When I was a kid, Wimbledon Common was a regular haunt. Sometimes we took the bus to The Green Man at Putney Heath and at other times we started our long walk at Roehampton. But yesterday, in the rain, we took the 93 bus from Putney Hill and got off at Parkside Hospital which is at the top of Windmill Road.
From there it is just a 10 minute walk to the windmill – Alfie showed off his jumping skills as we walked through the long grass on the verge of the road. The windmill is magnificent. There is a small museum there (with a plaque to commemorate founder of the scouts Lord Baden-Powell) as well as some delightful tea rooms (complete with toy Wombles on the shelves) with a large dog-friendly seating area outside.
They even have “dog park” hooks outside the loos so that those who are walking their dogs alone can still pay a visit. Adjoining the site is the London Scottish Golf Club which was advertising new memberships for those who are interested.
After a reviving cup of tea and a flaky sausage roll I wracked my memory to remember the route to the pond. We walked across the large car park and took the first path we could find. We followed the paths that were moving downhill and quickly found a stream.
This was a great route – the trees grew overhead and there was forest all around and now and again a tree had fallen across the stream making a perfect climbing frame for the kids (and adults) and a ready-made assault course for the dog.
At the end of one path we came against the railings to a large cemetery. So we double-backed on ourselves (after checking the GPS on our phones) and finally found the large pond. It was really quiet but very beautiful. There were large swathes of yellow water lilies about to explode into life. There was a smaller patch of pale pink and white water lilies already in bloom. There were herons and ducks fussing over their nests a safe distance from the shore. As a kid I’d spent hours sitting next to this water waiting to catch newts (which are now, of course, protected so must not be touched).
We wandered around for a while longer before following another path back up the hill and returned to the windmill.
We had walked miles around the common and enjoyed breathing in the fresh air and being surrounded by all that green. Next time we plan to walk even further.
