Fallen tree

This fallen tree is on the towpath opposite Eel Pie Island and I like the way that it has just been pushed to one side. It has made the path a lot narrower but this is not a path that gets a lot of buggies or wheelchairs and there is still enough space for them.

New trees on the towpath

This will be a familiar view for the many people who make a habit of walking along the towpath and the bending river with vegetation on both sides makes it a great view. Slowly adding to the view are some recently planted trees though it is too early for me to tell what they are; the sturdy protection they have suggests that they are something a little special.

Tree maintenance

Quite a bit of work was done in the last year or two to trees by the towpath alongside Burnell Avenue Open Space and a little bit more has just been done with the thinning out of one small clump.

Tidying up the towpath

I may be wrong but Richmond Council seem to have been exceptionally busy in the local green spaces recently with clearance, trimming and planting. This bit of tidying up is along the towpath between Teddington Lock and Ham House and was just one of the more obvious signs of the extensive work done around there.

Even more trees

Fairly obviously I took this during a late stroll, it was around 11pm, so there is limited detail but there is enough there to show that some new, and heavily protected, trees Have been planted along the towpath opposite Burnell Avenue.

This section of the towpath could do with a lot more trees to distract attention from the houses and so I hope that these new arrivals are the first of many.

Hammertons Ferry sign

I posted a picture of the other sign of the Hammertons Ferry sign, which shows the operating hours, earlier in the year and I missed the opportunity to show this side with its pleasing design; an error that I am glad to rectify.

Passing Ham House

I was walking along the towpath past Ham House quite late at night, it was almost 10pm, when I was struck by the view through the trees.

The camera on my phone did all sorts of clever stuff with the image to make it look like daylight which actually makes it look a little less dramatic but I like the picture enough to post it anyway.

Bench upgrade

These two benches have replaced two basic ones that had no backs or sides so thay are a significant and welcome upgrade.

Ferry Open

Hammertons Ferry, by Ham House, has a new sign announcing its operating hours. 

It is a little surprising that it operates as much as it does, e.g. all winter, and that supports the argument that the much discussed proposal for a new footbridge in that area is worth pursuing. Personally I would like to see another bridge as I do a lot of walking at night, when the ferry is not operating, and the lack of bridges is a real constraint on where I can go.

Fenced off

While the view of the footbridge is excelent from the lower path further on, at this point the view is spoilt by a long stretch of temporary fencing.

Border stones

The big stone on the right marks the boundary between Kingston and Richmond and is a prominent feature along the towpath. The small stone on the left is its predecessor and also marks this boundary.

The smaller stone is buried in vegetation for much of the year and it only in winter that you can see the two stones together.

Towpath cleared

The towpath is mostly easy to walk along and the few errant brambles that encroach are bent or cut back by users, people like myself who have been known to carry secateurs. The Council decided that more substantial action was required in places and have used machinery to cut the brambles right back.

Long grass

Whether it is because of the weather we have had this year, a kinder mowing regime or something else, something has made the view from the towpath south of Teddington Lock across Ham Lands greener and wilder than I can recall it being before. The height of the grasses in particular is most impressive.

Water safety tips

Having tried to push the message "do not swim" by Teddington Footbridge the authorities are now taking a more pragmatic line and this new sign has "water safety tips".

Foggy

There have been a couple of foggy morning this week and I wanted to capture the impact on familiar views. The smudges in the middle are Teddington Weir and this is the towpath by Burnell Open Space.

Red skies at night

I do not usually post pictures like this because the views are fleeting and so you cannot go out and see what I have posted for yourself. However, that is my rule so I am entitles to break it which I am happy to do for an evening sky as dramatic as this one.

High water

There was a time, admittedly about twenty years ago, when I used to seek out high tides 

 and so kept a close eye on the tide tables. These days high tides like this are a surprise to me, as they are to most people trying to move around the area.

This is the footbridge that connected Douglas Footpath with the the tow path and it is sitting just above the water level.
 

As I have said before, the problem with the bridge is that it gets you over one flood only to confront another.

This is the path towards Ham House and while the water level is falling, you can see it streaming across the path, it was still to high for me in my normal street shoes.

  

The other way, towards Richmond was even worse.

I know when I am beaten so I headed back the way that came and took another direction.

Smaller stone

The grey thing in the top left of the picture is the back of the Border Stone (between Richmond and Kingston) on the towpath and you can see this smaller second stone when walking along the lower footpath.

Not for the first time, I have absolutely no idea what it is though the markings on the right could be the remains of a "K" which could mean that this is a previous border stone. There are two "could"s in that sentence!

Logs

I am always a little saddened when I see fallen trees, especially ones as large as these, and I try to reassure myself that the people who cut them down knew what they were doing both in the felling of the trees and the leaving of the remains to provide habitats.

My only real concern is whether, overall, more trees are planted than are cut down in the area and I am not sure that is the case and there is certainly scope for planting many more substantial trees.

Drinks and snacks

Petersham and Ham Sea Scouts have introduced a drinks and snacks van (I refuse to call it a food truck, despite what google says) on the edge of their plot alongside the towpath.

I am sure that many people will find it very useful as it is a fair way along the towpath to, say, Flying Clouds or Tide Tables, but I walked past it and went to the cafe at Ham House, which is a large part of what I pay my annual National Trust membership fee for.