Fulham palace...

What a lovely day we woke to this morning. And what do you do on such a day? Yes, that’s right you get out and enjoy it. Don’t want to go too far. Hmm, last time we went over Putney Bridge way Fulham palace was closed for a private function. Fingers crossed it won’t be today.  Nice and easy to get to as well. Get a Southern train to Clapham Junction, transfer to another train and just two stops and we’re there.  

Oh dear, the road across Putney Bridge is sectioned off, no cars allowed and Olympic banners are everywhere. Seems there ladies road race is set to go through here sometime in the next hour or so. So, if that big black loud is anything to go by, will be the rain.  There’s a Pound shop down the street and we stop off and buy a brolly each. Just as well because we no sooner get across the bridge than it begins to rain heavily. We join others sheltering under the trees near the church. It doesn’t’ last long and soon we walk on to Fulham palace gardens. Lats time we were here there were a lot of construction barriers, but today all is clear. Over there is what was hidden behind them, a kids playground, and over there are new heavy wooden gates into he park, I’m sure they weren’t there before. 

The palace itself, formerly home of London bishop now houses a trendy café on its ground floor, and the upstairs is ‘private, staff only’.  Friendly staffer tells us we can go through to the garden and that there is a barbeque and describes what we can find to eat there. And we were tempted by the fries and apple pies and summer fruits in jelly. Very nice thank you.

Well fed, we wandered around the garden until the rain drove us back under the trees. Overhead we saw several hovering helicopters, obviously filming the ladies road race.  Time for us to make our way back home and we retraced our steps to the station and got back to Clapham Junction. Oh-oh. Seems there is a problem with the Crystal palace signalling system and this train is now bypassing the very station we want to go to. And other passengers on the train are too. The young lady opposite us, a volunteer at Battersea Dogs Home, suggests an alternative route by bus and we follow her off the train at the next station and get back home via the circuitous route.