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The Kennet Canal through Reading |
Happy New Year. We hope 2026 will bring you plenty of walking.
So far it has been a typical January with plenty of rain, completely unlike last year where we had an exceedingly dry winter. The paths are either awash or very muddy. But this is normal so no need to be alarmed that it might still be wet come the spring. On a happier note the first snow drops are out and the days are definitely getting longer.
Our big news this month is the launch of The Great West Way Walk. To be clear, The Great West Way isn’t a national trail. Nor is it a fixed walking route. In fact, it’s not even solely for walkers. The Great West Way refers to any journey taken between the two cities of London and Bristol, whether by car, rail, road, bike, boat or, of course, foot. We have become an Ambassador of The Great West Way organisation. We’re fairly sure that we’re the only walking holiday company to offer this.
Our Great West Way Walk utilises the Kennet & Avon Canal and the Thames Path providing a 178 mile walk. Down the line we might look at providing an option which includes the western section of The Ridgeway. You can find out more information on our Walking.Holiday website.
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Bradford on Avon: The Great West Way |
Winter Webinars
All our Thames Path webinars have been pre-recorded and are now online. The Ridgeway, Kennet & Avon Canal and St James’ Way are also online here at Walking.Holiday Our Overview webinars are all free but you need to register for them. If you’ve booked a package with us then you should have received a link from Zoom to access the relevant webinars. If you haven’t received a link then let us know.
There are one or two folks who contacted us experiencing trouble accessing the webinars. And we don’t know if there are others who could not access but did not tell us. So, if you have received a link, please let us know one way or the other.
We might do a set of Q&A webinars in late February: one for each trail. So stay tuned for that.
Thames Path Route News
As of Thursday there was significant flooding in the upper stretches of the Thames at Waterhay and North Meadow; Cricklade to Castle Eaton; and at Shifford. No major flooding issues were spotted downstream from Newbridge except around Clifton Hampden. However, water levels are high and there will be isolated patches of standing water here and there. The outlook is not good as the river continues to rise, swelled by recent rainfall. Further rain is predicted so we should expect widespread flooding within the next few days.
A long-standing diversion has been lifted in London. It’s at Bazalgette Embankment which sits on the left bank of the Thames just before Blackfriars Bridge and was closed due to construction of the London Supersewer. The diversion never really had much impact. At this point on the Thames Path most prefer walking on the right bank with views of St Paul’s across the river. And the diversion didn’t create any extra distance as, from memory, you crossed the road and carried on walking the 200m to Blackfriars. Still, it’s good that it’s complete. May 2026 bring us fewer diversions!
As always, all of these are listed our route alerts page on the website. as well as our flood alerts page.
Long-standing diversions:
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.
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Shillingford – not yet underwater! |
Other Thames Path News
We’ve taken time this month to recalibrate the distances on our website and our route planner. Specifically we’ve changed the distances for two impacts:
1. A couple of years ago a new riverside path opened up at Shiplake and the official route now goes round a big loop instead of, as it did previously, making a bee-line for Shiplake. This added an extra mile. It’s created some confusion because the Ordnance Survey does not reflect this. Also, although the signs have changed for the longer route, the Thames Path National Trail never adjusted it’s official length.
2. We’ve reluctantly concluded that the Shiplake to Henley diversion will be with us for some time so we’ve reflected that extra distance which is 1.3 miles.
So, our new official distance is, after some rounding, 183 miles. The National Trail Office has it at 185.2 which is based on their previous official distance of 184 plus the extra 1.2 miles from Thames Barrier to Woolwich. However, there has always been a sign at the Thames Barrier stating the distance to the Source was 180 miles. Whatever the right number is, you will undoubtedly walk further as the various apps, like Strava, prove.
It’s possible that access to Odney Weir, Cookham may soon open up. The weir is not on the Thames Path which briefly leaves the river at Cookham, rejoining it past Cookham Lock via Mill Lane. However, there is a public right of way to the weir from the village. The lock sits across the weir on an island. The Environment Agency closed the weir after two men died in the water in 2020. New railings have been put up to mitigate the risk.
Incidentally, the Odney Club, which you must pass to access the weir, is a private members club owned by the John Lewis Partnership. The club recently faced criticism over “unacceptable” noise levels.
The Dog and Badger at Medmenham has re-opened. This pub has been closed for some years following some structural issues with the car park. Although it’s on the “wrong” side of the river, lying roughly opposite Hurley, it is on our alternative route to avoid the Temple diversion. Unfortunately it’s being turned into a fashionable Italian restaurant and its new name will be The Dog & Badger by Amarone. There’s no indication of any rooms being opened up.
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The official route now follows the riverside to Lashbrook adding an extra mile. The Thames Path is represented by the green diamonds and incorrectly follows the direct route to Shiplake. |
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Chiltern Way- South
So we’re just about finished with our research. We have about 4 miles still to walk – which happens to be the last 4 miles of this 50 mile route. The walk is up on our website and we’re now open for bookings.
To be honest, this has been the most enjoyable walk we’ve done for this platform. This month we covered a section through Stonor Park, through Maidensgrove and down to Nettlebed, all on day 3. Stonor Park, magnificent in its own right, is home to history. Edmund Campion, an English Jesuit priest in the 16th century, wrote a pamphlet, Ten Reasons, printed at Stonor which led to his arrest and subsequent martyrdom. Edmund Campion is now designated as a saint.
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Passing Stonor Park on the Chiltern Way |
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And finally....
We will be taking our customary visit to the east in search of sun and warm weather. Don’t worry. Lara will be manning the office and we will be working remotely. But don’t be surprised if you receive emails at odd times.
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