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Kew Gardens in London

Kew Gardens – Art and Nature in the Sun

Trip Over to London

Kew Gardens is very easy to get to from the centre of London. The District Line on the tube takes you straight there. For us, this meant a lovely walk down through St James’s Park to St James’s Park Tube Station. Here you need to make sure you get on the correct train, as there are also Circle Line trains and District Line trains to Ealing Broadway. The train you need to get to Kew Gardens is the District Line train to Richmond, Kew Gardens is the second last station on this line, just before Richmond. Once you get off the train there are signs to show you the direction to Kew Gardens, just a few hundred meters away along a dead straight, flat road that leads you right to Victoria Gate, the main entrance to the Gardens.

Entering at the Victoria Gate, there was a queue for tickets (Should have bought them online!!) but it moved quickly, and we got a 10% discount as we had become members of the Historic Royal Palaces. This membership gives you unlimited entry to Kensington Palace, The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, and Banqueting House, along with the 10% discount on the Kew Gardens ticket, all for less than the price of single tickets to each of these places. If you lived near Kew Gardens I am sure you would become a member of Kew Gardens so you had unlimited use of beautiful gardens and the many other benefits that come with membership.

First we went on the Kew Explorer, a hop-on hop-off ‘train’ that takes you on a huge lap of the Gardens, with very interesting commentary, from here you can see a lot of what the Gardens have, and you can decide what to walk back to. The tree that was used to make a mould for one of the trees in one of the Harry Potter movies was pointed out to us, I think I am one of the only people in the world who is not a big fan of Harry Potter and I have never seen any of the movies, but the tree was amazing. Do you think we could find it again???? Kew Gardens really needs several visits to do it justice, so if you only have one day, make it worth it!

The Great Pagoda is quite stunning, bringing a bit of Oriental flair to that area of the Gardens. It was completed in 1762 as a gift for Princess Augusta, George lll’s mum, the founder of the Gardens. If you are feeling fit (I wasn’t!!) you can climb the 253 steps to the top, I understand it offers amazing views of London and the River Thames.

Fortunately when we were there, there was an exhibition of Dale Chihuly art works, one of the world’s most celebrated glass artists. The magnificent glass sculptures are placed throughout the Gardens, and inside the glass houses. They both blend in with and stand out in all environments. Dale Chihuly has worked with glass artists from all over the world and put on amazing outdoor exhibitions of his stunning works. I would have loved to have seen the one he did in Venice some years ago with chandelier like creations hanging over the canals.




Many of the permanent sculptures in the Gardens were gifts, or moved there from other parts of England and the rest of the world. The bronze sculpture of Hercules wrestling a serpent stands in the lake in front of the Botanical Restaurant, it was on the North Terrace at Windsor Castle in the 1800s, then did a short stint and Hampton Court from 1957 to 1961, when it was moved to Kew Gardens. The pair of white Oriental lions on the edge of the lake looking over the Palm House were presented in 1958, they possibly date back to the Ming period from the 1300s to the 1600s.

Strolling on through the Gardens searching for some of the things spotted from the ‘train’ was really lovely, the lakes, flower beds, trellis arrangements and buildings make for a great day trip away from the hustle and bustle of central London. Bringing a picnic would have been a good idea – maybe next time……

Eventually we came to Kew Palace, the summer home of George lll and Queen Charlotte, and their 15 children!!! That is way above the call of duty – Charlotte was clearly an over achiever! The Dutch looking building dates back to the early 1600s, sitting on the banks of the River Thames and surrounded by its own beautifully manicured gardens. It was offered to Princess Victoria and her mother to live in in the late 1800s, but was deemed to be ‘quite unsuitable for the future Queen of England’ by her mother. Sometime later it was opened to the public until it went through a major restoration starting in 1996, then re-opened in 2006 after Prince Charles had hosted the Queen’s 80th birthday bash there.

Kew Gardens and the surrounding areas are really lovely, with such handy links directly to London. There is even a pub on the platform at the station called ‘Tap on the Line’, what more can you ask for? I’m sure Kew would be a great place to live, but it is on the flight path to Heathrow Airport…………the planes are still high enough not to be too noisy, but there is one flying overhead every few minutes……….when flying into London if this is the approach to the airport that day, it was when I flew in and I had views over Westminster, St James’s Park, Green Park, Buckingham Palace then over Kew Gardens before touching down at Heathrow – a great start to the holiday, it really got me in the London mood.

While in London you might like to take a walk from Camden Town along Regent’s Canal, or be part of London’s amazing history at the Tower of London, or if you are in London at the right time of year, visiting the Chelsea Flower Show is very inspirational, even for a non-gardener like me!

If you feel like a long walk through London’s History or for a leisurely day out, catch a boat up the Thames to Hampton Court

Read the PostCards I wrote on my recent Trip Over to London, shorter stories and pictures of places I visited.

Book a tour on your Trip Over to London

Itinerary for my Trip Over to London

Flew from Sydney to London Heathrow via Singapore, with Qantas on QF1, then QF2 to come home.

Stayed at the Royal Overseas League in St James’s.

Picked up at Heathrow by Naz from Black Lane Limos.

Travelled around London using a Visitor Oyster Card.

Went on an excursion through the centre of Sicily to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento near the south coast, then remains of Greek Temples built on the 5th century BC! Then we went down to the coast to look at Scala dei Turchi, the natural formation of step like ridges in the rock. Ottomans Turks found shelter here, giving it the name.#valleyofthetemples #agrigento #agrigentosicily #scaladeiturchi #Sicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
The Greek Theatre in Taormina built in 300BC, still standing and still showing plays and operas. The views from the top of the auditorium out over the sea and the town are amazing....I think I took about 200 photos!! Slightly excessive, but I couldn't stop 🥂🤩.#taorminasicily #taormina #greektheatretaormina #teatrogrecotaormina #sicilytravel #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
Made it back across the Grand Harbour and up on to my terrace in time to watch the 4pm firing of the cannon from the Saluting Battery.#cannonfire #valletta #salutingbatterymalta #solotravel #solotrip #malta #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #maltalife #grandgarbour #grandharbourhotel
Big day yesterday, out and about on Malta's buses, so far so good, with my 7 day ticket in hand, went off to Tarxien, Marsaxlokk, Sliema and back to Valletta..#malta #marsaxlokk #fishingboats #maltalife #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #seeeverythingdoeverything
My adventure begins!! Leaving Sydney for London, then Malta, then Sicily 🥂🌞🌞🌞.#Sydney #sydneyaurport #Qantas @qantas #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #nextadventure #traveltheworldwithme #londoncalling #upintheair
A big day of wandering all over Palermo. It's a grubby, gritty city, everything needs a good wash, but you get over that pretty quickly!! Easy to get around on buses and walking, the Ballaro Markets are quite an experience, all the vendors shouting, very crowded, seafood sitting out in the sun, cooking various gizzards to put on bread rolls (no thanks!!) Then I escaped to the calm of the botanical gardens....#Palermo #palermosicily #ballaromarket #mercatoballarò #botanicgardens #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme
We're all ready for Santa here in Sydney 🎅🎄🥂!! Best wishes for tomorrow - hope you're not on the naughty list!!!!#christmasinsydney #christmasready❤️🎄🎁 #waitingforsanta #merrychristmas🎄
Robertson's Lighthouse at Cremorne Point on the north shore of Sydney Harbour, and beautiful plants in the gardens on the walk, and a lovely view of Sydney Harbour Bridge....#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #robertsonslighthouse #neverstopexploring #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneycoastalwalks #blueskyandsunshine #sydneyharbour #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneyharbourbridge
An afternoon walk around Cremorne Point to cool off in the sea breeze, summer has arrived in Sydney!! Blue sky, blue water, lots of boats, Sydney Harbour showing off it's best side 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞..#cremornepoint #sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneynorthshore #sydneybythesea #sydneylocal #myhometown #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydney #sydneyinsummertime #blueskyandsunshine #walkinthesun #seetheworldthroughmylens #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme #sydneyweekend #boatsboatsboats
Had a great time exploring the city of Palermo, it's been quite an adventure!! Off back to London today.....#Palermo #palermosicily #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
Manoel Island, just next to Valletta in Malta, was the Royal Navy Base prior to 1964. Fort Manoel is apparently being renovated to make it safe to visit. But all the other buildings that were used by the Navy have just been left to fall apart. It is the strangest place, all the buildings would have been functional, but have just left derelict for the past 60 years..#manoelisland #Malta #derelictbuildings #valletta #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Today I set off on the #51 bus from Valletta to Mtarfa in central Malta, in search of the hospital my brother and I were born in. I had read is was now a college, but it seems to be all closed up behind locked gates. I climbed up on walls so I could get a photo of those magic words above the entrance, "David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital". A few days ago I found the house we lived in in Tarxien, not far from Valletta. We moved back to England when I was 6 weeks old, so memories are a bit sketchy!! .#malta #whereiwasborn #myfirsthome #mrarfa #royalnavalhospital #maltalife #neverstopexploring #backwhereitallbegan ##solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes ##traveltheworldwithme
A short train trip from Syracuse, then a walk up the hill to Noto. A town with more churches per square inch than I've ever seen!!!!.#noto #notosicily #sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
A lunchtime walk in Hyde Park today, the Archibald Fountain has been all cleaned up, the flowers are blooming and the bin chickens are loving it!!..#archibaldfountain #hydeparksydney #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneycbd #binchickens #binchickensofinstagram #flowersinthepark #lunchtimewalk
The Palace built in the late 1500s for the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. Now used as the office of the President of the Republic of Malta. It houses and enormous armoury collected over the centuries..#grandmasterspalaceandarmoury #grandmasterspalace #valletta #malta #maltalife #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seeeverythingdoeverything #worldofmalta #traveltomalta
On the way to work this morning, no rain, not too hot, a perfect Sydney day!!#morningcommute #walkinthepark #qvb #queenvictoriabuilding #sydneylightrail #stleonardspark #stleonardsparknorthsydney #sydneyinsummer #sydneylife
Martin Place Christmas tree in Sydney CBD, seems to be a slight change from the usual covered in red and green beach balls, this year I think there are less of them, and a few pink ones have been introduced!! Come on Sydney, can we please have a new design? 🎄🥂🎅🎄🥂🎄#christmasinsydney #christmastree #martinplacesydney #martinplacechristmastree #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneycbd #sydneychristmas #sydneylocal #sydneyaustralia
Around 45 minutes on the train from Palermo, Cefalu is a pretty seaside resort town with old historic buildings, like the duomo that opened in 1240. The beaches are sandy here so in peak summer they must be packed. I wanted to walk up to the top of the rocky backdrop, but I got to the half way point and someone told me there were another 275 uneven steps to climb up from there, so I opted out, my knees were already feeling it!!.#cefalù #cefalubeach #cefalusicily #cefaluduomo #visitsicily #solotravel#solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring
A beautiful spring day in London, cool, crisp, but so much warmer than I was expecting 🌞 St James's Park was in full bloom🌼🌷⚘️🌺.#London #stjamesspalace #stjamespark #magnolias #pinkblossoms #walkinthepark #traveltheworldwithme #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Flowers are out and about on the Cremorne Point walk!! ..#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #sydneylocal #sydney #sydneywalks #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydneybythesea #sydneyinsummertime #yellowflowers #pinkflowers #redflowers #sydneynativeplants
Strange weather, but at least we don't have a cyclone to contend with.......#sydney #sydneylocal #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneylife #sydneyweekend #nativeplants #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #outonthewater #sydneyharbour ##cremornepoint
This parade has been going up and down Cirdo Umberto in Taormina all afternoon!! Lots of drums, dancing and horses wearing more flowers than any horse is meant to!! I'm still not sure what it's all about - but is that important??.#taorminasicily #taormina #cittataormina #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme
All the wildlife came out to see the end of 2024, before their habitat gets taken over by human wildlife all looking for a fireworks watching spot for the big show at midnight on Sydney Harbour. Further around Cremorne Point the "No Alcohol" signs were all being put up, Porta loos were being put in place, home owners were putting up signs to ask people not to climb on the fences and garden walls - the price you pay to live in this beautiful area, one night of hell to start off every new year!!#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #seeeverythingdoeverything #sydneywildlife #sydneynorthshore #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneycoastalwalks #lizards #kookaburras #sydneybythesea #sydneyharbour #sydneyferries #boatsontheharbour
On the walk around Cremorne Point cooling off after a hot day, beautiful gardens along the way...#cremornepoint #sydneyweekend #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyaustralia #sydneynorthshore #sydneylocal #sydneyharbour #explorethecityyoulivein #sydneylocal #pinkflowers #boatsboatsboats #wildflowers #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme
Easter Sunday in Palermo, not a chocolate Easter egg to be found!! I caught a bus up to Monreale as I had been told the gold mosaics in the duomo were amazing. I think a catholic church service for Easter is not the place an atheist should be! Even if the building was amazing, dating back to the 1100s. I just can't agree with them asking the poorest people to donate money to the wealthiest organisation in the world, and giving nothing in return, the homeless will still be on the streets tonight! I then caught a bus to Mondello, apparently the most famous beach in Sicily. Looks lovely but I have never been hounded by so many Indians wanting to sell me a sarong😧!!#monreale #mondello #Sicily #eastersundayinsicily ##solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme ##seetheworldthroughmyeyes
First day in Syracuse, arrived early on the ferry from Malta, then a train from Pozzallo to Syracuse. My hotel room wasn't ready so I walked around Ortigia, had a coffee, checked out the markets, then my room was ready. I settled in then headed off to the archaeological park.....lots of ancient Greek arches, amphitheatres, and lots of modern bronze castings of ancient Greek things!!!.#syracuse #sicily #sicilytourism #sicilytravel #visitsyracuse #archaeology #ancientgreekhistory #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
After a bit of window shopping and a long walk through Hyde Park to Kensington Garden, it rained, it was windy, the sun tried to come out, then it got really cold. I went to the 'Dress Code' exhibition at Kensington Palace, the Palace is in the middle of a major conservation project have all the sash windows replaced so the whole building is covered in scaffolding......#hydepark #hydeparklondon #kensingtonpalace #kensingtongardens #fortnums #oxfordstreet #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
Went off into the countryside to the village of Shere in Surrey, just a short train trip from Waterloo Station, a fabulous pub lunch!!.#shere #englishcountryside #whitehorsepub #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #waterloostationclock #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #magnolias #sherechurch
Caught the fast ferry from Valletta to Gozo, had a wander around Victoria, then went all over the Island on top deck of a bus!! That was quite an experience - a double decker bus negotiating streets designed for a horse and cart!! There were times that there was only inches to spare either side!..#gozo #gozoisland #hoponhopoffbus #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict #neverstopexploring
St Thomas' Bay in Marsaskala out on the east coast of Malta is really pretty, I walked all around the harbour and came across St Thomas' Tower built in the early 1600s to repel the invading Ottomans, they were sent packing once they saw what the Maltese were made of!! There were salt Pans along the way, and as usual for Malta, a lookout bunker on every headland..#marsaskala #stthomasbaymalta #stthomastower #maltascats #exploremalta #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #traveltomalta #visitmalta
The never ending parade in Taormina continues......#taorminasicily #taormina #sicilytravel #sicilytourism #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip
I went all over the place today, 23,000 steps!! Walked down through St James's Park to the Jewel Tower behind Westminster Abbey, then caught the tube to Canary Wharf to look at the Whale made from waste. Then Elizabeth line to Paddington for lunch. Walked from there to Regent's Park, then down through Marylebone and Mayfair, and as it was now such a lovely sunny evening, I walked around St James's Park again.....now having a glass of wine looking over Green Park🥂💖#Paddington #paddingtonbear #jeweltower #canarywharf #regentspark #stjamessPark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything#solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme
Walking around Cremorne Point from Mosman Bay out to the point, with great views everywhere you look🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞...#cremornepoint #cremornepointwalk #sydneylocal #sydneycoastalwalks #blueskyandsunshine #walkinthesun #seetheworldthroughmylens #seeeverythingdoeverything #sydneyweekend #sydneynorthshore #sydney #sydneybythesea #sydneynativeplants #sydneyferries #sydneyharbour
Walking to North Sydney to catch the Metro into the city in the morning..#northsydney #walktowork #pinkflowers #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneylocal #sydneystreets #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #morningcommute
When I was in Mdina a few days ago, I could see the giant domestic of the Mosta Rotunda off in the distance (have a look at that reel). So I caught the bus to Mosta! The Rotunda was built in the early 1800s, so quite modern by Maltese standards! I walked up 75 steps of the narrow stone spiral staircase into the dome, then back down to check out the WWll air raid shelter underneath, and the bomb that landed here but fortunately didn't explode..#mosta #mostarotunda #mostarotundachurch #maltalife #malta #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict #exploretheworld #exploremalta
Up in the north western corner of Sicily, I visited an area called Segesta to see a temple built in 400BC, a Greek/Roman theatre (they're still working on the finer points of its beginnings!). Then to Trapani to see the salt pans, apparently they usually have pink flamingos, but it was too windy for them....We then went up to the medieval walled city or Erice, the views over the whole area from this vantage point being 800mtrs above sea level were incredible. There is a castle up there from the 1100s and all the other churches, walls, etc from the 1400s.#trapani #segesta #erice #Sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
The public gardens in Taormina on land that was once owned by the same lady who owned Isola Bella in the late 1800s, Lady Florence Trevelyan, a distant relation of Queen Victoria who was exiled from England for having an affair with the future King Edward Vll (why wasn't he exiled for the same issue??) She moved to Taormina and bought Isola Bella, later marrying the Mayor of Taormina. Together they created the public gardens, which are beautifully looked after to encourage various plants and birds to live there..#oarcotreveltan #publicgardentaormina #taorminasicily #taormina #walkinthepark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip #madeinitaly #madeinsicily #sicilytravel
Some of the places I visited on my solo Italian adventureTop row - Venice, Florence, SienaBottom row - La Spezia, Porto Venere, LericiFor info on where I stayed and how I got there, travelling solo with luggage, click the link to my website in the bio...#venice #basilicasanmarco #florence #pontevecchio #siena #sienabelltower #laspezia #portovenere #lerici #Italy #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #madeinitaly #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme #italytrip #italianadventure #alianarchitecture #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #oldbuildingsmakemehappy #historicbuildingsenrichourlives #historicitaly
To get a better shot of the Cannon firing, I waited in the freezing cold at Upper Barrakka Gardens to I could secure this spot, the crowds were 10 deep behind me!! .#vallettacannonshot #vallettasalutingbattery #cannonfire #cannonfireinvalletta #Malta #maltalife #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything
Such a beautiful weekend in Sydney, the weather is just perfect!! The sun glistening on the water around Cremorne Point!! 🌞😍..#cremornepoint #sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneylife #sydneylocal #Sydney #sydneyaustralia #sailingonsydneyharbour #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #rockformations #sunglisteningonthewater
Beautiful weather to walk around Cremorne Point....finally.....for weeks it has been too hot, too humid, too stormy, too windy, too just generally unpleasant - then today...Perfect, just right 🌞🌞😍!..#sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyoperhouse #sydneyharbourwalks #perfectday #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #boats #outonthewater
Friday morning walk to North Sydney before the heat ramped up...#northsydney #walktowork #walkinthepark #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #purpleflowers #morninglight #palmtree #sydneylocal #fridayvibes #fridayfeeling #sydneylife #sydneystreets
The Chanel Christmas window at David Jones in Sydney CBD. It's been sooooo hot lately, adding snow to pics in Sydney really helps!!😉🎄☀️🎄☀️🎄#christmasinsydney #christmastree #christmasdecorations #christmasiscoming #sydneystreets #davidjones #chanel #chanelChristmas #hotinthecity #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneystyle #sydneychristmas #sydneyaustralia #sydneycbd #sydneylocal #lunchtimewalks

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