As the warm weather finally arrives you want to be out and about - with your very best friend of the canine variety of course. So whilst Richmond and Twickenham have some lovely riverside bars, on a really lovely day you want to strike out and go that little bit further for a really stunning riverside view. And you want to make sure that your dog will enjoy it too.
The Anglers
I took Alfie here a few weekends ago. It’s tucked away by Teddington Lock and it has an immense outside area. With the early evening sunshine, the place was heaving. There’s a large children’s play area – helpfully fenced off to stop pooches straying in and kids wandering out – so it’s poplar with families.
There are lots of picnic tables with built in benches to accommodate groups of friends and also benches backing onto the fabulous river view. There’s an outside bar so you don’t have to trek inside when you want a drink and a BBQ.
It’s easily accessible by public transport – I went on the 281 bus which goes from Hounslow through Twickenham and Kingston and onto Surbiton. There is some limited car parking space. There’s another pub right next to it – Tide End Cottage. I’ve been in there in the past although I didn’t take Alfie so I’m not sure what the dog policy is.
What I really like about The Anglers though is that it’s right by a foot bridge that takes you across the river so you can stroll along the tow path admiring the canal boats. When we went, we made sure Alfie had lots of exercise and walked all the way to Canbury Park in Kingston where we stopped for a bite to eat at the dog-friendly Boater’s Inn. Mind you, the return journey was blighted a little by hoards of midges – so take your insect repellent!
http://anglers-teddington.co.uk/ http://gkpubs.co.uk/pubs-in-teddington/tide-end-cottage-pub/ http://www.boaterskingston.com/
The Albany
This pub was a little trickier to find. Luckily, my friend had a car and she’s been many times in the past – down a tiny residential street, past Kingston and Hampton Court and almost towards Esher. There’s a large car park that has a path down to the river’s edge. But The Albany itself has a commanding view of the river at Thames Ditton. And on the other side it is green grass and trees so it feels like proper countryside and the sense of space is very calming.
Inside there are large flagstones on the floor but everything else is modern and comfortable. The wall facing the river comprises lots of windows to maximise the view. And the tables and chairs around the place make it feel a little more like a restaurant than a bar – but it is definitely a bar. And a very nice one too – well worth the journey.
But outside is magnificent. Multiple levels of large areas of decking – all with that amazing view. We took the steps down two of those terraces to reach the area sitting directly over the water. There were plenty of tables and chairs – many with large umbrellas that contained heaters for when the sun goes down and there’s a chill in the air.
Our seats looked out over wooden pontoons that reached out over the water and there were some children clambering around and peering into the water. We watched as one lucky family were dropped off at the pub by a boat. Then I was delighted to spot a Crested Grebe doing some fishing. We hadn’t planned to stay very long but when we asked for two glasses of wine, the friendly bar man mentioned that the bottle of rose was £14.95 and thus only a few pounds more than the glasses. He placed the bottle in a cooler for us.
I hadn’t eaten so took a look at the menu which was surprisingly good. I opted for some scallops which were presented on a plate that wouldn’t look out of place at a top London restaurant and a little bucket of fries. I think that eating by the river adds to the occasion.
And I had a long chat with a young man of about eight years old, who was there with his dad and brother, about fishing. It seems that whilst the cleaner Thames means there are many more varieties of fish, there are no longer any eels in there. That news saddened me as I used to spend many happy hours as a youngster catching them but I decided that I would dig out my fishing gear, buy a licence and do some more fishing. The thought of hours on the river bank chasing ducks appealed to Alfie too – so that’s in the diary. And I can’t think of a lovelier pub to retire to after a day’s fishing to discuss “the one that got away”.
I’m told that all the staff at The Albany love dogs so they try their best to keep everyone happy. They allow small/medium sized dogs in the bar area (luckily Alfie is a long haired Chihuahua so he fits this criteria) as long as they are clean and well behaved (that’s Alfie on a good day) and they allow dogs anywhere outside as long as they are again clean and well behaved. But they do ask that owners bring a lead in case their pup is a wanderer and gets under staff's feet or pesters other guests.
http://www.the-albany.co.uk/
