Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dorking, has four-poster beds in some rooms, which are smart and comfortable if not
all striking. The
Coach House restaurant
offers a moderately priced table d'hôte
dinner, as well as an a la carte menu. The bar, with its log fire, fills with locals from
the town.
High St., Dorking, Surrey RH4 1BE. www.mercure.com.
&
01306/887241.
Fax 01306/880386. 78 units.
£62-£132 double. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; room service.
In room:
TV,
hair dryer, Wi-Fi (£4 per hr., £9 for 3 hr.).
6
THE THAMES NEAR LONDON
You don't have to go far from London to find the beauty of the countryside and the
attractions of the River Thames.
Richmond-upon-Thames
is actually so close it's
even on the Tube. And
Kingston-upon-Thames
is only a swift train ride. Both are
attractive towns that make the most of their riverside, but they're also bustling places
with plenty of shops, as well as good restaurants.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
Richmond is at the end of one of the branches of the Tube's
District Line; a journey from the Earls Court interchange takes around 20 minutes.
It is also on a fast South West train line from London Waterloo, a journey of around
15 minutes, costing about £4. Slower local trains makes a loop from Waterloo, via
Richmond and Kingston, in both directions, before arriving back at Waterloo.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Richmond Visitor Information Centre,
in the
Old Town Hall, Whitaker Avenue (
&
020/8734-3363;
www.visitrichmond.co.uk),
is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm. For Kingston, see www.kingston.gov.uk.
Exploring the Area
Kingston
is an ancient market town, and today it's still very much in the business
of selling things. The
market,
a mass of vegetable, fruit, fish, and meat stalls, sells
good coffee and snacks and operates in the Market Place Monday to Saturday, 9am to
5pm. Each Monday (8am-2pm), in the Cattle Market parking lot there's a market
selling everything from fashions to tools to plants. Kingston is also a major shopping
destination, with
Bentalls
department store the hub of the three-floor indoor Bentall
Centre. There's a large branch of Britain's leading department store, John Lewis,
across the street. The Rotunda entertainment complex features a four-screen Odeon
cinema, plus seven restaurants including a branch of Marco Pierre White's Frankie &
Benny's American/Italian chain.
Kingston Museum
in Wheatfield Way (
&
020/
8547-5006;
www.kingston.gov.uk; Mon-Wed and Fri-Sat, 10am-5pm; free admis-
sion) has a gallery devoted to pioneer photographer and movie-maker Eadweard Muy-
bridge, who was born here. There are also good history displays. The coronation of
several Anglo-Saxon kings took place here, and an ancient
Coronation Stone
is
outside the Guildhall near historic Clattern Bridge, and the excellent Rose Theatre.
While Kingston is the shopping and entertainment hub,
Richmond
is its arty
cousin with more individual shops and restaurants. It's somehow summed up by the
river's lazy curve through the town, rather than its straight rush through in Kingston.
There are cafes and restaurants dotted along the riverside walk, and more cafes
plus lovely antiques shops, galleries, and clothes boutiques up Richmond Hill. At the
top of the hill is a breathtaking view of the river, the only view in England to be pro-
tected by an Act of Parliament. From here you can see down to the National Trust's
