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Start / Finish

Hammersmith

The Bull’s

Head

The Blue Anchor

The Dove Rutland ArmsOld Ship

Barnes Bridge

The Pier House, Corney Reach Way, Chiswick, W4 2UG

Leg O’MuttonReservoir

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Hammersmith pubs, Furnivall Gardens

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St Nicholas' Churchyard

Chiswick Mall, Eyot and foreshore

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Duke’s Meadows1

(with pubs)The Black

Lion

Barnes river wall2

Thames Path4

Enter Small Profit Dock Gardens and keep to the rough path on theleft hand side. Look out for a small path on your right leading to agate to The Leg O’Mutton Reservoir. This site is now a Local NatureReserve thanks to local residents whose objections saved it fromdevelopment.

After passing through the gate, follow the path through the trees toyour left. After a minute or two of walking you’ll have views of thereservoir. Habitats here include open water, reed bed, woodland andscrub. Look our for wetland birds including Tufted Ducks, Grey Heronsand Coots. Spring and autumn bring different assortments ofmigrating birds to the reservoir. Speckled Wood butterflies flutteraround the pathway in the summertime. Bats fly overhead at night.

About half way along the reservoir, the path passes underneath atree supporting a heronry; a communal nest site for Grey Herons. Inthe spring this site is a hive of nest building and chick feeding activity.Stay on this path as it bends gradually to the right following the shapeof the reservoir. Leave through the gate at the eastern corner of thereserve and turn left onto a path which will reunite you with Thames.Resume walking with the river on your left side.

This stretch of the Thames Path is well lined with trees, includingsome truly huge Poplars. Other fine specimens along this stretchinclude Horse Chestnuts and London Plane trees. Spot dead woodwhich has been deliberately left to lie at the edges of the path. Deadwood is an important habitat for a plethora of fungi and invertebratespecies, including the Stag Beetle. Keep an eye out for this rare andmajestic beetle during the summertime.

Start at The Pier House in Chiswick; base of the Chiswick PierTrust and home to the local branch of the RNLI. Keep the riveron your left hand side as you begin walking. Before long youleave the surfaced path behind, passing through an avenue oftall Poplar trees and into Duke’s Meadows.

The river’s edge is well colonised by trees including lovelyestablished specimens of Ash, Elder and Willow. Keep youreye out for Traveller’s Joy (Wild Clematis) climbing in thebranches. Keep the boathouse on your right side and go overthe small flight of steps ahead of you. The path now leadsthrough a pocket of woodland. Take the steps ahead up ontoBarnes Bridge. Turn left to cross over the bridge, and admirethe view!

On reaching the opposite side of the river take the steps downfrom the bridge, cross the road ahead of you (pedestriancrossing to your left) and walk on the raised footpath with theriver immediately on your left hand side and Lonsdale Road onyour right.

Observe the wall to your left to see some impressive patchesof Golden Shield Lichen. Lichens are in fact two living thingsgrowing together in partnership; a fungi and an algae. Spotthe Alder tree, distinctive with it’s cone-like structures whichbear the seeds. Look down to the tidal river bed below you tosee plants which enjoy damp habitats, including PurpleLoosestrife and Hemlock Water Dropwort.

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Male stag beetles have large mandibles (jaws) for

wrestling with rival males, not for biting!

When you come to a stone terrace on your lefthand side you have arrived at the draw dock(where boats can be drawn up for repair). Hereyou have a clearer view of the island, calledChiswick Eyot. Osiers, a variety of willow tree, aregrown on the island. If the tide is low you will begazing over an area of mud and rocks; this is thetidal river bed of the Thames, known as theThames foreshore.

Over 125 species of fish can be found in the RiverThames today, along with numerousinvertebrates including freshwater shrimp, whichare indicators of healthy water.

Continue along Chiswick Mall until you reach thebend in the road. You have arrived at St Nicholas’Church. A walk around the churchyard will allowyou to see the tomb of the artist Hogarth, as wellas some fine Yew trees. Yews are often found inchurchyards as they have associations with lifeand death. Yews are poisonous, but arethemselves very long lived and will sprout newshoots from old branches which touch theground.

Backtrack to Chiswick Mall and go through thesmall gate to a narrow footpath leading towardsthe river. The footpath now runs on top of avertical wharf and leads back to Chiswick PierHouse. Look behind you for a great view ofChiswick Eyot and back towards Hammersmith.

Cross Hammersmith Bridge to arrive on the north bank ofthe Thames. Steps either end of the bridge allow easyaccess without having to cross a road. Keep the river onyour left hand side as you walk through the pub andgarden lined Hammersmith riviera.

When passing through Furnivall Gardens keep an eye andear out for garden birds including Robins, Blackbirds andGreat Tits. Leave the gardens through a narrow alley,passing The Dove. You’ll come out on a road in front of theWilliam Morris Society. Follow the road, keeping an eyeout for any Cormorants, gulls or ducks using theboathouse landing stages as convenient places to rest athigh tide.

Pass under an overhanging building to find yourself at OldShip beside Upper Mall Open Space. Follow the path as itbends through the open space away from the river andpasses The Black Lion on your right hand side. The roadyou come out onto is Hammersmith Terrace, walk straightahead. Don’t worry, you’ll see the river again very soon…maybe closer than you expect depending on the tide!

After a short walk Hammersmith Terrace becomesChiswick Mall. The river reappears on your left behind arow of gardens belonging to the houses on your right.There are some beautiful gardens here, with Wisteria,Magnolia, Palm trees and Weeping Willows to be admired.

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Be aware that Chiswick Mall floods at a high spring tide! If your route is blocked you will need to take a right turn and walk along Great West Road until Church Street where you can turn left again and resume the route at St Nicholas’ Church.

Weeping Willow

Magnolia in flower in the spring

High spring tide at Chiswick Mall

Grey HeronCormorant Egyptian

GooseCootTufted

DuckRing-neckedParakeet

Alder

Elder

Horse Chestnut

Ash

Poplar

Old “cones” remain on tree

from previous year

Rounded leaf with

notch at end

In spring catkins are purple

to yellow in colour

Pointed yellow buds can be

seen in winter

Triangular leaf

In spring male catkins are crimson. Later

in the year, female catkins produce fluffy

white seeds.

Conkers produced in spiny

shells in autumn

Flower spike can

be white to pinkish

Large leaf divided

into leaflets

White flowers in

spring

Red to purple

berries in autumn

Gnarly bark

Leaf divided into leafletsLeaf divided into leaflets

Seeds hang in “keys” in the autumn

Black buds

can be seen

in winter

Leaf miners

feed on leaves,

brown by late

summer