Teddington is built for family weekends. There’s a Royal Park full of deer, a river with boats to watch, and a High Street where kids are welcome rather than tolerated. Here’s a Saturday that keeps everyone busy, with a few rainy-day swaps along the way.
Breakfast: start them early
Café Benedict on the High Street opens at 7am, which suits small people who’ve been up since six. There’s a kids’ menu and a colouring competition to buy you time to drink your coffee while it’s hot.
Morning: deer spotting in Bushy Park
Walk it off in Bushy Park. Spotting the red and fallow deer is the main event (look, don’t touch, and keep a good distance), and the Woodland Gardens have streams, little bridges and paths to explore. The open grassland is there for running about until someone needs carrying.
Late morning: make something
Happy Potter on Broad Street is the classic rainy-day rescue, and just as good on a dry one. Everyone picks a mug, plate or bowl, paints it however they like, and the studio glazes and fires it for collection later. It’s busy at weekends, so book ahead.
Lunch: dim sum or brunch
For a big family lunch, Imperial China on Stanley Road serves dim sum at lunchtime. Little baskets to share and plenty to try make it a hit with most kids. It gets busy, so ring ahead to book. If you’d rather keep it simple, The Fallow Deer on the High Street is a family-friendly brunch spot with no booking needed, but brunch finishes at 2:45pm.
Afternoon: a book and a treat
Pop into Waterstones so everyone can choose a bedtime book, then head for a scoop at Myra Gelato: handmade gelato in a chocolate-dipped cone, or a thick Italian hot chocolate when it’s cold.
In warmer months, swap the gelato for the river instead. Walk down Ferry Road to watch the boats in Teddington Lock, cross the footbridges, and get a kids’ ice cream from the Flying Cloud Café, the silver Airstream by the footbridge. It’s open from March to November.
Late afternoon: the grown-ups’ turn
Finish in the family beer garden at The Abercorn Arms on Church Road, where the kids can stretch their legs while you have a well-earned drink.
Make it a weekly thing
If the day reveals a budding dancer or gymnast, there are good Saturday clubs nearby. Awesome Studios runs Saturday Studio, with no exams, no competitions and no uniform. Over the border at St Mary’s, SIMMSplitz gymnastics and SIMMSAthletics both run Saturday-morning sessions for 5 to 12-year-olds. These are booked by the term, so get in touch ahead.
