Explore the Thames River Walk: Kingston Palace to Hampton Court

This time something different. We take a Sunday stroll along the River Thames towpath from Kingston to Hampton Court following the Barge Walk, arriving at the wonderful Hampton Court Palace. We'll visit Henry VIII's Bushy Park hunting ground and complete our circular route back at Kingston Bridge. Join us on one of the many interesting and historic walks by the River Thames. Well good afternoon memory seekers you join us in the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames, most people just call it Kingston now. We're going to go for a little walk it's the Barge Walk which is going to take us down by the River Thames and right round to Hampton Court Palace and across Bushy Park and then back around to complete the circuit so come along with us. We will just walk through the town centre quickly as we make our way to the starting point of the walk. This is the historic market square, been in use for centuries. Some lovely buildings around here I think we'll have to come to Kingston and do a proper tour around the town centre at some point but lots going on today. Another market, lots of food, yes indeed. Markets have been held here since 1170. The lovely market house in the centre was built in 1840 and designed by Charles Henman Senior. It became the town hall until that moved elsewhere in 1935. The gilded statue of Queen Anne is often mistaken for Queen Victoria and represents Kingston's most prosperous period in history. Sandwiches and burgers, lots of food, very popular. This is a very ornate building. Having looked it up this building which I think has a Tudor styling was surprisingly only built in 1909 for Boots the chemist. As to why it has all the heraldry I wasn't able to establish. If you know why let us know in the comments. Right so there's a little passageway over here called the King's Passage and we can go down here and that's going to bring us out right on the River Thames. It's quite interesting actually how close the town centre itself is to the river. It's not the prettiest of passageways to get us to the river but it'll serve the purpose and it certainly keeps us out of the way of all the shoppers. So here we are here's the River Thames and there's Kingston Bridge which is where we'll be starting our walk but we need to get across onto the other side. There's a bit of boating going on today, some people out enjoying the river. It's a very old boat just over there, very nice. Well it was absolutely bright sunshine when we left the house earlier today and now it's clouded over but okay let's get across the bridge and that's the beginning of the barge walk. I'm going to rent an electric boat here. I don't know how much that is, it's probably quite a lot of money I should imagine. How are you going to get your life jacket? Let's take these steps here and then we can get up onto the bridge. Okay we are the River Thames. So the barge walk starts here from the Kingston Bridge and we're going to be going all the way down here around the bend of the Thames. It's about three miles and we'll be hugging Hampton Court Palace as we go around and then we'll come right back into the main entrance at Henry VIII's wonderful palace. There's boats and people, well there's definitely some people living on them but some of them look as though they are a little bit worse for wear. Lots of people out enjoying the water today. As I say it was really sunny this morning and now unfortunately it's clouded over. Right let's get going with this walk. Oh the Hampton Court Garden Festival starts here. A lot of people go to that. Quite an important garden event of the year. Okay so we're walking down now to start the barge walk. City centre just across from us. Lots of restaurants and places along here where people come and have lunch and dinner is also good for drinks on a sunny evening and then you've got the John Lewis and the Benton Centre and all the main shopping areas there that will stick to the path for a much nicer relaxing walk. This stretch of the River Thames is popular for its residential barges, houseboats where people live full-time on the river. Many are permanently moored alongside the river bank whilst some are just here mooring for the day or overnight in designated areas. Until the late 18th century, the easiest way for royal parties to reach Hampton Court Palace from London was by elegant state barges. King Henry VIII, known for his extravagance and love of spectacle, often travelled between his royal palace of Whitehall to Hampton Court by barge on the River Thames. His royal barge was a richly decorated vessel adorned with carvings, gilding and colourful fabrics. A flotilla of small boats carrying courtiers, musicians and supplies would accompany the king creating an impressive sight on the river. The river journey was not merely a mode of transport, it was a powerful display of Henry VIII's authority and wealth. When the palace was opened to the public by Queen Victoria in 1838, the guests arrived by boat along the river, possibly the last time this happened. On the opposite side of the river is the Queen's Promenade, named after Victoria during her reign as she frequently travelled through Kingston on her way to Claremont House in Esher. So this is the first of two islands on this stretch of the Thames. This one's called Raven's Annet, I think they call it. The island is used as a conference centre or a place to hold events and wedding receptions. You need to be taken across by boat by the looks of it. There we are, we can see the boundaries. I think we're over here somewhere at the moment. We've got to get all the way around up here to the front gates of Hampton Course Palace. It's sort of a little bit overgrown, you can't sort of see the River Thames at all points but you're sort of walking through, a little bit like a wooded area really but it's quite nice. But it's also worth noting I mean there's no services along here, there's no toilets, nowhere to get a drink or anything and it is about three miles to do the route so you know maybe bring some water with you or have a good drink before you you come and do the walk. Start to see some very nice properties as we sort of head out of Kingston. I mean very expensive to have a riverside property. Wow it's quite a large boat coming down here, very nice Aquaholics X Princess 40. I wonder if they've hired that? Another pleasure cruiser coming along and obviously people out taking a day trip or a couple of hours trip on the boat. Yes I think it's supposed to be sort of like a little paddle steamer or a replica paddle steamer. I guess it's got its funnels down to get underneath the bridges and they're out having a nice afternoon. The second island on this stretch is the Thames Ditton Island and from this view it looks like it's the opposite side of the riverbank but from the map you can see it is actually an island with properties only accessible by a bridge obscured from our view although we can just see the iron bridge from here. So the source of the river Thames is right down in the Cotswolds quite a long way away from London and we went in search of that source a couple of years back we're walking across the fields finding the location very very hot dry summer but if you're interested in watching that video you can check it out on the channel we'll put a link in the description and a link at the end. I was doing what I was thinking which is let's see if we can see part of Hampton Court what's this called Jubilee Gate I don't know if we can catch a glimpse of the palace from here no glimpse still a bit of a way to go okay ahead of us is some I'm not sure if they're horses but horses pulling a carriage which I assume is inside Hampton Court Palace I've not seen that before it's very nice yeah so this is definitely the outer area of the palace gardens the retaining wall keeping the river a non-paying public bank and there we are we get our first glimpse of Hampton Court Bridge there we are Hampton Court Palace and the Privy Garden which is a very ornate garden which you're not really going to see from here because of all the iron gates but it is a very pretty garden doesn't seem too busy at the palace today you can see some of the 400 chimney stacks they have here at Hampton Court just disappearing behind the wall some of the chimneys are very ornate we are Hampton Court Bridge always busy with traffic a bit of a bottleneck in the area you've got Thames River boats here now I do believe you can get a boat up and down the Thames from here yeah it looks like stopping off at Richmond Q and Westminster oh I didn't realize it went all that way that's that's good it goes all the way I wonder how much that is 24 pounds for a return beautiful so here we are very edge of Hampton Court Palace if we're lucky I think we can go in through this gate and just see the front without buying a ticket because I think you have to go through the actual entrance with a ticket and it does look like it's open oh there's a bit of work going on here something happening there we are that's the palace map you're coming here for the day tons to see and do here at Hampton Court Palace but they're probably doing some filming or something oh I've guessed they're getting ready for the flower show event that's probably why there's all this work going on getting all the marquees and everything ready so that's probably why it's quiet there's probably areas of the palace that are actually closed off today there's the imposing main entrance now we have actually done a video already on Hampton Court about 18 months ago so if you want to walk in the footsteps of Henry VIII and join us on that tour then you can also check that video out at the end it's very nice coming here at different times of the year I've done some sort of flower meadow here which is very pretty that wasn't here when I visited last time let's have a little walk around the meadows very pretty and in winter this whole area actually gets boarded over and they put an ice rink on it so it's nice to see it get a different use in the summer and there we are a look back at the palace not looking so good today because of all the building work going on but an incredible place so lucky to have it all right so that was the barge walk but we're gonna head back into Kingston to do a complete loop by walking through Bushy Park I'm not sure if we can cut through here we'll find out no we need a ticket we can't go this way to walk out through the car park and through the main entrance and walk around and then we can get into Bushy Park from there well there's a pub is it all right if we stop there's a pub there called the six no here up ahead with the ornate lanterns outside sure it's a pub please be a pub yeah it says local beer oh cheers we're sitting right by another entrance into Hampton Court these gates here are not used by the public but I think it's more of a trade entrance so when there's an event on they probably open these up for vehicles to go through for setting up all right after that little pit stop let's have a look at the gates ah look there's the uh the famous Hampton Court maze just the outer edge of it of course you need a ticket to go in there but that is the corner of the maze the famous maze and find the center done that a few times very ornate iron gates and that was the king's arms hotel that we had a drink in and across the road is Bushy Park and that's where we're going next on our walk so here we are we're in Bushy Park and this was Henry VIII's playground this is where he came hunting for the deer when he was resident in Hampton Court and they're still flocks flocks I don't think they're called flocks what do they call them herds herds herds of red and fallow deer here I think they're managed now but they look after them and I think they've always been here since the 1500s when Henry came hunting but we're on the homeward stretch now of our journey our walk looping around from the barge walk past Hampton Court and now through Bushy Park gonna need to duck I didn't despite the cloudy weather it is quite a warm day lots of people out enjoying a Sunday afternoon in the park picnics and games I don't think we're going to see any of the deer in this area of the park there's far too much activity that will frighten them off so what's this sign telling us skylarks skylarks nest on the ground and are easily disturbed numbers have dropped by 60 over the last 40 years stick to the paths and keep your dogs on a lead lots of skylarks here in Bushy Park then hopefully I mean we're showing you just a very small portion of Bushy Park the area is extensive I'll look it up and find out how many acres it is yeah you can just imagine Henry VIII on his horse hunting for the deer here poor things so there we are we are back where we started at the barge walk about two hours ago with a little break for a drink halfway through so we're just crossing back over Kingston bridge so there you go that was the barge walk and a little bit of a walk in Bushy Park well thanks for joining us today I hope you enjoyed it a little bit different to our normal videos but just thought you might like to come along with us on this Sunday afternoon thanks for watching do subscribe and we'll see you again on another video bye for now