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Thames Barrier to Tower Bridge with Liz and Stuart
Tower Bridge to Putney, Sue, Thomas, Tanya and Natalie
Putney to Ham House via Kew Gardens
Ham House to Shepperton with Lucy
Shepperton to Laleham with Liz, Chris, Dominic, Maddie and Claire
Laleham to Windsor with Tanya and bump
Windsor to Cookham with Sue
Cookham to Marlow with Marie & Andrew
Marlow to Henley early in the morning
Henley to Pangbourne with Sue
Pangbourne to Wallingford with Sue
Wallingford toClifton Hampden with Ann
Clifton Hampden to Abingdon with David
Abingdon to Oxford in the rain
Oxford to Wolvercote with David, Alison, Francis, Sarah and TIggy
Wolvercote to Farmoor helped by David
Farmoor to Bablock Hythe on Boxing Day
Bablock Hythe to Radcote with Lucy
Radcote to Castle Eaton, sometimes by the river
Castle Eaton to Ashford Keynes with Malcolm and overnight stay
Ashford Keynes to the Source with Malcolm
Thames Path: stage 3 - Putney to Ham House

Malcolm dropped me off at Kew Bridge rail station, and headed off with the family to Kew Gardens. There are no ticket facilities at Kew Bridge, and getting on a train without a ticket is a bit scary when you're used to trains where this can lead to huge fines. It took some effort to find a guard and get a ticket during the 11 minute journey to Putney Station, but I managed to get one with only seconds to spare.

I lived in Putney (Monday - Friday) for about 6 months in 1993, so I took half an hour out to walk down memory lane.

After a stroll down the High Street, and around the block to Oxford Road where I used to live, I walked back towards the river and found a reassuring sign for the Thames Path near the Cafe Rouge, a restaurant associated with fond memories.

The University Boat Race starts at Putney and finishes near Chiswick Bridge - both on this part of the Thames Path. A plaque in honor of the founder of the race, Steve Fairbairn, can be found one mile from the start, and the brewery and The Ship pub are close to the end of the race. The river seemed overrun with boat teams, some in serious training with their coach in a motor boat, shouting instructions with a megaphone.

On the path I lost count of joggers. I thought jogging had gone out of fashion, but not along this part of the Thames path it seems.

Also in plentiful numbers on the river were the herons. It was difficult to get a decent shot on the digital camera, but I managed to catch one in flight.
As planned, I met up with Malcolm, James, Matthew and Grandma Brenda at Kew Gardens for lunch. Having been nagged by me into arriving at Kew as it opened, they had a prime position in the car park, which made it easy to meet them near the Brentford Gate, collect the picnic from the car, and find a grassy spot along the river to eat. They had been having a great time at Kew, with more to do in the afternoon as I carried on with the walk.
The orginal plan had been to carry on to Richmond, but finishing lunch at 1.30, I realised I would be in Richmond long before the family had tired of Kew, so I decided to visit one of the historical houses along the route. Isleworth Boat House Pavillion is pretty in pink, along with the April cherry blossom, but not open to the public (and on the wrong side of the river).

Marble Hill is an old haunt- before children, I'd been to several open air concerts there. However, it's also on the wrong side of the river. So I ended the day with a couple of hours wandering around the house and gardens at Ham House (luckily I'd taken my NT card with me). A much better way to end the day than at rainy Putney Bridge. A lesson for the other stages - always end on a high.