Around London VI

From my kitchen windows I can see, on the horizon, the woods of Richmond Park - around 20 miles away as the crow flies, I'd say. Today I actually got to walk through these famed, illustrious pastures as part of the sixth leg of my circumnavigation.

And to be honest, wild deer aside, they weren't much cop. In fact, I didn't really enjoy this stage of my journey at all. I'm not sure precisely why, though the weather definitely had something to do with it: unseasonably hot, sticky and dry. I don't know what the fuck has happened to our climate this year, but it's been behaving in the most petulant fashion since round about March and I dearly wish it'd settle down.

You'd have thought late September would be a time of cool winds, gentle colours and calming sunlight. Struggling through acres of Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park today I could well have done with any one of those three things.

A grim and relentless trek all told, and one that didn't lend itself to many decent photos.

One of the best, in fact, I took on the train journey out to Wimbledon. This itself was a joke, lasting a total of 95 minutes: longer than it takes for me to travel from London to my hometown in the East Midlands. I know I was travelling to the furthest place from my starting point on the entire circumnavigation, but 95 minutes was taking the piss.

It was a blessed relief to arrive in Richmond and to see, after previously leaving it dozens of miles away and a month and a half ago at Woolwich, the River Thames.

Day 6: Wimbledon - Richmond
Miles Added: 8
Total Miles Completed: 59.25
Total Miles Outstanding: 18.75