Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing too taxing, a bit of a stroll, lots to see, pretty views, leafy waterside, historic houses, plenty of seating, optional foot ferry, multiple refreshment opportunities, entirely step-free, won't take long. So here's a classic mile and a half along the Thames in Twickenham, nowhere near enough to make a day of it but a nice walk all the same.
This is the thirdtime my Nice Walk recommendation has kicked off at Richmond Bridge, but this time we're walking the west bank of the Thames all the way to Twickenham. It's not far. The good thing about the west bank is that it offers the best view of Richmond Hill, foliage permitting, plus being the inside of a bend you get further upstream for less effort. To reach the waterside take the narrow staircase down to the tidal slipway (warning, parked vehicles may be partially submerged) or else walk to the end of the bridge for a shallower pushchair-friendly descent. Perhaps mind the ducks. Also expect to be sharing the footpath with multiple folk out for a brief constitutional, many in the local uniform of padded gilets and sunglasses, and with many a pampered dog leading the way.
The far side of the river has all the main action with boathouses, landing stages and pricey restaurants. This side has only Cambridge Gardens, a stripe of plush lawn with a playground and a cafe, before heading onwards into quieter territory. Look out for the elegant twisted pillar which acts as a memorial to 6000 Belgian migrants who worked here during WW1 to staff a vast munitions factory. After the war one of its buildings was replaced by the world's largest ice rink, where Torvill and Dean once practised, until that too was demolished in 1992. You can read about both of these unusual buildings on fact-dense information boards to either side of the pergola with the wisteria, and are unlikely to be surprised that the site is now covered by luxury flats.
One characteristic of this stretch of the Thames Path is a preponderance of memorial benches, each with the commemorated name and dedication carved into the slats rather than hidden away on a squinty plaque. Auntie Mollie's bench is one of your first chances for a sit down. How the river appears depends very much on time of day but I passed by close to high tide as the water lapped over drooping willow branches and the wash from the New Southern Belle brushed against occasional sets of stone steps. Best enjoy the shady view of the river and Petersham Meadows because you won't see much on the inland side, only a lengthy wall which shields the massive gardens of surprisingly few very big houses. Occasionally a locked gate intervenes, adjacent to a small dinghy that's used to nip out to a moored cruiser, but mostly it's all trees.
Just beyond the private meadow with the burst of bluebells is Marble Hill Park. This is East Twickenham's finest recreational space and heritage site, and the former domain of Georgian courtier Henrietta Howard. If you're planning a diversion don't dive in at the first gap in the railings, wait for the tarmac path by the black walnut and you'll find a white Palladian house behind the sunken grotto and flower garden. Before English Heritage did the place up you had to pay to go in and got an hour-long tour, but it's now free to enter, open five days a week and considerably better fitted out. The wallpaper is a delight, the furniture sparkles and if you ask the volunteers nicely they'll tell you all about the seven year-old boy in the portrait who jumped out of a pie and ended up imprisoned by Barbary pirates. Be warned that the Breakfast Room's currently off limits with a damp problem and the second floor gallery doesn't open if they're understaffed, but what I'm saying is you really ought to make a diversion and visit one day, even if you have no intention of walking the Nice Walk.
Back beside the river the long jetty crowded with motorboats is home to one of the quirkiest ways to cross the Thames, namely Hammertons Ferry. This family business launched in 1908 and their latest craft is an aluminium hulled boat called Peace of Mind which can transfer a dozen passengers in an enjoyably zippy way. The fare has doubled since I blogged about the crossing ten years ago but it's still only £2 which makes it considerably better value than the cablecar (and also potentially busier). The chief attraction on the far side is Ham House, a National Trust treasure on a magnificent scale, but if you do choose to head over you'll need to get the ferry back because it's the last river crossing for the next two miles.
Stay on the north bank and another Palladian villa with public access very soon pops up. This is Orleans House, or what's left of it because the majority fell derelict a century ago. The baroque Octagon Room was preserved and properly dazzles, although on yesterday's visit I arrived shortly before the wedding of Thomas Robert to Rebecca Kate so could only squint at the gilt ceiling above the heads of the chamber quartet. Art is regularly rotated in the adjacent gallery space, although the current interactive play exhibition is targeted at toddlers so I made do with the colourful dangling saris in the Stables. The cafe looked busiest of all, indeed you won't be short of refreshment on this walk and the booziest is yet to come.
Thus far the riverside has been an entirely public space but now access retreats behind a brick wall and funnels into a street called Riverside. Its residences are a mix of clustered cottages and early 18th century terraces dripping with wisteria, and are now occupied by bohemians with camper vans, messers-about-with boats and the exceptionally fortunate. The waterside here is called Swan Hard, mecca of the Twickenham Riviera, where the Thames still creeps up the muddy beach and across the street at the highest tides. Even when it's not warm punters at the White Swan pub like to spill out onto the Hard with pints in hand or sit under the gazebo on the jetty and wait for a waitress to deliver their steak and chips. Should you want to poke around inside Twickenham Yacht Club and try paddleboarding or propping up the bar, be aware the annual open day isn't until July.
As the street squeezes back between two brick walls look out for the narrow black gate on the left, an access point which allows you to enjoy the view from the top of the arched bridge ahead, not just walk under it. On one side of the divide is York House, the only London town hall to be based in a 400 year-old building, and on the other a fine set of ornamental gardens leading back to the riverside. The must-see sight here is the rockery cascade draped with the Oceanides, a set of eight naked females carved from white marble which were rescued from a country estate in Surrey and restored in 2007. They looked more impressive when they weren't screened behind protective metal railings but needs must. A few steps to the left and you'll be out onto the promenade near the play beach staring across at Eel Pie Island, and that's where my nice walk ends.
You could nip into Twickenham Museum except that's currently closed for renovation until the end of May. You could grab a pint in the Queen's Head, established 1637, except that renamed itself the Barmy Arms and caters for a full-on rugby crowd on match days so maybe best not. You can't cross the bridge to Eel Pie Island unless it's an open weekend, which isn't for a while, but you can go to the enjoyablemuseum of the same name on the high street for a musical education. You could just go the shops and find somewhere with a seat that does coffee. But if you've taken all the hints in my previous description you'll already have extended what could just have been a half hour stroll into a substantial sightseeing excursion and so much more than just a nice walk.
