For the first of our February short breaks it was away to London with Eleanor for a couple of days. This month has been dreary and very wet, so it was good to be out in at least dry weather, albeit rather cloudy and cold. The WWT London Wetland Centre at Barnes was our first destination, hoping to show her the waterfowl getting spring-frisky, something we have wanted to do since our last visit there in January 2024.

Sadly, while there was some weak sunlight, it was probably not warm enough for full-on display, although the Goldeneyes and White-headed Ducks were at least trying to perform.

And it seemed to us there were rather fewer ducks and geese on show, perhaps explained by the bird flu precautions at all of the entrances. Still, there were still plenty of ornamentals to see…

… along with a good scattering of wild birds.

And the Asian Short-clawed Otters were as reliable as ever at feeding time, along with Bob, the opportunistic Grey Heron:

Aside from birds there were Snowdrops and Winter Aconites in fading flower, Daffodils at their best, and Cherry-plum, Cornelian-cherry, Alder catkins and sprouting Butterburs in a sure sign that winter is coming to an end. At last!

From there it was to Richmond by bus, and thence to our hotel, the Rose of York. With a lovely situation just outside Richmond Park and overlooking the Thames, we were pleased to find this as a reasonably priced option and comfortable for future visits to this area. And the roaring fire in the bar was most welcome as daylight faded!

Next morning, the forecast rain hadn’t appeared so we walked to the riverbank across the somewhat splodgy Petersham Meadows…water meadows as they should be! One feature of the meadows was the number of freshwater mussel shells, presumably dropped on land by birds. They seem to be Swollen River Mussels, known from the Thames upstream of Putney, and indicative of the now good water quality of that stretch of the river.

Breakfast in the lovely Hollyhock Vegetarian Fairtrade Café in the Terrace Gardens, with an accompaniment of a singing Blackcap (among the numerous Rose-ringed Parakeets!)…

… and then it was along the riverside path up to the historic Richmond Bridge, an 18th century Portland stone bridge, and the oldest remaining Thames crossing in London.

Amid the shopportunities in the town, St Mary Magdalene Church provided a peaceful refuge from the bustle and traffic of the streets…

… and a couple of significant Art Deco buildings – the Odeon Cinema and the Rail Station – pointed towards the fact that we should think about returning before long.

On these blogs of trips with Eleanor we traditionally include some of her photos. This time they were so good that they take their rightful place in the above: daffodils, snowdrops and roaring fire. But we also wanted to show that our time away is also filled with the sort of things an eight-year-old loves to do!