13 Facts About Thames Path

Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London.

Thames Path uses the river towpath between Inglesham and Putney and available paths elsewhere.

Thames Path starts beside the monument for the traditional river source and follows the water down the hill towards the Fosse Way.

The path then follows the watercourse through the Cotswold Water Park to Ashton Keynes, where the water divides into a number of streams; the Thames Path partly follows one of these and rejoins the river by Waterhay Bridge.

Thames Path uses the existing Thames towpath between Inglesham and Putney Bridge wherever possible.

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The remainder of the navigation between Inglesham and Putney has an existing towpath; however, river crossings are now missing at the sites of 15 former ferries and one former lock, so the Thames Path makes 11 other diversions from the remaining towpath because of the lack of a river crossing at their original locations.

Walkers can visit the lengths of river navigation not on the Thames Path using the current towpath, except for two isolated sections of towpath not connected by any public path at either end.

Whitchurch Lock cutting was built through an island in the river and public access to the lock over the weir from Pangbourne or across the millstream at Whitchurch-on-Thames Path was closed in 1888 to avoid the loss of tolls on Whitchurch Bridge; as a consequence, Whitchurch is the only Thames Path lock that is inaccessible by foot – it is only accessible by boat.

Lock building by the Thames Path Commissioners had improved the whole river navigation from Inglesham to the upper limit of the tidal reach at Staines by 1789.

The Thames Path Conservancy was established in 1857 to take over duties from the City of London because of falling revenue from boat traffic; it took on the duties of the Thames Path Commissioners in 1866.

Provision for pleasure boating was now the main purpose, and although the Thames Conservancy rebuilt many locks, upgrading some from flash locks to pound locks, and made navigation and towpath improvements, it only built one completely new lock on the non-tidal Thames, at Shifford in 1898.

Thames Path steamers became more common for transport on the tidal Thames Path from 1815 until the railways dominated public transport.

The Thames Path Cycle Route is a black-signposted route that follows the river between Putney Bridge in the west and Greenwich in the east.