Distance 8 miles (12.8km)
Classification Moderate
Duration 3 hours 30 minutes
Begins Kingston railway station
OS grid reference TQ183695

Walk in a nutshell
A wonderfully convenient, reasonably rugged walk along a beautiful section of the Thames then back through Richmond Park. En route you'll see the splendour of Ham House, witness herds of grazing deer (probably), and have the chance to climb up King Henry's Mound, one of the highest points in London. The circuit covers roads, gravel paths, steep hills and muddy tracks, but is not suitable for dogs, as they are banned from the King Henry's Mound area of Richmond Park.

Why it's special
It's a walk in suburban London, yet it takes in such a range of tranquil parkland and flashy mansions. Ham House is one of the finest surviving buildings of its era anywhere in Europe. It houses an outstanding selection of furniture, carvings, tapestries, paintings and antiques, as well as the servants' kitchen with its original table. Outside, the gardens – whether formal like the Cherry Garden, or playful like the Wilderness – are a joy.

Keep your eyes peeled for
Just across the river from Ham House is Marble Hill House, an 18th-century Palladian mansion, which is accessible via a short ferry crossing. Just after Ham House, you pass through Petersham Meadows, where cows still graze in the summer. The view back at them from the higher ground in Richmond has been painted many times, including by Turner.

Recover afterwards
The Orangery cafe in Ham House is a good place to stop for a meal, made where possible with ingredients from the kitchen garden. Otherwise, the Canbury Arms in north Kingston is an excellent gastropub.

If it's tipping down
A train from Kingston takes you quickly into central London, but if you'd prefer to stay local, the indoor glories of Hampton Court Palace are just a couple of miles over the river in East Molesey.

How to get there
The walk begins at Kingston railway station. Or you could go to Richmond and join the walk at Ham House, about 1.5 miles away.

Step by step

1 Leave Kingston station via the main exit, turn right and walk along the path past the taxi rank. Continue along the path to the right-hand side of this road and cross the bridge to a junction. Turn right under the railway bridge, then turn left into Down Hall Road.

2 When you reach the Thames, turn right on to the Thames path and follow it for about 3 miles passing Teddington Lock along the way.

3 After passing Eel Pie Island you reach a car park; walk through it towards the entrance/exit on to Ham Street. Take the first left into the Ham House and Garden entrance road.

4 From the main gates of Ham House, turn right and then follow the trodden path through the meadow, away from the house and across the wooden bridge towards the river. Turn right and walk along the Thames path for a short distance. When you reach a lane and signpost for Petersham, turn off the river path and walk down River Lane.

5 At the end of River Lane turn left on to Petersham Road. Cross the road at the Dysart Arms, turn right through a kissing gate into Richmond Park. Just before the children's playground, turn left and follow the path signposted Pembroke Lodge.

6 Having walked along the top of the hill, you will come to a metal fence and a gate with a sign for Pembroke Lodge Gardens. Go through the gate, turn left and walk up the hill towards another metal gate.

7 Leave Pembroke Lodge Gardens through the gate at the top of the hill, turn right and walk along the shared surface, passing a single-storey brick building. Stay on the path, passing through a car park, for about three-quarters of a mile to Ham Cross. Turn right towards Ham, down the hill and past the pond on the other side of the road.

8 At the end of the path, by Ham gate and another pond, cross the road and follow the tall brick wall on the right-hand side until you reach Kingston Gate.

9 Once through the gate follow Queens Road and take the third right into Tudor Road. At the crossroads carry on straight into Elm Road. When the road begins to bend to the right, turn left into Canbury Avenue, then right into Deacon Road and left into Elm Road.

10 At the end of the road turn left into Richmond Road and walk under a railway bridge. Cross the road and head towards Kingston station.