Day Four: Bridges of London Challenge

After yesterday’s unpleasant weather we woke to a brighter sunnier day and hopes of a leisurely last leg of our Bridges challenge. Leaving Kingston upon Thames we headed down the river path for the last 3 or 4 miles to our final bridge.

Leaving Kingston Bridge (Number Twenty Five) on the last leg
Beautiful scenes all the way from Kingston to Hampton Court
Approaching the final crossing at Hampton Court (Number Twenty Six)
Is this it?
Bridge Number Twenty Six!

Once we’d crossed the final bridge on our Bridges of London Challenge we decided to have a few hours exploring one of England’s most historic royal parks. Bushey Park is the second largest park in London and is absolutely stunning. First though a wander past Hampton Court.

Hampton Court
The Diana Fountain in Bushey Park
Bushey Park
Herds of royal deer in Bushey Park. We’ve never been so close to deer in our lives, ever!
Bushey Park
Celebrating with a well deserved coffee

By the time we crossed Hampton Court bridge we had done 45 miles. Much further than we had expected but our constant wandering off route and the actual bridge crossings bumped the distance right up.

We do know of other walkers who have romped it in a single day, probably 14 to 15 hours. But we never wanted to just race away and get it done in a quick time. The whole experience for us was to enjoy and explore all the way with Jo reading as many information plaques as possible.

It has truly been such a memorable week and an experience that neither of us will ever forget. We’re quite proud that we managed the whole walk carrying rucksacks in a variety of weather conditions with a minimal amount of injuries. To be honest we only have a couple of minor aches and pains but nothing more than a normal days JWalking.

Thanks London, it’s been amazing!

End of a wonderful week!

42 comments

  1. Love it, well done Jon and Jo, just gutted we won’t be able to meet up as planned tomorrow. Stay safe and see you soon enough no doubt. Cheers Mike.

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Oh fantastic 👏👏👏🚶🏻‍♀️🚶‍♂️ what an amazing experience. I’ve so enjoyed your journey and reading about your experiences, and the photos have been a fantastic reminder of places I’ve loved and the beautiful Thames. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Well done you two.Amazing photos.Hope you are going to put your feet up for a while?Maybe House sitting?Such a tricky year for you to be able to plan ahead?

    Liked by 2 people

    • It was brilliant, absolutely loved our week hiking through London. Got a few housesits lined up but you’re so right about not being able to plan much.

      Like

  4. Fantastic weather for your last day! What an amazing thing to do. I think you did it right too with enjoying the walk each day and not rushing. Did you book your nights ahead of time or just when you arrived at the destination? On to the next adventure 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Congratulations. Great idea and a great effort. It’s easy to forget that London isn’t just the Square Mile and the West End and just how far it stretches. Surprised you didn’t carry on to Windsor as it was ‘just down the road’! Top trip guys.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Wow…fantastic trip. Thank you for sharing. I have never even heard of bushy park, let alone visited. Might have to follow in your footsteps and complete the same. Thank you for sharing x

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Well done for completing your challenge! I get enough of deer in Richmond Park, I have to say, so I don’t feel inclined to venture forth to Bushy Park with Richmond Park less than a minute walk from my house. There’s always signs up telling you to stay 30 metres (or maybe it’s even 50?) away from the deer, but if the deer cross right in your path, what are you supposed to do? Jump into a bush? It’s not my fault they’re bad at social distancing!

    Liked by 2 people

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