River walks

For many years now I have gone for walks with my youngest son. When we was three that was just around the block but now he is thirteen it's at least two hours and can be much more. Our usual walk takes us to Richmond along the river where we have a coffee (me) and a toasted muffin (him) before deciding where to walk next.

These walks normally start fairly early in the morning so that we avoid the crowds. Last Sunday we left the house at 6am which meant an early start for him and, er, not quite getting to bed the night before for me.

We had to leave then to get to Richmond in time for the high tide. The tide tables said that the high tide at just before 7am was going to be 4.8m which previous observations had shown us would be enough to cover the path in many places. We weren't disappointed and got our shoes and socks wet for our troubles.

After Richmond we walked further along the river to Kew. This picture was taken just beyond Richmond Lock and shows the flood defences between the river and The Old Deer Park.

At Kew we went on the green and had a play around in the nets (we took a cricket ball with us) before catching the bus home in time for breakfast!