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Trip Over to London

Voyage Up The Thames – Westminster to Hampton Court

Need a day out of the city? The most relaxing, entertaining way to get from central London to Hampton Court Palace is on a Thames Riverboat from Westminster Pier. Catch the tube to Westminster Station, walk towards the river and look to the left, you’ll see the ticket booths and the pier there.

Check online for sailing times by clicking here. As the River Thames is tidal, the boat only goes all the way up to Hampton Court if the tide is high enough up river.

The trip takes about 3 hours and you will be entertained the whole way with the commentary from a local Londoner who points out all the places of interest, as well as telling stories about all the things you see along the way. There is a fully licensed bar on board – sipping on a G&T watching the world go by has got to be one of the pleasures of life!

When the boat sets off there is so much to see, I found myself in a bit of a spin taking photos on both sides of the river, and listening to the commentary. It all starts off with safety briefing, (even that was entertaining!), as the boat goes under Westminster Bridge, then make sure you have your camera ready as the sites come thick and fast. It all calms down the further out of the city you go.

The Palace of Westminster, or Houses of Parliament, on the north side of the Thames and over on the south side is St Thomas’s Hospital. Then after passing under Lambeth Bridge Tamesis Dock was sitting high and dry waiting for the tide to come in. Tamesis Dock is a pub on a converted 1930s Dutch Barge moored on the Thames River.

Before you get the Chelsea Bridge, you pass under the Grosvenor Bridge, also known as the Victoria Railway Bridge, the River Guide was quite excited about the long train that was crossing it at the time.




The Peace Pagoda sits on the edge of the river at Battersea Park, a gift from, Guruji, the founder of the Japanese Buddhist movement in 1984. He stated that ‘Civilisation is not to kill human beings, not to destroy things, nor make war; civilisation is to hold mutual affection and to respect one another’. Following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he pledged to build pagodas worldwide as shrines to peace. The Battersea pagoda was constructed by nuns, monks and other followers of the sect and was completed in 1985 just weeks after Guruji died at the grand old age of 100.

The next Bridge to come into view is the Albert Suspension Bridge, originally built in 1873, but was found to be structurally unsound, so this was corrected the following decade. Then 100 years later it was painted a lighter colour to make it more conspicuous in poor visibility, and avoid being damaged by various vessels on the river.

Just before Battersea Bridge is Crosby Moran Hall. The Great Hall was built in 1466 and was moved here from the original site in Bishopsgate in 1910, now a private residence. This is the only example of a medieval city merchant house surviving in London.

After passing all the house boats that surround the northern end of Battersea Bridge, you start heading into ugly, modern, super expensive residential territory. Even London Heliport is here on the south side of the river. The apartments here are prohibitively expensive, they would need some good double glazing to keep out the noise of helicopters landing and taking off.

After Putney Bridge, the almost country side scenery starts to develop. Before going under Hammersmith Bridge, the old Harrod’s Furniture Depository building is on the left, once considered to be so far out of the city it was a good place for a warehouse, now I believe, converted to luxury apartments.

Eventually, after winding our way further up river, past Kew Gardens, we had to go into Richmond Lock, so we could be raised up to the higher river level for the last part of our voyage.

We slowly enter the lock under Richmond Footbridge, the gates close behind us, then the water starts flooding in from the other end to raise out boat up, now this is a mechanical process with the flicking of a few switches, but once all done by hand. They must have been very strong men to fight with the weight of the water.

Then we pass by beautiful Richmond-on-Thames, past lovely riverside homes, under Kingston Bridge and into Teddington Lock, where we do it all again to get us up to the right river level to make the final bend on our trip!

Finally Hampton Court Palace comes into view…….

After visiting the Palace you can then return to London on the River Boat, or catch the train back to Waterloo from Hampton Court Station, just across the river on Hampton Court Bridge.

While in London you might like to visit the beautiful Kew Gardens, or be part of London’s amazing history at the Tower of London.

Walking along the old tow path beside Regent’s Canal from Camden Town to Little Venice near Paddington is a lovely way to see the quiet side of London. Or take a longer walk through history ending up in a 800 year old pub.

At the right time of year, usually in May, the Chelsea Flower Show is a must see, even for a non-gardener like me!

Have a read of some of the shorter “PostCards” I have written while in London for more stories and pictures of this incredible city.

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.

This appealed to me......in the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney. In reality it is an enormous work, but everything I see it a different size, it looks like something else. ...#artgallery #nswartgallerysydney #nswartgallery #artoftheday #artlover #explorethecityyoulivein #seekandyoushallfind #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldworldwithme #sydney #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal
One of the fountains in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens up towards the NSW Art Gallery. I think someone needs to turn the tap on a bit more, it's lacking in oomph!!..#sydney #royalbotanicgardens #fountaininthepark #walkinthepark #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seekandyoushallfind #neverstopexplroring #sydneyweekend #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneystyle #sydneywalks
San Terenzo Castle has been looking over the town and beach since the 12th century, it has seen some stuff in it's time!! All around the base of the castle is full of kayaks storage and other small boats waiting for a summer out on the bay...#santerenzo #santerenzocastle ##santerenzobeach #medievalitaly #italianhistory #historicbuildingsenrichourlives #oldbuildingsmakemehappy #castles_oftheworld #kayaksandboats #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #traveladdict #travelinitaly #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #historygeek #historicitaly #lookouttower #madeinitaly
Walk through this little tunnel under the rock from one rocky beach to another one!! Luckily I'm not the sit on a beach type, very rocky coastline around Vernazza in Cinque Terre, Italy....#vernazzaitaly #vernazza #vernazzacinqueterre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #geologistdream #blackrocksinitaly #undertherocks #rockybeach #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #italianadventure
The pond in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, with glimpses of Sydney Harbour in the background....#royalbotanicgardens #sydney #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneyinwinter #sydneylife #explorethecityyoulivein #seekandyoushallfind #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seetheworldthroughmylens #pondinthepark #walkinthepark #sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourwalks
A sculpture of a tree on the beach front in San Terenzo, in the Gulf of Poets, near La Spezia in Italy. It was a lovely place to amble around on a cool, cloudy day in early spring...#santerenzo #santerenzobeach #santerenzochedelgolfoepiubelfiore #santerenzolerici #treesculpture #artinpublicplaces #daytripfromlaspezia #beforetheseason #solotrip #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #travelinitaly #italytrip #madeinitaly #tripovertoitaly
After walking up to the top of Lerici Castle, the drizzly rain had stopped, so I decided to walk all the way around the bay to San Terenzo, this place will be packed to the rafters, but in early April the only people around were people doing maintenance to get ready for the season.... and me.......#santerenzo #santerenzobeach #santerenzochedelgolfoepiubelfiore #santerenzolerici #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #travelinitaly #italytrip #italytravel #earlyspringinitaly #emptybeach #seasidewalk #passagiato
Everything you think there can't possibly be any more steps, there's just a few more, then maybe just a few more!! But the view out over the Cinque Terre coast is worth it...#corniglia #cornigliacinqueterre #corniglia5terre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #solotravel #stepsstepsandmoresteps #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #neverstoptravelling #solotrip #italianadventure #madeinitaly #traveladdict
Most areas in Italy have a statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi somewhere and Monterosso al Mare is no exception, here in Piazza Garibaldi surrounded by cafes and restaurants...#giuseppegaribaldi #piazzagaribaldimonterossoalmare #monterosso #monterossoalmare #monterossoalmarecinqueterre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #solotravel #italytrip #madeinitaly #traveladdict #travelinitaly #solotrip #italianhistory #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #neverstoptravelling
The northern part of Monterosso al Mare, I had a coffee and croissant in a coffee shop on the beach front here before I started exploring. Later in the day a few brave souls were climbing this rock a jumping into the very cool, crystal clear water in early spring. The train station is down here too, where I could buy my Cinque Terre Pass giving me a few days of unlimited train trips, it also includes the bus up the hill in Corniglia..#monterossoalmarecinqueterre #monterosso #monterossoalmare #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #italytrip #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #traveladdict #italianbeach #seekandyoushallfind #clearwater
From the terrace behind the little church in my previous post, looking north from Corniglia towards Montarosso way off in the distance....#corniglia #cornigliacinqueterre #corniglia5terre #viewfromthetop #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #solotravel #solotrip #italytravel #italytrip #madeinitaly #traveladdict #travelinitaly #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Corniglia is the middle village in the Cinque Terre National Park, and my favourite!! It has managed to hold on to it's authenticity and not sell out to become another characterless place full of shops selling rubbish to tourists. Possibly because it is not on the water. I arrived on an early train from La Spezia, and caught the waiting shuttle bus up to the village...#corniglia #cornigliacinqueterre #corniglia5terre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #solotravel #italytrip #madeinitaly #traveladdict #travelinitaly #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldworldwithme
Monterosso al Mare, the Northern most village on the Cinque Terre coast in Italy. I caught the ferry from La Spezia all the way up the coast to Monterosso, it was so good to see all the villages from the ferry, then I caught the train back down visiting each of the villages...#monterosso #monterossoalmare #monterossoalmarecinqueterre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #solotravel #italytrip #madeinitaly #traveladdict #travelinitaly #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #outonthewater #laspeziatomonterossoalmare
Manarola, the 2nd village in the Cinque Terre National Park as you head north from La Spezia. The water runs down from the hills, under the village and into the sea...#manarola #manarola5terre #madeinitaly #manarolacinqueterre #manarolaitaly #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrenationalpark #lifebythesea #outonthewater #solotravel #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #neverstopexploring #travelinitaly #solotrip #solotravelinitaly
Sydney' Royal Botanic Gardens starting to come to life at the end of winter. It is still winter here, but we are having hotter weather that we get in peak summer, hopefully this doesn't mean we are in for a relentlessly hot summer 😳..#royalbotanicgardens #sydneyaustralia #sydney #sydneylocal #sydneyinwinter #sydneylife #explorethecityyoulivein #seekandyoushallfind #seeeverythingdoeverything #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #pondinthepark #birdinthetree #reflectiononwater #reflectiononwaterisbeautiful #whiteflowers #walkinthepark
After catching the bus from La Spezia to Porto Venere, I walked to the square and saw this ancient entrance to the old city within the castle walls, this is exactly what I was hoping the villages in Cinque Terre would be like. Porto Venere beats all the villages for beauty, fantastic views, history, lovely shops and beautiful food 😍 💖..#portovenere #oldcitywalls #italianhistory #madeinitaly #medievalitaly #italianarchitecture #oldbuildingsmakemehappy #historicbuildingsenrichourlives #historicitaly #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #neverstoptravelling #italytravel #italianadventure #italytravel #italiantrip #paradisefound #passionpassport
The beach club on the bay between Lerici and San Terenzo, in the Gulf of Poets, Italy, just waiting for the sun to come out...#santerenzochedelgolfoepiubelfiore #santerenzo #santerenzobeach #lerici #lericicoast #lericiitaly #lericioutdoor #gulfofpoets #gulfofpoetsitaly #italianbeach #beforetheseason #solotrip #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #neverstopexploring #travelinitaly #traveladdict #traveltheworldwithme
Corniglia is the only one of the villages along the Cinque Terre coastline you can get to by road, which must be an enormous help for the people who live there...#corniglia #cornigliacinqueterre #corniglia5terre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #solotravel #italytrip #madeinitaly #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #viewfromthetop #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveladdict
The Fallen Angel lying in Piazza dei Miracoli near the Leaning Tower of Pisa. No he didn't fall and hit his head, he was created this way, representing the fragility of life. Who knew angels were so buff??...#fallenangel #fallenangelpisa #piazzadeimiracoli #pisaitaly #pisatrip #pisa #pisafieldofmiracles #fieldofmiracles #italytravel #italianart #italiantrip #madeinitaly #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #seekandyoushallfind #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
On your walk around the bay from Lerici to San Terenzo, this house was one of many buildings along the way where the window frames and the mouldings above the windows are 3D on the front of the building and on the sides, they are all painted on, even with the shadow!! Very talented artist...#santerenzo #santerenzobeach #santerenzochedelgolfoepiubelfiore #santerenzolerici #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #traveladdict #italianbeach #seekandyoushallfind #seeeverythingdoeverything #experiencelifethroughtravel #tompeloeil #italianarchitecture #madeinitaly #walkalongthebay
Only this tower was left standing after a WWll bomb hit Villa Pastine in Monterosso al Mare, it was recently restored and is along with the broken statue of Il Gigante in my previous post are a feature of the northern end of the beach....#villapastine #monterosso #monterossoalmarecinqueterre #monterossoalmare #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #solotravel #italytrip #madeinitaly #italianarchitecture #italianhistory #italianadventure #solotravelinitaly #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #neverstoptravelling #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seeeverythingdoeverything
The railway station at Monterosso al Mare is right at the beach, don't be fooled by the lack of crowds on the platform, the train just left going north, the crowds are all behind me waiting to catch the train down to the other Cinque Terre villages, or to La Spezia, where I was staying. ..#monterossoalmarecinqueterre #monterosso #monterossoalmare #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterre #solotravel #italytrip #madeinitaly #traveladdict #travelinitaly #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #travelbytraininitaly #travelbytrain
This is typical of the style of buildings along the waterfront in Lerici, they all have a great view out over the bay....#lerici #lericicoast #lericiitaly #italianarchitecture #italianhistory #madeinitaly #tripovertoitaly #traveltheworldwithme #historicbuildingsenrichourlives #oldbuildingsmakemehappy #seekandyoushallfind #seetheworldthroughmylens #colourfulbuildings #lacebalconies #walkalongthebay #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
The water at Manarola on the Cinque Terre coast is so clear. When I was there it was a bit cool for swimming, but it looked very inviting!! ..#manarola #manarolaitaly #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrenationalpark #lifebythesea #outonthewater #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #travelinitaly #seekandyoushallfind #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #clearwaters #italianadventure #madeinitaly #manarolacinqueterre
Manarola, the next village coming into view as my ferry from La Spezia Heads north along the Cinque Terre coast. ..#manarola #manarolaitaly #manarolacinqueterre #manarola5terre #cinqueterre #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrenationalpark #lifebythesea #outonthewater #laspeziatomontarosaferry #laspeziaferry #travelbyboat #cinqueterrecoast #solotravelinitaly #solotravel #italytrip #madeinitaly #traveladdict #travelinitaly #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme
One last quick look at Riomaggiore, behind me about 400 people were pouring off boats to take over Riomaggiore, after this photo I went straight to the station to get out of there. All the shops full of tea towels, socks and touristy junk were ready for them......I wanted out.......#riomaggiore #riomaggioreitaly #riomaggiorecinqueterreitaly #riomaggiorecinqueterre #riomaggioreharbour #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterre #solotravel #solotrip #italytravel #italianadventure #madeinitaly #tripovertoitaly #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdict #neverstopexploring #boatsboatsboats
In the tunnel you walk through to go between the 2 beach front areas of Monterosso, on the Cinque Terre coast in Italy, they have made a few art installations in the walls along the way. ..#monterossoalmarecinqueterre #monterosso #monterossoalmare #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterre #artinpublicplaces #tunnelinmonterosso #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #traveladdict #travelinitaly #italytrip
Looking north up the Cinque Terre coast from the breakwall in Riomaggiore. I was there in April this year, before the season kicked off, a lot of the buildings had their shutters closed, as I guess the owners are away until the season starts. There were still crowds of people coming in after about 10am everyday, I'm so pleased I was there early. Over tourism is a huge problem in so many parts of Italy. ...#riomaggioreitaly #riomaggiorevillage #riomaggiorecinqueterreitaly #riomaggiore #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterre #outonthewater #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelingisfun #traveladdict #travelinitaly #neverstopexporing #neverstoptravelling #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldworldwithme #travelinitaly #seekandyoushallfind
As the ferry from La Spezia pulled into Vernazza, on the Cinque Terre coast, we were all mesmerised by the efficiency of this helicopter that seemed to be bringing building supplies in from just over this hill, where the closest road is. The guys who unhooked the load were so fast the chopper seemed to not even slow down as it spun around to go back for the next load, then the same at the pick up location, it just swooped in and they were ready to hook the next load on and it flew on, a well rehearsed routine!!..#vernazza #vernazzaitaly #vernazzacinqueterre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre helicopter #deliveringsupplies #vineyardsofitaly #seekandyoushallfind #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinitaly #solotravel #solotrip #italytravel #italianadventure
The bell tower above the 13th century Church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia in Vernazza on the Cinque Terre coast in Italy...#cinqueterreitaly #vernazza #vernazzaitaly #vernazzacinqueterre #cinqueterrenationalpark #lifebythesea #cinqueterre #cinqueterrecoast #solotravelinitaly #solotravel #solotrip #italianhistory #madeinitaly #medievalitaly #italianarchitecture #oldbuildingsmakemehappy #historicbuildingsenrichourlives #historicitaly #belltower
Inside the 13th century Santa Margherita d'Antiochia Church in Vernazza....#cinqueterreitaly #vernazza ##vernazzaitaly #vernazzacinqueterre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #solotravelinitaly #santamargheritadantiochia #medievalitaly #13thcenturyarchitecture #italianarchitecture #italianhistory #madeinitaly #tripovertoitaly #traveltheworldwithme #historicbuildingsenrichourlives #oldbuildingsmakemehappy #blackandwhitemarble #seekandyoushallfind
The Church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia Vernazza, with it's octagonal bell tower has been sitting in the main square in Vernazza since the 13th century. I guess it's OK to leave your guitar and guitar case out on the rocks by itself before the crowds arrive!!..#churchofsantamargheritadantiochia #vernazzaitaly #vernazza #vernazzacinqueterre #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterre #guitarontherocks #umbrellasofitaly #lifebythesea #solotravel #solotrip #italianhistory #madeinitaly #medievalitaly #italianarchitecture #oldbuildingsmakemehappy #historicbuildingsenrichourlives #historicitaly #italytrip
The bell tower, Torre Campanaria, in Manarola in Cinque Terre National Park...#torrecampanaria #torrecampanariamanarola #manarola #manarola5terre #manarolacinqueterre #manarolaitaly #cinqueterrecoast #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterre #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotrip #italianhistory #madeinitaly #tripovertoitaly #traveltheworldwithme #neverstoptravelling
Riomaggiore is the southern most village in the Cinque Terre National Park on Italy's north west coast. Here looking down to the harbour, this was at about 9am, after 10am it gets so crowded as the people flood in, it is almost unbearable..#riomaggiorecinqueterreitaly #riomaggiorecinqueterre #riomaggiore #cinqueterreitaly #cinqueterrenationalpark #cinqueterre #solotravel #solotrip #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #boatsboatsboats #riomaggioreharbour #visitcinqueterre #italianadventure #italytravel #italytrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldworldwithme

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