Richmond upon Thames is an affluent residential South West London town on the River Thames, and very close to the beautiful botanical Kew Gardens. Richmond Park, a popular picnic area has herds of deer that roam freely, and you can enjoy the eclectic town with all its shops, restaurants, pubs and cafe bars.
Welcome to the Richmond upon Thames Walk! We’ll start at ‘Richmond‘ tube station.
Getting There: Directions, GPX and App Link
The Hiking App I use is ‘OutdoorActive‘ which has a free and Pro version, the Pro version will allow you to download the routes to your phone and use them without using up your data. The reason I mention it is that if you were to download it, below is the link to this route in my hike list on that app, you can follow the arrows and voice on that. I think it is best that you do get the app, as most of these walks are a bit tricky to explain.
Navigation Aids:
- Follow this route on the Outdooractive App, it is free, and it will guide you around safely.
- Download my hand crafted *GPX file, and use it on your own guidance devices.
- * If you’re not sure what a GPX file is, I have put this post together that will hopefully explain it in plain words. It’s worth considering as well as mobile app navigation, as they will make your hikes better & safer.
Trek Profile
- Distance: 10m / 16km
- Duration: 4-5 hours (loads of stops, and you’ll need a nice cold drink I expect in one of the famous pubs)
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Trek Description & Pics
Let’s get going – If you need help organising this trip, see links below.
My ‘London Resource Kit‘ at the bottom of this page, will help you organise your travel, trips, food, accommodation and bus tours when planning your visit to London, it’s all there to help you plan, give it a go.
You’ll start off on ‘George Street’, the main street through Richmond Town Centre
As you step out of ‘Richmond Tube Station’ turn left and when you can, cross over to the other side, you are walking down ‘George Street’, a very busy road full of shops, pubs, cafe’s and all sorts.
As it was late morning we stopped for a coffee and a bit of cake in a cafe called ‘Paul’, nice coffee and great tasting cakes, and then we set off down the street further.
We do enjoy a bit of gardening so with that we had to call into ‘Little Dobbies Richmond‘, basically a really modern unique garden centre on the high street.
But I want to point out that it’s a few paces past ‘Brewers Lane’, so once outside turn back up the road, and then make a left down ‘Brewers Lane’.
Moving on – walk down ‘Brewers Lane‘, known for its jewellery, antiques, and confectionery shops. Carry on walking through as this paved passageway links you to ‘Richmond Green‘.
From busy to quiet, walk through ‘Brewers Lane’ onto ‘Richmond Green’.
A different Richmond meets you at the end of Brewers Lane, a conservation area with a number of listed buildings from the 18th century. ‘Richmond Park‘ is a venue for various festivities throughout the year, including the May Fair and the Victorian Evening at Christmas time.
Many fine old houses, the central library and the famous Richmond Theatre surround the Green and the remnants of Richmond Palace can be seen on one side.
And this is where we are walking too next, to find some ‘Royal History’.
Moving on – keeping ‘The Green‘ on your right, follow the road all the way around until you reach ‘Old Palace Lane‘. The road bends to the left, and this lane leads to the Thames.
Traces of Richmond Palace, a royal residence and favourite home of Queen Elizabeth I, who died there in 1603.
Along ‘Old Palace Lane’ look for a left turn into a narrow lane named ‘Old Palace Yard’.
Richmond Palace was a royal residence on the River Thames which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Richmond Palace was a favourite home of Queen Elizabeth I, who died there in 1603, and it remained a residence of the kings and queens of England until the death of Charles I of England in 1649.
We met some locals who actually lived in this area, and learnt a lot from them, they were more than happy to tell us the history, and as you leave under the arch, you are back opposite ‘The Green’.
Moving on – turn right and head towards ‘King Street‘ keeping ‘The Green’ on your left. You will briefly join the main street, and then take the second right down ‘Whitaker Avenue‘, heading down towards ‘Richmond Riverside‘.
Richmond Riverside is famous for lazy summer evenings, and the Grade I listed Richmond Bridge, the oldest on the Thames.
On the Riverfront, you can really relax and have a drink and watch the world go by, there is plenty to look at and explore around here, and you really do feel a part of London as the iconic River Thames flows in front of you.
www.visitrichmond.co.uk/richmond-riverside
I imagine it will be very expensive, but there are a lot of places you can eat facing the Thames, we did see some very nice restaurants, but a the same time we enjoyed a drink and some food in the ‘White Cross‘, and walked past ‘Gaucho Richmond‘ and ‘Stein’s Richmond‘.
Moving on – We made our way to the left, walking under the bridge and along the towpath, heading towards the foot of the ‘Terrace Gardens‘, and then walking through the gardens up onto the Terrace above.
Walk through the famous Terrace Gardens, up onto the Terrace along Richmond Hill.
The ‘Terrace Gardens‘, overlooking the River Thames, are famous for it’s seasonal bedding, shrubberies, rockery and rose garden, all set amongst fine trees and sloping lawns.
From the top you can see Windsor Castle in the distance, and lots of other famous landmarks around Greater London.
The terrace at the top has plenty of benches and if you are starting to get thirsty, you can buy a drink in the pub on the road and take it over to the terrace, and relax in the sun.
The next stage is the outstandingly beautiful ‘Richmond Park’, but if it’s already been a long day, you have the opportunity to call it a day here and return to the town, or move on and take on the circular around the park.
Moving on – You are currently on ‘Richmond Hill‘, which boasts THE best view in all of London, I don’t doubt it to be honest, but you now have a choice. You can continue up the road to the entrance to ‘Richmond Park‘, or make your way back down to the town and back to ‘Richmond Tube Station’ to head back.
The circular I have created around the park is around 7 miles, it is all flat, but if thats too much you can very easily cut large chunks out by walking straight through the park rather than around it.
The highlights are it’s tree’s, the vast amount of picnic areas, the lakes, the plantations and for me the biggest highlight is the herds of deer that roam around their kingdom.
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Richmond Park, London’s largest Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve. You’ll see historic herds of deer to birds, invertebrates, fungi and wildflowers.
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The park can trace its origins back to 1625, when Charles I brought his court to nearby Richmond Palace to escape the plague sweeping through London. He turned this landscape into a hunting park, filled with red and fallow deer. Amazingly, some of the trees that Charles would have ridden past still stand today.
Around the perimeter of the park, you’ll find the Tamsin Trail – a scenic route of just over 7 miles, popular with joggers and hikers. For a more leisurely visit, head to pretty Pembroke Lodge. This historic Georgian mansion boasts elegant tea rooms and picturesque gardens with sweeping views over the Thames Valley.
There’s nowhere better to experience the great outdoors so close to the capital.
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/richmond-park
Moving on – This is the end, of the trail, you only have to make your way back down to the town and then follow the main road up to find Richmond Tube Station again. We stopped off again and had some food and a beer, and just put our feet up and took in the day, I love Richmond upon Thames, if my lottery numbers come up, this I think is where I’m going to live.
Congratulations, you’ve completed the City of London Circular Walk! Hopefully, the weather has been on your side, and you’ve had an incredible experience. To make your journey even smoother, I recommend downloading this route from the Outdooractive app. It will provide you with reassurance about timing and ensure you stay on the right track. With so much space and various paths in the area, it’s easy to unintentionally veer off course.
I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this walk, and I would greatly appreciate it if you could share this post using the social media buttons on your left or in the footer below. Your comments are also more than welcome—I love connecting with new people and discussing our shared experiences. Who knows, we might even meet up on one of our future walks. Thank you for joining me on this memorable adventure, and here’s to many more to come!
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