We have booked to leave the UK in November (more on that later!), and are flying out of Gatwick Airport. Wanting to keep our travel to the airport as short as possible, we decided to stay in and around London through October.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a single, month-long house sit that appealed to us but there were plenty of short house sits on offer. In the end, we managed to book four, one-week sits to fill the month.
Four house sits made for another busy month, but an enjoyable one too.
It started with something different, a week floating on the River Thames!
October House Sit Number One
Quite a while ago, we were contacted by Rob and Gaelle.
They told us they had a chihuahua named Bow and wanted her looked after for a week while they were on holiday.
We asked for their location and unusually, they were not able to tell us.
The reason for this is that Rob and Gaelle live on a narrowboat. Their home location changes constantly.
Our home for the week!
They explained they would not know for sure where they would be moored until closer to the date of the sit.
We told them we were planning to be in and around London during October so as long as they would also be approximately in that area then we would love to spend a week on their boat with Bow.
They agreed and in late September Rob contacted us to say they had moored in Staines-upon-Thames, (usually referred to as ‘Staines’)
Staines is a market town in northwest Surrey. It is only 17 miles from central London. A perfect location for our first week in October!
We had been looking forward to the novelty of a week floating on the Thames but unfortunately, as the date of our arrival drew nearer it was becoming obvious that the weather was going to put a bit of a damper on it 😞
A few days prior to our arrival had seen some atrocious weather and heavy rain had caused the water level of the Thames to rise considerably.
In some places, including where our home for the next week was to be, the river had broken its bank and flooded adjoining towpaths.
This made access to the boat more difficult than usual. Rob had to build a temporary bridge to allow us to cross the flood water.
Water where the towpath should be!
We have stayed on a houseboat once before, back in August 2021, but that boat was much larger and was permanently moored. This made it feel more like living in a floating apartment.
The one we stayed on this time was a narrowboat and there was no doubt we were on a floating vessel.
The boat was long and narrow (as the name implies) and moved with the movement of the water.
At first, that took some getting used to. It definitely would not be a good choice of abode for anyone who suffers from seasickness, but you get used to it and we loved our week on the water.
Even the shocking weather we endured during our stay did not spoil it.
The Pet
In our care this week was a teeny-tiny chihuahua named Bow.
She was a dream dog to care for. Bow was super-friendly and her size meant walks were short.
She was usually full of energy and enthusiasm to walk with us to our destination but ran out of energy for the walk home and ended up getting carried back!
Bow’s party piece was that she could wee on the ‘pee pee’ command.
When we were first told this, it was comical but in reality, it proved to be a godsend as just about every wee break that week was done in the pouring rain.
Hanging around wasn’t an option!
We would love to be invited back to look after Bow again but hopefully next time when all the water is below the boat and not falling from above!
October House Sit Number Two
For our second stay in October, miraculously the sun came out and we were back on terra firma.
This time, in the village of Thames Ditton.
The distance between Stains and Thames Ditton is only about ten miles as the crow flies. However, as there was no direct train it took us two train journeys and an hour and a half to get from one to the other.
All our house sits are different. We often get a gut feeling of how good they will be from our prior contact with the home host.
Before we arrived at Thames Ditton, we had a good feeling we were in for a treat and were not mistaken, everything about this house sit was great.
The home host here hadn’t had pet sitters before and was a little nervous about the process.
In reality, she was a natural.
Before our arrival, we had been in contact with each other many times. So much so that by the time we arrived, we felt as if we were already friends rather than strangers meeting for the first time.
The home was lovely. It was large, comfortable and in a great, quiet, location.
The River Thames was just a few metres from the house and the centre of the village was a short distance away.
As the weather had improved, there were never any problems with ideas on where to go for a walk.
The Pet
Ranji is a French Bulldog.
He is the second French Bulldog we have looked after. The first was Davina, in East Ham last month.
Just like Davina, Ranji was a delight to spend time with – it must be the breed!
He really was as perfect a dog as any pet sitter could wish to care for.
He was also super photogenic!!
Ranji was friendly, laid back, playful, and comical.
He only barked when anyone came to the door, and even though he only had little legs, was the perfect walking companion and would happily walk for miles with us.
We took full advantage of the warmer weather and went on daily walks with Ranji.
A favourite route was following the Thames path, through Kingston Town and on to Richmond and Hampton Court Park, or ‘Home Park’ as it is commonly known.
A New Favourite?
Since we started pet-sitting we have now cared for a total of 47 dogs.
We are often asked which has been our favourite, and our response is always the same: “It is impossible to say.”
However, without a doubt, Ranji is high on the list!
We loved our time with him and would love to go back again sometime in the future.
October House Sit Number Three
For our third house sit of October, once again we didn’t have to travel far. This time just six miles north to the leafy suburb of East Sheen.
The Home
The house was a large and comfortable five-bedroom detached.
At the rear of the property was a beautiful, private, walled garden which, thanks to the continued October sunshine, we were able to make full use of.
Attached to the kitchen was a large conservatory that overlooked the garden.
The conservatory was such a lovely space we spent all our time there, never once stepping foot into the living room!
This is not a bad thing as experience tells us, the more rooms you use, the more cleaning to do on departure!
The Pet
Tizzy is a ten-year-old cocker spaniel and was a joy to spend time with.
Being a spaniel, she needed plenty of exercise. We have no idea what she was like when she was younger, but at ten she was still full of energy!
Luckily for her, and us, she was great on and off her leash.
This is ideal for energetic dogs as the amount of exercise a dog gets running around off leash is infinitely more than one that has to be walked at our pace, on leash.
At home, she was like a different dog. Totally calm, and happiest when in her bed having a snooze.
The Area
The house we stayed in was amazing, but more so was the location!
I am not saying the area was posh but we had the English model David Gandy as a neighbour!
From our doorstep, we were a two-minute walk to the gates of Richmond Park, which is one of London’s ten Royal Parks.
Richmond Park is more than ‘just’ a park, it is a National Nature Reserve.
It is London’s largest Royal Park and also the largest urban park in Europe.
The park was created by Charles I in 1637 and was initially designed as a deer park for royal hunting.
To this day there are still herds of wild red and fallow deer roaming freely across the park.
You are sharing the park with the deer so often find yourself very close to them.
However common sense is essential, especially during the autumn which is the mating season and the males can become very territorial.
Whether walking, jogging, cycling, or horseback riding, Richmond Park is a great place to spend time.
We made full use of the park during our stay visiting every day and I still think we only scratched the surface of what it has to offer!
October House Sit Number Four
It was now the 23rd of October, and with a flight from Gatwick airport to catch on the 28th, we had one more house sit to squeeze in.
To finish the month off we headed to Honor Oak, a suburb of southeast London which overlaps Lewisham and Southwark.
The Home
The home was clean and comfortable, semi-detached and had a good-sized garden.
The main bedroom had a full-length, floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the park which was a nice view to wake up to.
Once again we were lucky enough to be staying in a house that was directly next door to a park.
Granted, this park was not as grand as Richmond Park, but it had great views over London and a minivan permanently parked selling great coffee and cakes.
What more could anyone ask for?
Not forgetting, green space of any size is always really useful to have when looking after a dog that needs walking.
The Pet
The dog on this occasion was Willow, a cockerpoo.
Willow was no trouble at all. As long as she had a couple of walks a day and the odd game of tug-a-war, she was more than happy to spend the rest of the day sleeping in her bed.
The Area
Honor Oak was a relatively leafy area with enough independent shops, cafes, and restaurants to give it a local village feel.
Importantly, from the train station here, we could get to Gatwick Airport in an hour, which was the main reason we chose this as our final sit of the month.
The main attraction of Honor Oak Park, is the small, 300ft tall nature reserve,
I have to say the name of this nature reserve is a tad misleading. One Tree Hill doesn’t only have one tree, it is covered with hundreds of trees.
However, the tree that gives this nature reserve its name stands at the summit and has been given the name ‘The Oak of Honor.’
The tree currently at the summit, protected by a metal fence, was planted in 1905 and is the third to bear the name.
The second was struck by lightning in the 1880’s and no one seems to know what happened to the original.
Legend has it that the tree earned its name because, in 1602, Queen Elizabeth picnicked under it while on her way to nearby Lewisham.
The story goes that she got drunk during her picnic and in her drunken state, decided to knight the tree, giving it the Royal title of ‘Honor.’
The climb to the top of the hill is not too strenuous and the views you are treated to at the top, with many landmarks of Central London easily visible from here, make the climb well worthwhile
Who knew one of the best views over London is to be found on this little-known hill in Honor Oak Park?
Where Next?
After enduring last year’s awful UK winter, this year we have decided to spend as much of the winter as possible somewhere warmer.
Where exactly we are not yet sure but to start us off, for the month of November, we are very excited to have booked one, five-week house sit on the island of Corfu in Greece!
More on that next time.
Until then, as always, thanks for taking the time to read our blog – I am eventually catching up with real-time, Hurray!!
Hugs, Colin & Karyo xx
