Take a walk in the park
Escape the hustle and bustle of England’s capital in the prettiest borough London has to offer. writes Anna Loren.
Ariver runs through Richmond upon Thames. A lush, dense cluster of Georgian townhouses and oak trees, it perches (as the name suggests) on the banks of the canal. Just 25 minutes from Heathrow or 40 minutes from central London on the train, but a world away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city life, this bucolic borough is England the way I pictured it in The Famous Five.
Escaping the Tube and (most of) the tourists, I turn my email alerts off, breathe deeply, and resist the urge to throw my passport in the Thames.
Day one, noon
I get a glimpse into the life of the ginger tyrant (no, not Trump, the original one) with a visit to Hampton Court Palace, the ‘‘pleasure palace’’ of King Henry VIII. This hodgepodge of domestic Tudor and Baroque architecture is surrounded by swathes of parkland, gardens brimming with herbs and roses, and a 300-year-old puzzle maze, the oldest in the world.
Inside, I explore some of the castle’s 1600 rooms, from the king’s apartments and processional route, to the great hall and the famous haunted gallery (watch out for the ghost of Catherine Howard, Henry’s fifth wife).
Before I leave, I check out the flagstone-floored tennis court, dating from the 1500s, where I (attempt to) play a round of royal, or real, tennis. The game – a precursor to modern tennis – is played with a wooden racquet and a hand-stitched ball stuffed with cork. Its rules are dizzying, but you get extra points when you hit a certain spot on the court, and bonus points if you hit the portrait of the king. See hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace.
3.30pm
I continue my sporting streak with a guided tour of Wimbledon. It’s right before the annual tournament when I visit, and everywhere people are scurrying to and fro – planting shrubs (50,000 in total), adjusting sprinklers, and measuring the grass with a ruler.
The 90-minute tours are run year-round (except, of course, during the tournament) and delve deep into the history of the grounds. I see the ‘‘pony roller’’ (a hulking device pulled by a horse, and used in the past to flatten the playing surface), take a peek at players’ outfits from years gone by, and sit courtside feeling like a member of the landed gentry. See wimbledon.com.
7pm
After dinner – real pub grub at the Dog and Fox in Wimbledon Village – it’s time to check into The Bingham, a townhouse overlooking the Thames. Built in 1740 as two separate residences and later joined, The Bingham is a rabbit warren of winding stairs, creaking floorboards and unexpected doors. My room is marketed as a ‘‘cosy’’ room, but is surprisingly spacious, with duck egg-blue cushions, an old fireplace, and a little writing desk. From my bed, out of the french doors, I can see swans on the river. See thebingham.co.uk.
Day two, 10am
I’m saddling up at Kingston Riding Centre, a British Horse Society-approved riding school. I had my first pony when I was 4 so, to be honest, I temper my expectations when I’m offered a ride overseas – 10 minutes of ambling about on a placid nag and I’m itching for something else to do.
I shouldn’t have worried. After being thoroughly quizzed on my riding experience, I’m matched with Daisy – a zippy bay – and spend the next hour being put through my paces in a state-ofthe-art indoor arena. My instructor, Jeni McCabe, expertly tweaks my position, bringing my hands up a few centimetres higher, straightening my shoulders. Daisy and I do circles and diagonals and figure eights, shifting from walk to trot to canter and back down again. By the time I dismount, I’m exhausted. See kingstonridingcentre.com.
Noon
Lunch is bruschetta with peas, pecorino and Amalfi lemon; buffalo mozzarella with marinated courgette; a tall carafe of elderflower, fresh lime and mint. I’m dining at Petersham Nurseries Cafe, inside a greenhouse draped with bougainvillea, star jasmine, and Indian blinds.
Dahlias swim in bowls of water and, overhead, panes of glass are propped open to the sky. See petershamnurseries.com.
4pm
I’m standing near the top of Richmond Hill, breathing in the heady scent of wildflowers. Down below is Petersham Meadow, flecked with belted Galloway cows. Behind me is the imposing mansion owned by Mick Jagger and to my left is the residence of Pete Townshend of The Who. Whistle Down the Wind was written here, tour guide Sophie Campbell tells me, and so was It’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll (But I Like It). Richmond, it seems, is full of hidden surprises.
Those surprises are Campbell’s specialty – the author and journalist runs boutique walking tours catering for a variety of interests, from Sherlock Holmes and James Bond to political history. She also has an eye for the out-of-the-way: grottoes guarded by gargoyles and studded with shells, or blink-and-you’ll-miss-them cafes in old boat sheds. I finish the walk with tired feet and a head stuffed with royals, rock stars and the secret meanings of street names. See sophiecampbell.london.
Day three, 9am
After a morning run through Richmond Park – more than 1000 hectares of grassland, ancient trees and deer – I’m headed to Kew Gardens, where The Temperate House, the largest Victorian glasshouse in the world, has re-opened after years of renovation. It’s home to some of the rarest and most threatened plants in the world. Amid the man-made waterfalls and the clambering vines, I’m overcome by a riot of colour and scent.
Kew also boasts the Dutch House (one of the last remnants of Kew Palace, and home to King George III) and The Hive, a towering aluminium structure festooned with LEDs. It’s hooked up by sensors to a real hive nearby, and as Kew’s bees move about, lights flash on and off and the sound of humming rises and falls. Gazing up at the sky through the latticework of The Hive, I feel like I’m being cocooned by thousands of the tiny, buzzing creatures. See kew.org.
There and back again
Cathay Pacific launched its new four-weekly service to Dublin on June 2. It is offering return Economy Class tickets from $1549 from Auckland to Dublin – special fare sales from now until December 14, 2018. See cathaypacific.co.nz.