bridges - and at this particular spot there is a very small boat that runs every 15 minutes, with a little bell on the Weybridge side in order to let the ferry know you'd like to cross (alternately you can give a ring if the ferry operator looks like they don't know you are there).

This ferry runs 8:30-17:30 weekdays, 9:00-17:00 on Saturdays and 10:00-17:00 on Sundays, and you just pay by card as you head over.

But for now, let's go and make that join with the River Wey - cutting through Weybridge and crossing over to Hamhaugh Island - which also marks the most southerly point of the River Thames. 

And the island itself is quite an interesting one, because it is not natural, but is instead man made and designed to reduce flooding around the confluence of the Wey and Thames - with a series of weirs controlling flow both on the Thames, and between the two rivers.

Crossing over to Hamhaugh Island

From here it is now a very short walk round to Thames Lock, and the start of the Wey Navigation. And from here the Navigation runs for about twenty miles down to Godalming - from which the river becomes too small for onward passage (at least for now).

Meeting the Wey at Thames Lock

The hut at Thames Lock with information boards - it smells of hay

Having successfully joined the River Wey, the next task is to have a bit of a look at some of the larger houses that sit along the river at Weybridge. 

For a mere £2-3 million one of these riverside houses could by yours, but if like me you cannot afford that fee, you can at least take a look at them, on your way past.

The River Wey

Fancy houses on the right

From here it is a short run down to The Wey Bridge - which the super sleuth in me thinks may have something to do with the fact that the town here is called Weybridge.

But the super sleuth in me is wrong, because the 7th century records note a settlement here by the name of Weiburgge - whilst this bridge is a much later installation. So there would have been a bridge, but certainly not this exact one.

The Wey Bridge

The same bridge in the 1920s

From here we must cross the road, and then hop over a minor road, before crossing over the river - as we begin the run down into Byfleet.

Here we pass under the railway, and then arrive at the fairly busy Mill Pond, on the edge of Addlestone - complete with renovated mills (now converted into apartments). 

Originally this was an iron working mill driven by a waterwheel, and the large reservoir was installed to ensure continuous operation. Later the mill moved onto flour production and silk weaving. 

And the mill here continued operation all the way up to 1969 (having been built in the 1780s), and as a flour mill, much of the grain would have been arriving from London Docks - following a similar route to us today.

A barge arriving at Coxes Mill

A barge being loaded with grain at London Docks

But whilst these barge no longer run down this river, our journey down the river continues - and soon we arrive at New Haw Lock.

New Haw Lock

From here there is a long open stretch to clear, before we begin a less enjoyable section, heading under the M25, and then on to the next road crossing - which is my exit point, heading off to Byfleet and New Haw station.

In hindsight I made the wrong choice here. I was swayed by the fact that I have walked the entirety of the River Wey up to that bridge, but it would have been more enjoyable to turn onto the Basingstoke Canal, and then follow that round to West Byfleet train station.

Total Distance: 11.0 miles (6.0 miles from Hampton Court to Weybridge on the Thames Path)

Total Ascent: 154 feet (105 feet from Hampton Court to Weybridge on the Thames Path)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐ ★ ★ / 5

Click for the next section along the Thames Path from Weybridge to Maidenhead.

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.