Thames Path National Trail

About

The Thames Path National Trail is a wonderful way to explore the River Thames. 

This long distance walking route starts at the source of the river in a field in the Cotswolds and follows the banks of the Thames for 185.2 miles (298km) through several rural counties before entering the City of London and finishing finishing in Woolwich just a few miles from the sea. On its way the Trail passes through peaceful water meadows rich in wildlife, historic towns and cities such as Oxford, Reading, Henley, Marlow and Windsor, many lovely villages and some of the best known landmarks of London.

The Thames Path is a gentle Trail, able to be walked by people of all ages and abilities. This National Trail can be enjoyed in many ways, whether for an afternoon's stroll, a weekend's break or a full scale, but relatively gentle, trek of its whole length.  To walk the whole trail, using roughly 15 miles/24 Km a day as an average daily walking distance, the Trail can be completed in 14 days allowing for a couple of days’ rest.

To help you plan your walks, there are distance charts for sections of the walk from the source to Teddington and between London bridges. You can also download a copy of the Thames Path National Trail leaflet or find out more about circular and linear walks with 14 routes to choose from and leaflets and maps to download.

Take a look at the Visit Thames Walking Along the Thames Path National Trail section for linear and circular walks

On 12th January 2022 the England Coast Path from Grain to Woolwich was officially opened at the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, 1.2 miles east of the Thames Barrier. It connects with the Thames Path National Trail there to create a continuous ‘Source to Sea’ National Trail along the length of the River Thames from the Cotswolds to the North Sea. The entire ‘Source to Sea’ trail is 232 miles (374 km) following the south bank of the River Thames in London. In total the Thames Path National Trail is now 185.2miles (298 km) from the source of the River Thames to Woolwich. For a video overview on The Thames Path and England Coast Path – Source to Sea – visit this link.

 

Thames Path Paws Walks

The Thames Path is a great place for dog friendly walks with picturesque scenery and some dog-welcoming pubs along the routes. The reduction of stiles has helped to make the routes much more accessible for your canine friend and with plenty of opportunities for swimming, paddling and running around, the walks get the WOOF WOOF seal of approval.

Suggested walks:

Cookham – walk along the Thames Path at Cookham through scenic water meadows. Watch out for the cattle along some parts. Parking is available and choice of dog-friendly pubs.

Geocaching

Geocaching is a free, fun way to explore new places or to take a different look at places you already know. It’s a bit like a high-tech treasure hunt that anyone can join. There are lots of geocaches along the Thames Path and geocache trails for everyone, no matter how far you want to walk. If you have an account with geocaching.com (it's free to sign up) then you can find out more about the Thames Patch geocache trails.

Volunteers

Why not get involved yourself and volunteer. Volunteers are essential to maintaining the quality experience of the Thames Path. The National Trails team will work with you on clearing the paths, signage, gates and bridges on weekdays and occasional weekends. Tools and training are provided. ‘Monitors’ are also required to walk a 2-3 mile section of the trail every month and reporting any problems. You can adopt your own section.

If you’d like to become a National Trail Volunteer send an email: NT.volunteers@oxfordshire.gov.uk 

Read what the Evening Standard recommends for the Thames this autumn.

Enjoy the Thames Path… Help us maintain it with a donation.