Wimbledon has a town and village by the same name. And they both are on the opposite sides of each other. If you are traveling by train, exit the railway station and stand with your back to the entrance of the station. Towards the left is the Wimbledon Town, you will see Center Court Shopping Center, large M&S, Tesco immediately to your left. On your right, much further ahead is the Wimbledon Village.
Wimbledon Town
Like any other town, rather an affluent town, Wimbledon also has a high street full of branded shopping outlets. Center Court is a huge shopping mall. Further walk down the street and you will find lots of cafes, supermarkets and boutiques. Would suggest a short walk. There is nothing exceptional here, its just like any other town.
The new Wimbledon Theatre is worth a click before you rewind and come back to the Railway Station.
Now that you are back to the Railway station, continue walking in the opposite direction of the Town. You will be on Wimbledon Hill road. As you continue to walk, you will spot Alexandra pub on the right side of the road and the Public Library next to it. Continue the gently uphill walk. You will soon leave behind the High street buzz and start spotting big beautiful houses with leafy gardens and tree-lined boulevards. Continue till you reach a roundabout with Tesco on your left. On your left from here is a street called ‘Ridgway’. On this street a short walk, you will come to The Swan Pub which serves delicious pub grub. A little further ahead is The Museum of Wimbledon. Take this street if you want to visit these spots, else I suggest to take a straight from the Tesco roundabout and continue on ‘High Street Wimbledon’ to reach the village.
On this street you will spot the famous Hotel and pub The Dog and Fox. You will come to the next roundabout here. If you take the Right exit from the roundabout and follow Church Road, it will lead you to the Wimbledon Tennis courts, where all the action happens. Wimbledon Golf Course and Athletic centers are also in the same direction.
I wanted to walk through the village and the Commons so I continue on the left from The Dog and Fox on High street Wimbledon.
Wimbledon Village
This entire area is the village. A narrow and cute High street with more of local shops. Tree-lined streets and neatly stacked bylanes with some amazing looking houses. All along you can feel the affluence of this neighbourhood.
Wimbledon Village Stables
Continuing on High street you will see signs on the right to the Village Stables. You may also see the horses crossing the streets. Yes right in the middle of the High street. I managed to spot one but it was in the Commons. Not many places in London would you get to see this.
Rushmere Pond
As you continue to walk, you will see small bylanes on the left and also signs of Public Footpath. These lead to the Wimbledon Commons. Rushmere Pond is right in the center of the vast commons. With swans and birds and children playing around, this is a huge area for your outdoor walk or games. I took a small detour here and then hopped back onto the High Street.
Budhappia Temple
The High street merges into Parkside all along the Commons on the left. Budhappia Temple is a Buddhist temple. Yes, many people do not know about this. Continue to walk on the Parkshide and take a right on Calonne Road. A leafy street with houses on both sides, a 3 to 4 min walk will lead you to the temple on the right side.
Due to Covid the Temple is closed and I could not visit. Feel disappointed as atleast I wanted to click some pictures of its beautiful structure. Anyhow, I hope when you visit, you can enter the temple and its premises.
I returned back to Parkside and continue to walk towards the Commons.
Windmill Museum
Continue walking on Parkside with the Commons on your left. You will come to Windmill road on your left. Take the left and continue to walk on this road. Soon you will come to Windmill Museum.
The Museum also has Tearooms. If you want to give some rest to your legs, grab some tea and cake or a light brunch. There is plenty of parking space and Commons on both sides so you can sit outside and enjoy the sun.
Wimbledon and Putney Commons
You will spot signs of Capital Ring Trail to walk to Richmond Park. Or you can relax here and rewind back to Wimbledon Village and then to the town to catch your return train.
Wimbledon and Putney Commons is a huge wooded heath with lovely Queensmere pond hidden inside it. I continued to walk further to Richmond park and then to Richmond station. I recommend you to do this walk if the weather is dry, you feel fit and want to do a real long walk. Check your GPS for distance. From here to Richmond station is another good 2 hour walk all inside Richmond Park.
Another option can be to walk a little further inside the woods, cross the pond and come out on the other side towards Kingston road. You can get buses to Putney station or Barnes Station from where you can catch a train to London Waterloo or Clapham Junction.
I hope you will enjoy your day out in Wimbledon. There is lots to do both in the Town, village and walks in the Commons.
Would love to hear your experience and hope this post helped you to plan your day.
