First steps on the Thames Path

Date: 1st January 2013
Route: Thames Path - Thames Barrier to Tower Bridge
Distance: 9 miles on Thames Path + 1 mile to and from path to stations

The start of a new year is always a good opportunity for setting some new walking challenges and the chance to test out some new routes. It's also usually the time of year when we are most motivated to dust off the cobwebs and walk off some of those Christmas calories!

Whilst we have walked various sections of the Thames Path over the course of the past few years, there are quite a few bits that we haven't walked, so when we received book vouchers for Christmas, the Cicerone Guide to the Thames Path, From the Sea to the Source, seemed like an obvious investment.

The path is 180 miles long in total, so it's a nice meaty distance to cover, and since the path runs alongside the Thames it's very easy to follow (the guidebook stayed in my bag for most of the day today). It's also a good walking surface (although we did encounter one big puddle today, as per the photo above, which we had to scramble up a muddy bank to avoid!). And of course, it's relatively flat, so not too strenuous.

The path officially begins at the Thames Barrier, which is a few minutes away from Charlton station (well served by trains from London Bridge). Whilst this section of the walk does go through a fair amount of industrial land, building sites and residential areas, it also passes a number of "sights", making a circuit around the O2 Arena (the building formerly known as the Millennium Dome), passing through Greenwich alongside the Royal Naval Academy and the restored Cutty Sark and finishing at Tower Bridge.

Along the way, the towers of Canary Wharf are a constant feature of the opposite bank for much of the route and there are quirkier sights to encounter, such as the colourful yarn-bombing on various railings, the Emirates-sponsored cable car across the river, the glass-topped buildings at either side of the foot tunnels under the river and the slightly odd statue of Peter The Great (accompanied by dwarf!), who lived in Deptford for a few months at the end of the 17th century.

Whilst circling around many riverside developments may feel a little repetitive at times, there is always something interesting around the corner, with plenty of reminders of the history of the working river. 9 miles down, 171 to go!