Walking the Thames Path

Not many people realise that there are beaches along the River Thames in Central London. Just small ones, but enough to be described as beaches. During the 18th century there were some popular bathing spots there too, such as by Tower Bridge which allowed family swimming until the early 1970s. And men were allowed to swim naked in the Thames within sight of Westminster up until 1815, when it was stopped for sanitary reasons.

Today it is one of the cleanest metropolitan rivers in the world, although most people wouldn’t choose to swim in it. What a lot of people want to do instead, however, is walk it. And with a national trail that runs the length of it, the Thames Path is one of England’s most magnificent long distance walking routes. Packed with history, and indeed swimming spots, at every turn.

Starting at the source, the river bed may actually be dry around Thames Head and the valley less pronounced but it widens out as you go along, taking you through small villages in the Cotswolds and Chilterns, historic towns such as Windsor and the ancient city of Oxford. Every day is different on the Thames Path. On a walking vacation, your expert tour operator will divide the route up into segments for you, book lovely beds for you to fall into at the end of the day and also recommend good eateries along the way – this is the most stress free way to follow the path.

The first town you pass through when walking from the Thames source is Cricklade, which is a typical Cotswolds Town with historic buildings made of pale Cotswolds limestone. The name ‘Cotswolds’ refers to a region of gently rolling hills where the highest elevation is 330m. It is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is a landscape full of history, where villages and small towns developed along the river, catering, in the main, for a wealth of sheep farmers. These include the market town of Lechlade-on-Thames, which has two bridges crossing the river. One of these is Halfpenny Bridge, so named because of the toll that was charged to cross it after it was built in 1792. Or Newbridge, which is now part of the larger and most lovely ‘wool’ market town of Whitney, and which has a beautiful, not-so-new, 13th-century bridge over the Thames, one of the oldest over the river. It has a pub on each end of the bridge, so good news all round.

Another thing to keep an eye out for in the Chilterns is the magnificent red kite, with over 600 breeding pairs in the area. The story of the Chilterns’ red kites is considered by many to be one of the UK’s greatest conservation success stories of the 20th century.

Reading is perhaps less beautiful than some of the Thames’ other urban spots, but it does have a fascinating history as the region’s leading manufacturing town. Either side of Reading are two beautiful small towns on the river: Goring and Marlow, both in the Chiltern Hills. The former, more a village, dates back to Roman times, has a stunning bridge over the river, a magnificent lock and 26 listed buildings. Its 11th century Church of St Thomas of Canterbury is beautiful, as is the Catherine Wheel pub which dates back to Elizabethan times.

The twisting turns of the Thames Path finally bring you into the London itself, stopping at some sublime spots on the outskirts. These include the Richmond, where the Royal Park is a must visit, as is the viewpoint over The Thames from Richmond Hill made famous by the painter JMW Turner. This view has, in fact, been protected by law, and is the only view in Britain to have been granted protection in this way, and is well worth the diversion from the river path. Another royal spot of note along the way is Greenwich, close to the end of the Thames Path (or beginning, depending on your direction), where views of the Thames can be taken in from the top of Royal Greenwich Park.