7th Tick - Visit Eel Pie Island in Twickenham

While living in London, I heard about this place and decided I had to visit. The problem is, Eel Pie Island is a private island accessible only via a footbridge, and is only open to visitors a few day throughout the year.  The island got its name from the pies baked using locally caught eels and served by the island’s residents to passing river traders - sounds delicious. Or not. Sounds more like a place invented by a slightly nutty children’s book author who got distracted halfway through lunch.

Now, it’s a mysterious place home to artists and hippy types. So on a chilly Saturday, we found ourselves in Twickenham and decided to cross the footbridge and investigate. Now I thought this was highly illegal, but Rob assured me that it was fine - just pretend you belong. With the majority of people at the pub preparing for a rugby match by getting drunk, he was right, nobody gave us a second look. No guards came running out with spears, the artists did not throw paint at us and the mythical eels did not wrap themselves around us and drag us down into the murky depths of the Thames. Nothing happened. Zilch. Nada. 

We walked across the bridge, wandered down the pathway, took a few pics and returned. That was it. The whole island feels like it’s run by a council of eccentric wizards who specialise in pottery and mild chaos.

And you know what? Despite the name, there are shockingly few pies and no eels were spotted. This is suspicious.