W2P Stage 2 : Wimbledon to Weybridge (19 miles linear)
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Tired of walking around in circles? Join me on a series of 11ish linear walks which will take us all the way from Waterloo to Portsmouth (W2P). This might be a two year project :) Each stage of the walk will pick up where the last one finished off. The walks will largely start/end at stations on the Waterloo to Portsmouth line, with most stages being 18-20 miles.
So ... on to stage 2 : Wimbledon to Weybridge. We'll start at Wimbledon station and head over to Richmond Park via Wimbledon Common. Fear not for those who did stage 1 with me, we'll take a slightly different path back to Richmond Park. In Richmond Park we'll take a short detour to the Isabella Plantation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Plantation) which is apparently at its blooming best this time of year.
From Richmond Park we cut through suburbia to rejoin the Thames just downstream of Kingston. At Kingston we cross over the Thames to take a wander through Bushy Park and then to Hampton Court Palace where we rejoin the river.
We will then follow the Thames Path for most of the rest of the walk up until about 3 miles from Weybridge. At this point we leave the Thames behind us for good and start heading south along the River Wey Navigation.
For today we only spend a short time following the canal, but Stage 3 will largely follow the River Wey Navigation all the way to Guildford.
We'll finish up at Weybridge National Rail station which is a 40 minute ride back into Waterloo
Media Credits : All photos by me.
What to bring
Water: bring at least a litre
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Rucksack: or any other bag
Footwear: hiking boots or sturdy trainers. A lot of today will be on pavement or muddy park paths. You'll probably get away without hiking boots - but don't where anything you don't mind getting muddy !
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally not jeans which become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry.
Waterproof jacket: breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Food & drink
Bring a packed lunch. While, in this case we'll pass by plenty of shops during the day, it will be best if we don't need to stop off.
There is a Pret / Little Waitrose across the road from Wimbledon station so you'll be able to stock up there before we head off.