Walking the Thames – 14 days and 300 kilometers

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My friend James and I found our way and were greeted by a cheerful man.

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“Where are you going?” she asked. To Lechlade, we replied. “That’s ambitious,” she offered.

What I didn’t know was that our ambitions were bigger than an 18km trek through the English countryside. This was the second day of a 14-day, 300km trek from the headwaters of the River Thames to the flood barrier, east of London.

The day before, we had passed through Trewsbury Mead, a grassy meadow on the edge of England’s famous Cotswolds. Here a stone slab marks the beginning of the Thames, although most of the year this spring is dry, as it was for us. As we left, I smiled with amusement because it took me just over an hour by train to get here from London, and now it would take two weeks to walk back.

The Thames Path connects historic towns and cities, before flowing through one of the world’s great cities. It largely follows the river and is one of several National Trails in Britain. Most people complete sections of the trail over time, while an ambitious few do it all at once. The beauty of the Thames Path is that you can make your own adventure that suits your schedule and stamina.

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As the Thames is a lazy meandering river, the route is relatively flat (just one big hill to tackle) and we met walkers of all ages. With convenient train and bus options, getting most of the way is easy. We also took advantage of a service that transferred our bags from posada to posada.

Not long after leaving Trewsbury Mead, we came across a small pool of water pouring out of the ground. It was as if someone had left the tap running. I admit some excitement at seeing the beginnings of this famous river.

It was here that we met Chris. He was also walking along the river. The three of us stayed in quiet reflection. His pilgrimage to the Thames was driven by grief, as his wife recently died of cancer.

We all had our own reasons for being there. I knelt down, took some water in my hand and let it run down my forehead. It was a kind of baptism. We walked with Chris all day and, like the river we were following, the conversation flowed seamlessly from topic to topic.

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Our first overnight stop was the village of Cricklade, which calls itself “the first village on the Thames”. At 12^the 20th century St. Sampson’s Church, we saw a headstone in the churchyard dating back to 1691. And a pub along Cricklade High Street opened when the first Elizabeth was queen in the late 16th century.

Leaving Cricklade the next day, we stopped to talk to Geoff, who lived in town and looked to be in his nineties. To our untrained eye, the field we were walking through looked like any field of grass. Geoff gave us a history lesson by pointing out the shape of the field and the little creases in the ground. Turns out we were crossing a farm from the early medieval period when peasants were given narrow strips of land.

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The first few days of the Thames Route are relatively remote and rural, such as when we arrived in Newbridge at the end of our third day. There is an inn and two pubs. And a bridge that is not so new. Newbridge Bridge was built in the 1200s and is the oldest bridge to cross the Thames.

Every day, we were greeted by a symphony of birds. Perhaps, encouraging each of our steps. And as we walked through the heart of historic Oxford, with its staggeringly ornate buildings and busy streets, and passed under Britain’s busiest motorway, the M25, the path stays pleasantly away from urban settings for the most part. . Even in the western parts of London, the trail is a dirt track covered in lush trees.

Although sometimes my feet longed to rest, my spirit did not tire. An adventure like this is never about the destination, it’s about the journey. And walking gave us the opportunity to meet people that we would not otherwise have. Whether it was other walkers, the people who live on the many narrow river boats, or those in the towns and cities on our route, the trip was made even more special by meeting them.

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We met Jules and her young daughter in a small park near Wallingford. What started as small talk led Jules to offer his canoe so that James, an avid canoeist, could paddle downriver for a couple of hours. I continued up the trail on foot and Jules met us later where we agreed to take the canoe out.

Abingdon, Goring, Shiplake, Marlow, Henley and Windsor – these are just a few of the towns along the river, each with its own unique character. By the time the Thames reaches London and passes under Hammersmith, Blackfriars and Tower Bridge amongst others, it has shaken off its meanders. Now he is mature and majestic.

On our last day, we enjoy walking around London’s iconic sights: Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. We even walked under the river in a pedestrian tunnel, where we came out in Greenwich.

Further on, the road cut through industrial London, and as we rounded the O2 stadium, I could see our end: the huge metal pillars of the Thames Barrier, designed to protect London from flooding. At the barrier there is a long concrete wall engraved with the names of the towns and cities we passed through.

I walked slowly along the wall, reflecting on the 14 days and 300 kilometers it took to get from that quiet meadow in the Cotswolds to one of the world’s great cities.