River and Palaces
Four centuries of history and everything in between.
Saturday 12th September.
London hides some of its best riding in plain sight. Places everyone has heard of, but few have actually visited.
Four hundred years ago this stretch of the Thames was lined with royal palaces, grand villas and country estates. Wealthy landowners built their homes here, close enough to reach the city when needed, yet far enough away to escape its noise, filth and disease.
Using riverside paths, royal parks, cycleways and quiet roads, this route links those places together into one of the best days out in West London a surprisingly traffic-free ride through four centuries of history.
This isn't a ride about distance or speed. It's an easy day of exploration and discovery by bike.
£50.00
The Essentials
- 42 km — almost completely flat
- Start and finish: London Cycle Workshop, Sheen Lane
- Saturday 12th September — staggered starts from 09:00
- Self-guided — ride at your own pace
- River and Palaces Field Guide included
- Cream tea at the finish
What to Expect
A relaxed day out through a part of London most people drive past without a second thought. Turns out they're missing quite a lot.
Coffee and pastries at London Cycle Workshop to get things started, then off at your own pace. There's a feed station along the way. Otherwise the day is yours. Stop at a palace, find a pub by the river, get distracted by a walled garden. Nobody's timing you. And there's a cream tea waiting at the finish.
Every rider gets a River & Palaces Field Guide. The history and stories behind each place on the route, in your back pocket as you ride past them. Worth keeping, frankly.
Come with friends or on your own. You'll find plenty of people to ride with along the way.
Cycling Past Hampton Court, Richmond Park and Six Historic Thames-side Houses
Chiswick House
A Palladian villa built by the Earl of Burlington in 1729 as somewhere to show off. He didn't actually live here, he used it for entertaining. Lucky old fella.
The house is extraordinary. Pineapples everywhere, perfect proportions and not a straight line out of place. The gardens are even better. Bear in mind this is technically a municipal park, yet it contains lakes, classical bridges, cascades, temples and planting that wouldn't look out of place at Chatsworth. Completely unexpected.
Syon House
The house is low, grey, castellated and slightly forbidding. Don't let that put you off. The park is the real attraction.
Open and expansive, with fat contented cows scattered across the landscape as if carefully positioned by a curator with agricultural leanings. Very Capability Brown. There's even a lake, nowadays reflecting aircraft lining up for Heathrow, barely a stone's throw away. Somehow the contrast only adds to the charm.
Marble Hill House
Built for Henrietta Howard, mistress of the future George II.
Which sounds glamorous until you dig into the details. Orphaned young and trapped in an unhappy marriage, she eventually secured enough wealth, influence and independence to build herself this elegant riverside villa and a formidable circle of friends.
Good for her.
Strawberry Hill House
The strangest house on the route.
Built by Horace Walpole from 1749 onwards, son of Britain's first Prime Minister, lifelong collector, writer, gossip and accumulator of curiosities. Paintings, books, porcelain, medieval relics and apparently even strands of Edward IV's hair.
Walpole invented his own architectural style and called it "gloomth". Some battlements were little more than decorative props, the gallery ceiling was papier-mâché and much of the house was essentially eighteenth-century theatrical set design. Think Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen with a Gothic obsession.
Walpole also wrote The Castle of Otranto, generally regarded as the first Gothic novel, inspired by a nightmare he experienced while living here.
Hampton Court Palace
The Tudor brickwork, chimneys and courtyards are a story for another day.
From the route you'll get a better view of Christopher Wren's later Baroque additions for William and Mary. Perfect symmetry. Red brick, white stone and tall windows overlooking the Long Water of Home Park.
One of my favourite views in London.
Richmond Park
Henry VIII's hunting ground. Still doing a reasonable impression of one, give or take a few hundred years of accumulated Londoners.
The deer are still here, entirely unbothered by the dogs, runners, walkers and cyclists that now share the park with them. The cyclists in particular cover the full spectrum. Head-to-toe lycra at one end. Definitely not at the other. A decent metaphor for the ride, as it happens.
A fine place to finish.
Ham House
Built in 1610 and barely altered since. Either a miracle of preservation or the family running out of money. Probably a bit of both.
The house was transformed by Elizabeth Murray, Duchess of Lauderdale, one of the most formidable women of her age. She kept parrots, navigated the chaos of the Civil War, cultivated friendships across political divides and somehow managed to prosper whichever side happened to be winning.
A useful skill in seventeenth-century England.
The Route
The River and Palaces Field Guide
Every rider gets one. A short illustrated booklet with the history and stories behind each place on the route.
More like a well-informed friend who's done the reading so you don't have to. The kind of thing you'll find yourself consulting at Hampton Court and quoting at the pub afterwards.
By the end of the ride you'll know your Capability Brown from your Christopher Wren, why Henrietta Howard built herself a house by the Thames and what Horace Walpole's battlements were actually made of.
Choose Your Start
River and Palaces runs with four staggered starts. No mass departure, no bottlenecks at the first gate. Just pick the wave that suits how you ride.
The Explorers — 9:00am
Early start, plenty of time. Stop at everything, linger over lunch, ride at your own pace.
The Tourists — 9:30am
A civilised start. Enough time to see everything without rushing.
The Cyclists — 10:00am
You're here to ride as much as explore. Steady pace, fewer stops, still plenty of time to take it all in.
The Racers — 10:30am
Last out, first back. You know who you are.
All waves finish riding by 3:15pm. Time for tea.
Is This Ride For Me?
If you can ride 42 kilometres comfortably, this ride is for you. The route is almost completely flat, largely traffic-free and entirely self-guided.
You don't need to be a serious cyclist. Gravel bikes and road bikes are equally at home, but plenty of riders will be on hybrids, tourers or e-bikes. If your bike has been sitting in the shed for a while, get it serviced first and you'll be fine.
This is not a race. There is no minimum pace. The route is designed to be ridden at whatever speed lets you actually look at the things you're riding past.
Rivers and Palaces is a Green ride. Not sure what that means? Find out about our ride grades.
FAQs
Is this a race?
No. River and Palaces is a self-guided ride designed for exploration rather than speed. Ride at whatever pace suits you.
How long will it take?
Most riders take between 4 and 6 hours depending on pace, how long they spend at each stop and whether they find a good pub. The route closes at 3:15pm, which gives even the most easily distracted plenty of time.
Where does the ride start and finish?
London Cycle Workshop on Sheen Lane, East Sheen. Easily reached by train to Mortlake station, a few minutes away on the bike.
How do I choose my wave?
Pick whichever start time suits how you ride. Earlier waves suit those who want more time to explore. Later waves suit stronger riders who need less of it. Full details in the Choose Your Start section above.
What bikes are suitable?
Most bikes will work well. Hybrids, tourers, gravel bikes, road bikes and e-bikes are all fine. The route is almost entirely flat with no technical terrain.
Is there mechanical support?
There are mechanics on hand at the start at London Cycle Workshop. Out on the route riders are self-supported, so carry a spare tube and basic tools.
Is there food on the ride?
Coffee and pastries at the start, a feed station along the route and a cream tea at the finish. There are also plenty of cafés and riverside pubs along the way if you want to stop.
What is the Field Guide?
Every rider receives a River & Palaces Field Guide. A short illustrated booklet with the history and stories behind each place on the route. Worth keeping.
Can I ride with friends?
Absolutely. You can also choose different waves and meet along the route, or simply fall in with other riders on the day.
Will I need to navigate?
Yes. GPX navigation is required. Load the route file onto a bike computer or phone app before the start. Full details and the GPX file will be sent to riders before the event.