Freedom Pass Project – Update

Yesterday I braved the heat to fit in a trip to a couple more destinations that I need for my project. I decided to focus on two stations in south west London, Hampton and Hampton Court. Once more, like when I visited Ewell, the plan was to travel out to one station and come back from the other with a walk in between. Unlike Ewell, I already had some local knowledge from attending football games. At the Hampton end, I had once travelled to the station for an evening game against Hampton & Richmond FC. So I had some recollection of the section from the station to their ground. At the other end of the walk, I have visited Hampton Court Station when going to a game against Metropolitan Police FC. It was the bit in the middle that was vaguely mysterious but then I believe I have even travelled along that bit in a coach! So the planned walk was not a step into the unknown but rather a case of joining the dots of some recollections.

I travelled out from Waterloo on a Class 707 unit bound for Shepperton via Kingston. The route taken after leaving the South Western mainline at New Malden is quite a mazey one. As a result, the trip from Waterloo takes around 40mins. I arrived at Hampton station and took a couple of photos for the record…

My trainspotting trips for the project sometimes become less about the trains as other things catch my attention. This was one of those days. Walking down Station Road, I came across a DAF LF delivering beer to a pub…

…The water underneath tells a tale of a leaking water main rather anything wrong with the DAF.

My route took me down to the A308 which parallels the River Thames. I popped down to the Hampton Ferry landing stage and found some retired people enjoying the sun…

…back up to the road and a view looking back along Thames Street (A308) into Hampton with the Bell Inn standing tall above the heavy traffic…

A bit further along the A308, now called Hampton Court Road, I ventured onto the bridge connecting Tagg’s Island to the Borough of Richmond on the north bank and got this view of the Thames looking north west…

Traffic is very heavy along the A308 which was a bit of a pain in the very hot weather but as a compensation, I got to photograph a couple more trucks for my collection. This is a brand new Iveco S-Way…

…with a very proud and happy driver 😎 Then there was this slightly older DAF…

Eventually it was time to cross the river and I was pleased to photograph the pleasure craft, Yarmouth Belle as she prepared to dock at Hampton Court…

…Don’t let the the paddles and funnel fool you – they’re just for show. This is a diesel driven propeller vessel. That doesn’t mean she’s not historic though! She was built in Great Yarmouth in 1892. Much of her early working life was spent on the River Yare doing passenger runs between Yarmouth and Norwich for the Great Yarmouth & Gorleston Steamboat Co. Originally a steamer, the company sold her to a new owner based in Kingston-upon-Thames, where she was converted to diesel power. She’s been with a number of pleasure craft companies over recent years and is currently operated by Turk Launches.

Finally, I’ve reached Hampton Court and it’s time to board the train back to Waterloo before I wilt in the heat…