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THE THAMES

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Walk

THE THAMES

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Walk

THE THAMES

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Thames Path News Round-Up
October 31, 2025
Great Chalk Wood, on the Southern Extension of the Chiltern Way

Thank you all

October is now behind us as is our walking season. We would like to take a moment to thank all our wonderful walkers. We moved a record 3,900 bags this year and, aside from a handful of late deliveries, everyone received their bags on time. 

After yet another dry month in October, November has brought some rain and the paths are becoming quite muddy. If previous years are anything to go by we should expect some flooding between now and April. You may recall that we had a project to write a guidebook on how to walk the Thames Path when in flood. We have now completed that (good job we didn’t need it during the season) and it’s now at the printers. Although we’re not expecting delivery for a further 2 weeks, nonetheless we’ve posted it on our shop. It’s quite a short print run and some copies are due to those who have contributed, So you might want to get your order in now. All orders will be shipped in the first week of December.

“No Wellies Required : How to Walk a Flooded Thames Path” includes suggestions as to how to avoid this flood spot.
Winter Webinars

We mentioned last month that we were planning on a slightly different approach to our winter webinars. And we’ve now pretty much decided how it will work. These will all be pre-recorded and available on Zoom. All our “overview” webinars, including The Ridgeway and the Camino Ingles/St James’ Way, will be free but you will need to register with us to access them. You will also need to create a Zoom account to access. There will be a small charge for the detailed webinars we have on the four sections of the Thames Path, to help us cover the cost of the Zoom subscription, although these will be free to anyone who books a package with us. We haven’t prepared materials yet for the Kennet and Avon Canal but will endeavour to do so.
 
The Chiltern Way

Here’s an update on our plans for 2026. The Chiltern Way is officially 177 miles long – a lot for many to bite off in one go! It’s also a circular (or rather rectangular!) walk so there’s no obvious start and finish. Finally, there are a number of extensions which are marked as Chiltern Way but are offshoots from the rectangle. The 177 miles includes the extensions.

We’ve decided to tackle this project in stages by bringing you in 2026 what we will call the Chiltern Way- South. This starts in Marlow and ends in Ipsden, and includes the Southern Extension as it really adds to the quality of the walk. It’s the section closest to us and also, arguably, the nicest. So it makes sense to start here.

We’ve attempted to show the full Chiltern Way (in pink) on the map below as well as the Southern Extension (in black). Our proposed route will start at Marlow and follow the Chiltern Way and then the Extension, finishing close to Ewelme at the King William IV pub with a transfer to either Goring or Wallingford. This is a walk of 50 miles over 5 days covering some of the loveliest countryside in England. 
 
The Chiltern Way (red) plus Extension (black)

Thames Path Route News

We’re starting with some good news. The Path has re-opened between Richmond and Kew. This has been out of action for some time and meant walkers were diverted via Brentford, a route not without its challenges in view of the ongoing building developments.  That now leaves 4 “big” diversions: Benson, Shiplake to Henley, Temple and Runnymede.

On the Shiplake to Henley diversion, members of the Thames Path National Trail team were out last week replacing lost signs. And there has been some progress on the Temple diversion. Here, like most diversions, the wooden bridge is unsafe. The central section has now been removed and taken away for examination in order to determine the extent of the renovations.
 
As always, all of these are listed our route alerts page on the website. as well as our flood alerts page which is currently blank!

Long-standing diversions:

Sandford: A bridge over a tributary is deemed unsafe and has been temporarily closed whilst investigations are made. In the meantime, the Path has been diverted along Route 5 cycle path which runs alongside the railway. The Path is rejoined just past Sandford Lock.

Abingdon: As you approach Abingdon in a downstream direction, the Path switches from the right bank to the left bank via a walkway across the weir. Due to corrosion, this walkway has been closed and the Path re-routed via Abingdon town centre. 

The diversion to avoid the closed boardwalk at Marsh Lock Henley now starts at Shiplake and takes you briefly into the Chilterns. The diversion adds an extra 1.0 miles to the walk although feedback that we’ve received is that it feels much longer!  But, bear in mind that the distance from Shiplake to Henley is already 2.4 miles. So the diversion is therefore 3.4 miles in total.

The diversion at Temple Bridge is still in place following its closure. The diversion makes use of the lane running from Temple to Bisham and then a road with a pavement into Marlow

And damage to a bridge over a tributary has caused a diversion from just past the Runnymede Hotel to shortly before Staines. The diversion uses the A308 (pavements) returning the walker to the riverbank just before the bridge at Staines. The diversion replaces about 0.6  miles of the route with minimal added distance. The diversion is set to be in place until 2026. The signage for this diversion is not that obvious.  

The previously closed Thames Path at Richmond Lock

Other Thames Path News

Dorchester Abbey has agreed to be a stamping station. Whilst not directly on the Path, many walkers will pass by this lovely place. Once the stamp has been installed, we will add it to our list of stamping stations. 

We’ve added an itinerary to our Source to Oxford route. Previously we had an “easy” 5 day option for the 54 mile walk along with a “moderate” 4 day option. The first day of the 5 day option was a challenging 13 miles – although that included 1.5 miles of walking to the Source and back from the Thames Head Inn, which could be done the previous afternoon. Nonetheless, a number of walkers were put off by having the longest day on the first day. So we’ve broken the first day into two by including a stop at Ashton Keynes, almost exactly halfway. As there are no hotels in Ashton Keynes, we’ve paired up with an airbnb owner to bring you this option. Dinner can be found at the nearby White Hart. 

And we’ve made a handful of changes to some of our other itineraries:

All itineraries starting or finishing in Reading (Oxford to Reading and Reading to Staines) will now stay at Malmaison. This hotel is handy for the railway station and is considered to be the oldest railway hotel in the world!

We’ve rerouted our 3 day moderate Oxford to Reading walk. Previously this was a long day followed by two medium days with stops at Clifton Hampden, Goring and Reading. Now it will be a short day followed by two long days with stops at Abingdon, North Stoke and Reading. This has been brought on by concerns about the accommodation in Clifton Hampden.

Following the closure of the Kings Arms in Hampton Court, our Staines to Woolwich walks (easy and moderate) will stay at The Mitre. This will include tickets to the Palace and gardens which is a real “must-do”. Similarly the next day’s stop at the Coach and Horses Kew includes free tickets to Kew Gardens.

Finally, all our itineraries stopping at Tower Bridge (Staines to Woolwich Easy and Source to Woolwich Easy) will use the Tower Hotel and will include a room with a view!

A room with a view!

Camino Ingles/St James’ Way

Three “Mouteiras” are soon to be unveiled. These are the large stones, a little like trig points, that mark the Camino and anyone walking the more established Camino routes will be familiar with. The three will be in Reading (the start), Winchester and Southampton (the end). The Mouteiras have been donated by the Galician Government in Spain. We have been kindly invited to attend the official unveiling and blessing of the Mouteira in Reading, which will take place next week. The significance of Winchester, apart from its history, is that the distance on the St James’ Way to Southampton and then from A Coruna to Santiago de Compostela is 100km, which is the minumum distance to qualify for a certificate.

Kennet and Avon Canal Walk 

We were sad to hear the passing this month of actress Prunella Scales. She and her husband Timothy West, who also passed away recently, were avid boaters and played a key role in the restoration of the canal. It’s worth remembering that the Canal, completed in 1810, had a short commercial life. The Great Western Railway opened in 1841 and the canal quickly fell into disuse. A century later a public campaign to restore the canal resulted in funding from various sources, both public and private. Both Prunella Scales and Timothy West were key participants in that campaign. By 2003 the canal was fully operational.

The Kennet and Avon Canal offers a recreational route for both walkers and boaters.

Ridgeway News

For anyone planning on walking on The Ridgeway in the next few days, please be aware that sheep are grazing around Ivinghoe Beacon and Pitstone Hill. This is a necessary part of managing the grassland. Dog walkers: please be aware; also, drivers as the sheep could be in car parks and on roads.

The Well Guest House in Ogbourne St George has now moved on to a 4 day week. As presently the only accommodation in the village we have had to amend our itineraries. Anyone starting in Avebury on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday will stay at the Castle and Ball at Marlborough instead. There is an hourly bus service to Marlborough from Southend which lies a half mile south of Ogbourne St George and literally on The Ridgeway! The 3 mile bus journey takes 9 minutes. In the morning, you are welcome to take the return bus; or we can give you a lift back as we will be collecting your bags first thing. 

Also, we’re pleased to announce that the Swan at East Ilsley is under new management. We stopped using the Swan last year for a number of reasons. We wish the new management well. 

This newly re-opened Swan at East Ilsley
That’s all folks. See you on the trail!

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