There is nothing I love more than a potter along the Thames in East Molesey, just opposite Hampton Court Palace. Walking along Church Road and then Grabum Way one can reach a small path that follows the river and leads you towards the Palace.

At the end of the path some uneven steps take you up to a couple of streets lined with cafés and small independent shops. There are some nice antiques shops to mooch around, but my favourite place to head to is Creative Quilting. As the name suggests, this tiny shop is packed full of beautiful materials, buttons, craft books and accessories to get your creating juices flowing. The owner is very friendly and I usually spend hours browsing through the lovely fabrics. I always leave having spent quite a few pounds too!

While I’m in the area I also never miss the chance to pop into the superb Royal School of Needlework Shop at Hampton Court Palace – heaven for anyone passionate about embroidery. It’s located at the back of the Palace, so is easily missed but well worth hunting down.

Photo courtesy of AuntieP on Flickr