Friday 5th July:  Weather: 12°C to 19°C: Cool Drizzly morning, overcast afternoon, rain again at 4pm

Walking:  28k Walk from Hampton Court Palace 26.5, plus 1.5k extra to Parsons Green Train

Time:  Train 9.30am to Hampton Court then Walk: 10.30am to 6pm with 2 x 15 min stops.  7hrs walk time 

Train Time: District Line, Parsons Green to Wimbledon,  then South Western Railways to Hampton Crt Palace,  

Accommodation: 14a Wyfold Rd Fulham

My highlight today was every moment walking the beautiful Thames Path from Hampton Court Palace to Hammersmith Bridge.  For Ian and Robbie, a rainy day start at Wimbledon turned into a good day watching Tommy Paul followed by Medvedev on Court 2.

Ian and I are awake at 6am, and I pack a small bag for my Thames Walk from Hampton Crt Palace.  The boys have a cup of tea followed by meuslie and strawberries for breakfast, I have tea with strawberries and bread and butter.  It’s started to rain, but I’m going anyway. I leave at 9am for Parson's Green and hop on a packed train which empties 7 minutes later at Southfields, the best station for Wimbledon.  The train continues to Wimbledon Station where I transfer to a South Western Railways train for Hampton Court Palace.  This train is also packed with tourists who have come from London.  It’s 10.30am when I follow the tourists over the bridge.  They turn into Hampton Court Palace whilst I start the Thames Path.

It’s misty rain as I walk along holding my umbrella like and English walker. Ian has already left for Wimbledon and sends me a a photo of the rain tumbling down.  There’s no hikers on the Barge Walk between Hampton Court Palace and Kingston-on-Thames, just a few dog walkers. It’s a beautuful walk, and the misty rain enhances the feel of the walk.  At Kingston-on-Thames I pick the wrong side of the Thames path, but one of the locals re-directs me up the road further to Teddington Lock where there’s a small foot bridge I can cross over.  When I get there it’s 12.30 and I’ve walked 8k so I stop on a seat near the loch in the sun.  The misty rain has lifted and the sky is brighter, so I ask a lock supervisor to take a photo please. While he’s taking the photo, suddenly out of the blue, a dark cloud dumps it’s rain just on me.  I scramble for my umbrella and poncho to cover my already assembled coffee gear and wait 10 minutes for the rain to stop.  Coffee and a Biscoff biscuit for morning tea.

On and on along the Thames path which snakes along beside the Thames River watching ducks, rowers, barges and cruise boats. There’s more dark clouds brewing and at 3pm after 17k, I’m hungry and looking for a place for lunch.  I come across a carpark full of workers cars behind the famous Kew Gardens, part of Kew Palace, and sit on the steps to have a ham sandwich and a cup of tea.  Just a quick stop, as I now think I can walk the 26k back to Fulham, instead of catching a train after walking part way, as I had already checked out several exit points.  

It was such a beautiful walk in cool conditions along a flat path, so I could walk quickly but not fast, enjoying the scenery without tripping over rocks and boulders.  It’s 5pm when I’m near Hammersmith Bridge, and Ian messages me to say rain has stopped the match between Medvedev and the German Stuff so they are leaving for a Guinness at the pub on the way home.

I arrive at 6pm, and the boys soon after.  Bacon and eggs with salad for dinner and a tinnie Guinness.  Then it’s time to watch Sinner and Kecmanovic on TV