The Green London Way is a walking route of 110 miles length around London split into 18 sections. It follows much of the route of the 78 mile long Capital Ring but has some new sections. The Green London Way is largely the work of one man, Bob Gilbert, who is a supporter for the protection of urban open spaces and public access. His book, The Green London Way, outlines each section with detailed description of the historic and wildlife aspects of each section and is being used as I walk the route.
Green London Way section 8 goes between the same two places as Capital Ring section 6 which I have done several times. As usual Bob Gilbert chooses a totally different route. He leaves out Wimbledon Park but makes up for it with Cannizaro Park and Isabella Plantation. The final stretch is along the now very familiar Thames riverside at Richmond. At 8 miles it is one of the longer sections.
So after an uneventful journey on the train and a change at Clapham Junction I arrived at Wimbledon station around 10:15. The bustle of the centre was immediately over as I went down the passageway opposite and a short stretch of quiet residential roads in Wimbledon Village. The multi-storey car park the guide book mentions is now the Metro bank. It would be uninterrupted countryside for the rest of this section.
Soon onto the broad expanses of Wimbledon common and Rushmere pond then Cannizaro House, once a mansion, now a hotel.
So through the gates and into Cannizaro Park, named after the Duke of Cannizzaro, Sicily, who lived here around 1870. A short diversion led me to the sunken gardens which though pleasant seemed a bit unmaintained at the moment, a little strange since they had had an Arts in the Park event the weekend before. The pond I passed also looked somewhat overgrown.
Out of the park and back on the Common where I went down the lengthy Windmill Ride with golf courses each side. The guide book told me to look for a white gate at the start and a green one at the other end, both were brown wood. At the end Wimbledon Windmill, familiar from my previous walks. The windmill museum was still closed, not expected to reopen until 2022 but the cafe seemed to be doing a roaring trade. Here I joined the Capital Ring for a mile or so.
A slightly different route from the windmill gives a rather better view of Queensmere than the Capital Ring, lots of swans and ducks on its bank. Then a stretch uphill then downhill through woodland and a couple of golf greens to emerge at the war memorial, set with oak trees behind a circular high hedge and a memorial to those who died in the first World War. From here round the large recreation ground and along Beverley Brook to exit the common at the busy Kingston bypass.
So after crossing the road at the traffic lights Richmond Park is entered at Robin Hood gate. Rather than heading north like the Capital Ring, Green London Way heads west along the southern border of the park, initially through a wooded area. Richmond Park has lots of small paths and the directions can get confusing at times but after successfully navigating one of the parks parking areas it was open parkland again and in a short time Isabella Plantation was reached.
Isabella Plantation, original woodland, was transformed in 1951 by the then park keeper into a woodland garden, a little brook and Peg's Pond making it a very pleasant enclosed area. Though the brook was almost dry nevertheless the pond had plenty of water in it. A nice few minutes.
Outside the plantation the guidebook instructions were a bit unclear but I got my compass out and went in approximately the right direction. I found a sort of path in the 'bracken and tussocky grass' but never found the two ponds I should have passed. Nevertheless I soon reached Pembroke Lodge and familiar ground again.
I was a bit unsure of which of the various paths along the crest of the hill I was meant to take but when I reached the front of Pembroke Lodge I found they had expanded their outdoor dining area and effectively blocked off the path I was intending to take. So it was straight down from there via steep steps towards Petersham Gate and I missed the opportunity to again see St Pauls from King Henry VIII mound. Out of the park then across Petersham Meadow to reach the Thames at Bucchleuch Gardens. Along the river, stopping for a pleasant lunch at a riverside pub, then through Richmond Green to the station and the journey home. A pleasant though quite tiring day.
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