Wimbledon to Richmond, Saturday 20 April (NB: change to advertised walk)

Travel: meet at 09.45 at Wimbledon station (Main concourse) – (NB: the loos are downstairs, so please use before you exit the ticket barrier)

Wimbledon station is serviced by rail from Waterloo station; tube (District Line) and tram from Croydon. Richmond station is serviced by rail, tube (District Line) and the Overground. (NB: please check your own travel requirements)

Lunch: Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park. There’s no booking of tables. The cafe serves a small selection of hot dishes (from £16), some sandwiches and a splendid selection of cakes. There are benches for picnic within their grounds.

Terrain: The walk is undulated with some steeper up and downhills. Some paths in Wimbledon Common were severely water-logged or muddy on my recent check-out. Some of the downhills can be slippery especially if rain before or on the day. Please wear appropriate foot wear and if needed, bring a walking pole. In Richmond Park many of the paths are gravelled but some will also be muddy or boggy. But this walk also covers longer sections on hard surfaces.

The walk: The whole walk is approx. 8 miles, the morning is longer than the afternoon. To Wimbledon Common via Wimbledon Old village, then towards Beverly Brook before entering Richmond Park by the Robin Hood Gate, making our way to Pembroke Lodge we might see deer along the way.

After lunch we’ll drop down towards Petersham to join the River Thames. along the riverside before reaching Richmond Common via The Old Palace. At this time of year, the riverside walk will be very busy with people and dogs. I usually lead this walk during the winter months so it’ll feel quite different.

Break-off points:  There are two options. An early one between Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park – bus No. 85 either towards Putney or Kingston. Another one near Petersham, with two buses going to Richmond Station.

Happy walking,

Sigrid – [PS: Our 2023 photo comp finalists’ photos are now on our website. The special subject for the 2024 comp is ‘A tight squeeze’].