My trek along the Thames reminded me of the beauty of our capital. Let's start appreciating our country's geographical splendour
The views, the nature, the surroundings, the hustle and bustle — my recent trek brought upon me some reflective but positive thoughts.
This is a most unusual column, for these spaces are primarily dedicated to the political and topical affairs of the day. But allow me, for once, to break with convention, and talk about something unusual, at least on these pages — something which I believe to be scarcely discussed and/or recognised by enough people.
I have attempted in recent months to visit many new places near my patch in the South East. Not for any complex reason but primarily to discover and explore, and, therefore, enjoy. The breadth of towns and villages to which I have travelled, from Berkshire to Oxfordshire, East Sussex to Kent, has been wholly worthwhile; and to my knowledge, of those places I have visited, not one has thus far brought regret upon my decision to travel there originally.
This leads me to a conclusion about our country and its beautiful settlements, big or small; urban or rural; city, town or village. It is that far too many of us have not seen enough of our own country and the joys on offer. I am not adopting a strict approach in arguing that everyone must not head off abroad on their holidays and must stay here — that would be utterly plain bonkers. But I suspect millions of people around Britain have not travelled to the opposite end of the country from where they live. Of course, there’s the distance. It’s entirely rational, perhaps, to ponder why someone living in the Scottish Highlands would wish to travel to Cornwall, even though it’s beautiful, for a holiday for a few days away. Or equally, why anyone living near Penzance would desire a holiday hiking in a Scottish mountain when they wish to see some glorious sun?
All these thoughts popped into my head when I was on a rather long walk myself a few days ago. In the end, I had managed to walk just shy of 14 miles (yes, I know!). This was not in some rural village, however magnificent; this was much more familiar territory along the River Thames.
I started relatively early, around 8 a.m., off Putney Bridge, walking on the Thames Path towards Barnes. Lots of rowers were out in full force on this crisp, fresh morning. On the other side of the Thames stood Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham F.C., and the London Wetland Centre was on my left. I continue along passing Hammersmith Bridge before I enter Barnes itself, nothing short of a beautiful area. I continue along the Thames leaving Barnes before I head towards a few main roads in Mortlake, my head fixated on the manifold aircraft above my head, with Heathrow not too far away.
I enter into Kew, most famous for its gardens, and I walk over Kew Bridge, the traffic bustling, the wind blowing. I have, I think to myself, completed part one of my walk (or, as a friend put it to me, a trek) — and, unaware of where exactly I now wish to head, I take a few streets which will take me towards Chiswick, passing the Gtech Community Stadium, the home of another football club, Brentford, as I leave Kew Bridge.
It is, at this point, around 10 a.m., and I am enjoying myself. Yes, honestly. Cue lots of water and a banana walking through Chiswick. The shops are open, people are shopping, and the community spirit seems high — although this was joyful to see, this reminded me of the horror of Covid, and how damaging that fateful period was to ordinary people but also, let us not forget, to businesses and all those who contribute to the British economy each and every day.
I walk near to Turnham Green tube station before I branch off down some random street in Chiswick, under a subway to cross the Great Western Road by the flyover in Hammersmith, and I am back by the Thames again. By now, there are a considerable number of runners (and their canine friends) out and about, unsurprisingly given this is the week and tomorrow is the day of the London Marathon. I continue past Hammersmith Bridge, recollecting how I was walking along the opposite side several hours earlier. I branch off down some narrow path; and I walk past Ruth Rogers’ Michelin-star restaurant, the River Cafe.
By this point I am in leafy but ever-so-captivating Fulham — and, further on, I am facing Craven Cottage once again, not merely admiring it from a distance on the opposite side of the Thames but walking past the turnstiles where thousands gather every week or fortnight — at 4.30 p.m., tomorrow, in fact, when they face Liverpool there — as well as admiring the statue of the club’s notorious legend, Johnny Haynes, whom the club named a stand after his passing nearly 20 years ago. I walk through Bishops Park nearby and I can see a familiar sighting in Putney Bridge, from where I had departed on the opposite side more than three hours prior.
So what was the point of telling you all that? You might say there was no point. But my intention, at least, was to portray the true magnificence of our capital by the river, even though the weather, with thankfully no rain, was relatively cloudy and dull. I had never walked along the Thames Path, at least not as far along as Kew and the same applies to the opposite side. But through the streets and leafy neighbourhoods of Putney, Barnes, Mortlake, Kew, Chiswick, Hammersmith, and Fulham, there stood sights and views which were simply splendid. For those who reside in the capital, this may be everyday life, especially for those who reside in the areas I have referenced.
The lesson from all of this — not exclusively my Thames exploration but more generally — is that our country has much more hidden geographical gems of exploration that so many of us are unaware of. For example, I would love to spend much more of my time exploring the rural parts of Yorkshire and Cumbria in the North of England where, friends say, the scenery is nothing short of picturesque and breathtaking.
We all love going abroad somewhere; and some are keener on hot than cold and so forth. But what my trek along the Thames has taught me — along with my other explorations across the South East — is that there can lay much greater fulfilment and enjoyment within our own country than we often realise. I think it’s time to appreciate what our country has to offer, and spread the word proudly.