June 10. 2018

This was an early morning.  I got up at 6:00am and started to pack up as much of my gear as I could before going for breakfast at the food truck.  I had to wait for some time because the two ladies were a little slow in getting out of bed.  But it was worth the wait because I had a good breakfast and I bought two sandwiches for my lunch.  I finished packing the canoe while I waited for Chris, our nephew, to arrive to join me on the trip from Chertsey to Teddington.  He arrived just after 9:00am after a train trip from his flat in London.  After he had finished his breakfast at the food trailer we set of on the last day of my River Thames adventure.
The most interesting part of this journey was passing by Hampton Court.  Construction was originally started in 1515 for Cardinal Wolsey but in 1529 Wolsey gave it to King Henry VIII to buy his way back into the king's grace.  Additions and renovations were made by the Stuart kings and queens and half of the original buildings were lost in the renovations at the end of this period.  Now it is protected as a Grade 1 listed building.
From the river you can only see the back of the palace, much like looking at the back garden - not very impressive.