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The first stretch of the Thames Path is wonderfully remote and quiet right until you reach the centre of Oxford. Your journey starts near the village of Kemble, where the source of the River Thames lies in the middle of a meadow, beneath an ancient tree. You will most likely find that the spring is dry, especially in the summer, however, the river comes to life deep under ground. The first leg of the journey takes you through fields and picturesque Cotswolds villages as you follow the infant river. The highlights of this section will be the village of Kelmscott, the North Meadow near Cricklade with a dazzling display of wildflowers in spring, the Church of St John the Baptist in Inglesham, Old Father Thames at St John's Lock (the first lock on the river), and the dreaming spires of the city of Oxford.
This section of the Thames Path offers exhilarating walking as it follows a much more mature river, with colourful river boats, great loops, and numerous locks and weirs. The Path takes you through a mixture of landscapes. It passes through quiet countryside, beech woodlands, small hamlets full of historic interest as well as some urban centres. Highlights of the walk include the famous Christchurch Meadows, the Sandford Lasher (weir at Sandford lock), Clifton Hampden Bridge, Mapledurham Lock and corn mill, the River and Rowing Museum at Henley-on-Thames, the beautiful suspension bridge at Marlow, Goring Gap (dramatic valley carved by the river), the Cliveden Estate (especially colourful in autumn), and Windsor Castle.
The final stretch of the Thames between Windsor and the Thames Barrier is full of sites of historical and cultural interest waiting to be explored. How long you will need to walk this section will depend on how many of these you would like to visit. Once past Old Windsor and Runnymede Meadows (where the Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215), the Thames Path starts to showcase London at its best. Highlights of this last stretch of the Thames Path include the largest lock system on the river at Teddington, Hampton Court Palace, the majestic grandeur of Westminster, the spectacular view up to St Paul’s Cathedral from the Millennium Bridge, Greenwich Park, the Royal Observatory, and, of course, reaching the Thames Barrier is a fitting climax.
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DAY ONE
Arrive in Kemble.
DAY TWO
Kemble to Lechlade
23.25 miles/37.4 km
DAY THREE
Lechlade to Newbridge
16.75 miles/26.9 km
DAY FOUR
Newbridge to Oxford
14 miles/22.5 km
DAY FIVE
Oxford to Dorchester
18 miles/28.9 km
DAY SIX
Dorchester to Pangbourne
16.25 miles/26.1 km
DAY SEVEN
Pangbourne to Henley
16 miles/25.7 km
DAY EIGHT
Henley to Maidenhead
16.5 miles/26.5 km
DAY NINE
Maidenhead to Staines
15 miles/24.1 km
DAY TEN
Staines to Kingston
15.5 miles/24.9 km
DAY ELEVEN
Depart after breakfast.
DAY ONE
Arrive in Kemble.
DAY TWO
Kemble to Cricklade
12.25 miles/19.7 km
DAY THREE
Cricklade to Lechlade
11 miles/17.7 km
DAY FOUR
Lechlade to Newbridge
16.75 miles/26.9 km
DAY FIVE
Newbridge to Oxford
14 miles/22.5 km
DAY SIX
Oxford to Dorchester
18 miles/28.9 km
DAY SEVEN
Dorchester to Pangbourne
16.25 miles/26.1 km
DAY EIGHT
Pangbourne to Henley
16 miles/25.7 km
DAY NINE
Henley to Marlow
8.5 miles/13.6 km
DAY TEN
Marlow to Windsor
14.5 miles/23.3 km
DAY ELEVEN
Windsor to Shepperton
14 miles/22.5 km
DAY TWELVE
Shepperton to Kingston
10 miles/16 km
DAY THIRTEEN
Depart after breakfast.
DAY ONE
Arrive in Kemble.
DAY TWO
Kemble to Cricklade
12.25 miles/19.7 km
DAY THREE
Cricklade to Lechlade
11 miles/17.7 km
DAY FOUR
Lechlade to Tadpole Bridge
9.75 miles/15.6 km
DAY FIVE
Tadpole Bridge to Newbridge
7 miles/11.2 km
DAY SIX
Newbridge to Oxford
14 miles/22.5 km
DAY SEVEN
Oxford to Abingdon
9.75 miles/15.6 km
DAY EIGHT
Abingdon to Wallingford
13.5 miles/21.7 km
DAY NINE
Wallingford to Pangbourne
11 miles/17.7 km
DAY TEN
Pangbourne to Henley
16 miles/25.7 km
DAY ELEVEN
Henley to Marlow
8.5 miles/13.6 km
DAY TWELVE
Marlow to Windsor
14.5 miles/23.3 km
DAY THIRTEEN
Windsor to Chertsey
12 miles/19.3 km
DAY FOURTEEN
Chertsey to Kingston
12 miles/19.3 km
DAY FIFTEEN
Depart after breakfast.
DAY ONE
Arrive in Kemble.
DAY TWO
Kemble to Ashton Keynes
7 miles/11.2 km
DAY THREE
Ashton Keynes to Cricklade
5.25 miles/8.4 km
DAY FOUR
Cricklade to Lechlade
11 miles/17.7 km
DAY FIVE
Lechlade to Tadpole Bridge
9.75 miles/15.6 km
DAY SIX
Tadpole Bridge to Newbridge
7 miles/11.2 km
DAY SEVEN
Newbridge to Eynsham
7.5 miles/12 km
DAY EIGHT
Eynsham to Oxford
6.5 miles/10.4 km
DAY NINE
Oxford to Abingdon
9.75 miles/15.6 km
DAY TEN
Abingdon to Shillingford
10.25 miles/16.4 km
DAY ELEVEN
Shillingford to Goring and Streatley
10.25 miles/16.4 km
DAY TWELVE
Goring and Streatley to Caversham
11 miles/17.7 km
DAY THIRTEEN
Caversham to Henley
9 miles/14.4 km
DAY FOURTEEN
Henley to Marlow
8.5 miles/13.6 km
DAY FIFTEEN
Marlow to Maidenhead
7.75 miles/12.4 km
DAY SIXTEEN
Maidenhead to Windsor
6.5 miles/10.4 km
DAY SEVENTEEN
Windsor to Staines
8.5 miles/13.6 km
DAY EIGHTEEN
Staines to Shepperton
5.5 miles/8.8 km
DAY NINETEEN
Shepperton to Kingston
10 miles/16 km
DAY TWENTY
Depart after breakfast.
Many thanks for going above and beyond to make our time on the Thames Path and in the Cotswolds a great experience. Improvising on the Thames Path was an adventure and walking in the Cotswolds was magical! We have completed many guided walks over the past fifteen years but this was our first self-guided walk. Your directions made it easy!
Elizabeth and Russell A.
October 2024
My husband and I have just completed our walk on the Thames Path, making it all the way to the Barrier. I wanted to let you know that Cotswold Walks helped make this an easy journey. Everything was so seamless. We would leave our bags at the hotel and start out for the day. We never had problems with reservations and MYB had our bags waiting when we arrived at the next stop. On a side note MYB was really helpful when we made a few adjustments to our mileage on the days they were picking us up between hotels. A big shout out to them. Just one thing, on our last stop at the Queen’s Head in Kingston there was some mixup with the payment. But I had them call your office and things were taken care of. Just wanted to remind you so you won’t be charged twice. Thanks for all the support. I will certainly recommend your company to my friends and family.
Julia F.
August 2024
Yes, we had a wonderful holiday with you. Thanks to Adam's input we got a very good impression of the river Thames. We asked for a tailor made holiday and that was what we got, a few very beautiful stretches of the Thames path; a days walk near the source, some days in Oxford, so we walked to Oxford and from Oxford... 2 walks near Henley on Thames and a walk to Windsor. We can recommend it for walkers who don't want to, or do not have the time to do the whole path!
Rian V. Z.
May 2023
Cotswold Walks