Sunday by Twickenham riverside

It was a beautiful afternoon and the sun was shining. Time to get out and enjoy the good weather!

So out we went to Twickenham riverside. A few minutes walk from the station and just by The Barmy Arms pub you can walk along to Champions Wharf which is a paved area with a few modern sculptures. There are benches here where you can sit and watch the river – and sometimes the guys and girls from the nearby rowing club.

Through a small doorway in the stone wall you reach York House gardens. There is a stunning fountain with lots of marble figures over which the water trickles. When my kids were younger we used to spend hours here – and by the nearby small round pond – watching for newts. The gardens are lovely and you can walk over the small bridge into the larger lawn areas in front of the house. Excellent for rolling down the hills and getting covered in grass.

For the more adventurous folk there are some tennis courts tucked away here – and even an old fashioned pissoir. If you walk further along the river you can stop by at The White Swan and enjoy a glass of something (Pimms is good if the weather is right) sitting out on the deck over the water while the kids play on the small beach here. And continuing the walk brings you to Marble Hill Park and more riverside walking through green, green, green.

But on this occasion we needed some food. Now whilst Church Street has an incredible selection of restaurants (including Italian, Indian and Spanish tapas to name a few) and pubs (including the lovely Fox and the lively Eel Pie) my favourite restaurant is Osteria Pulcinella. This is a traditional Italian place, dark and cosy, with a super-friendly genuine Italian staff. A large glass of Nero D’Avola washed down a risotto finocchetto while my partner tucked into a sizeable hunk of chicken accompanied by a Peroni beer. And we couldn’t resist the panna cotta and plum tart desserts. And then it was back into the fresh air to walk off the lunch with some more river views.

One of the many benefits of living in West London.