Three rivers circuit: Hogsmill, Thames and Mole

Today, I did a circuit around the fringes of South West London, using the green corridor provided by three rivers. 

I parked at the Stew Ponds car park on Epsom Common (free, gates locked an hour before sunset). I cycled along the Hogsmill river to Kingston-upon-Thames, along the Thames towpath to Hampton Court, then followed the River Mole to Esher. I closed the loop by cycling across Esher Common, Prince's Coverts, Ashstead Common and Epsom Common.

Amazingly, this turned out to be a largely traffic-free 25 miles in very pleasant surroundings. Even the ride through Kingston town centre was on traffic calmed roads. Paths were in good condition following the long drought, but with our more normal rain forecast to resume next week, I expect many of the surfaces will be reduced to mud, so this is one for summer months (as I found on two previous rides through Horton Country Park, and along the Hogsmill).

Of particular interest is Prince's Coverts, Oxshott. This woodland was acquired as a shooting estate by rent-a-minor-German-Prince Leopold when he lived at Claremont House in the early nineteenth Century. He later went on to become King of Belgium (his son was the one who was really nasty in the Congo), and when he died in 1865, the Coverts became part of the UK Crown Estate. In modern times, this portfolio of miscellaneous properties was  hived off into an arms length company, The Crown Estate, with income going to the State, in return for the Monarch receiving funding through the Civil List. The company discretely allows public access to this little woodland oasis in Oxshott, the home to wealthy footballers and celebs.

The ride passes Hampton Court Palace

Start on Epsom Common

Nice coffee van in Horton Country Park (which is an alternative car park)

The track through Horton Country Park (which follows the path of a light railway which served the large mental institutions which once occupied the site)

Exit from Horton Country Park (actually, I think I went to the wrong exit)

Hogsmill valley path

Hogsmill stream tamed

Typical track through riverside woods

The Hogsmill

More Hogsmillais (Millais used the river as the background for his painting 'Ophelia'; luckily, his model posed in a bath)

More Hogsmill path

Unusual footbridge (wouldn't be out of place in the Himalayas)

St Mary's Cuddington, built circa 1900 to serve the growing suburb of Worcester Park, to replace a temporary  'iron church' (ie built of corrugated iron)

More traditional St John the Baptist, Old Malden

Under the railway at Old Malden

There are some good cycle tracks in Kingston

Path emerges beside busy A3

Cross A3 by a subway

Entrance to Hogsmill park north of the A3

A traffic free route passes under the railway at Berrylands station

Quiet road into Kingston

Calmed road

Kingston market place

Bridge over Thames, Kingston

Kingston Bridge

Thames towpath on the way to Hampton Court

Side gate to Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court bridge (with new anti-nutcase measures)

River Mole (right) joins "River Ember" channel (left) at East Molesey (the river was substantially contained following disastrous floods in 1968)

Path beside the Mole/Ember heading out of Molesey

River Mole (I saw a kingfisher dart along the river here)

Entry to Molesey Heath Nature Reserve (adjacent to Island Barn Reservoir)

Obstacles have to be negotiated

'Towpath' beside channelised River Mole

Path towards West End

Crossing the Mole near West End

Cricket match at West End rec

There are some quite steep tracks in West End woods

Path follows the back gardens across Esher Common

Follow the pylons across Arbrook Common

Good track leads from Arbrook Common to....

Subway under A3

Slightly creepy horses's head sculpture - Oxshotts's answer to the Angel of the North?

Track leading to Great Oak Wood

Inconspicuous track to Prince's Coverts

Entrance to Prince's Coverts

Extensive tracks through the Coverts

Exit Prince's Coverts, and descend to cross the busy A243 at the Star Pub

Ashstead Common is owned and managed by the City of London Corporation who bought the land in c1870 to preserve it as green space

You actually get some views from the tracks

Hereabouts, you will pass a number of these white metal posts which date from the 1860s. and defined the boundaries within which taxes were levied by the City of London on goods such as coal