Ridiculously beautiful meadow with river beach where you can swim across the Thames. On the opposite bank lies the equally beautiful, but less frequented, Dumsey Meadow, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. You can get to Dumsey Meadow by swimming across the Thames or walking via Chertsey Bridge. There are plenty of entry and exit points on the Dumsey side by the sloping bank into the water, which is clean and fresh. An information board informed us that feathered visitors to the meadow include herons, kingfishers and great crested grebes – right on cue, a heron landed gracefully on the water nearby. Grab yourself some food and drink in the Kingfisher public house, Chertsey Bridge Road.
Directions: Waterloo to Chertsey (45 mins) +c2-mile cycle (10 mins). Close to National Cycle Route 4. Driving: Chertsey Meads Car Park, Chertsey, KT16 8PA. From the carpark, walk NE through the metal gates. After 50m, turn L and walk for 150m until you reach the river, The Runnymede to Hampton Court boat service stops at Chertsey Lock (1 hour 45 mins) (frenchbrothers.co.uk). From there, it’s a 1-mile walk (20 mins)
GPS: 51.3882, -0.4793
