My Challenge | My Thames Walks 2024

Sea to Source Challenge 2024

I have decided that for my 2024 challenge I will aim to walk the 232 miles from Grain to the Source of the Thames in 11 stages. This will be 3 stages less than in 2023.

I started my challenge on June 6th 2024 and completed it on July 18th. As hoped for I reached the source in 11 stages.

I've decided that I'll now stop writing a blow-by-blow account of each walk, since I've done this 4 times already and let's face it, the path and its landscape hasn't changed greatly since I started in 2020. However, I'll carry on posting photos of the remainder of my 2024 walks.

In fact since completing this challenge in 2024, in 2025 I also walked from Source to Sea in 12 stages. That's 6 times I've completed the trail; enough is enough now I think!

Stage 1 - Grain to Gravesend - 6th June 2024

The England Coast Path (or rather King Charles III England Coast Path as it’s now called) section of the Thames Path is officially 47 miles in length. This section starts/ends at Grain Beach on the Isle of Grain. In 2022 and 2023 I broke the 47 miles down into 3 stages – Grain to Cliffe, Cliffe to Greenhithe and Greenhithe to Woolwich. Grain and Cliffe are relatively isolated with each served by a bus service to/from the Medway towns. These bus services make Cliffe a good pla

Stage 2 - Gravesend to Erith - 7th June 2024

I checked out of the Gillingham Premier Inn but left my luggage there. I’d collect this later in the day after my walk. My hope today would be to reach Woolwich but I knew I probably wouldn’t make it that far because at the end of the walk I’d have to get back to the Premier Inn to pick up my luggage and then get home to Northamptonshire. Anyway, after another early breakfast I walked to Gillingham Station and caught a train to Gravesend. It was another cracking morning with

Stage 3 - Erith to Vauxhall Bridge - 9th June 2024

To get back to Erith to start today’s walk, I caught the Elizabeth Line at Farringdon to the end of the line at Abbey Wood. I then got a bus into Erith to rejoin the path where I’d left off 2 days earlier. Today’s walk would take in the last few miles of the England Coast Path as far as the Woolwich Foot Tunnel and then the Thames Path 'proper' would take over taking me past the Thames Barrier, Greenwich, the City and through Central London to Vauxhall. The path to Woolwich i

Stage 4 - Vauxhall Bridge to Teddington Lock - 4th July 2024

Setting off from Vauxhall Bridge 4th stage of my Thames Sea to Source 2024 challenge. This time 18 miles from Vauxhall to Teddington Lock which marks the end of the tidal Thames. The walk takes in 20 bridges if you include Vauxhall & count Teddington Lock as 2 (there are 2 separate bridges). The Thames Path goes past the entrances to both Kew Gardens & National Trust Ham House – great for coffee & cake stops if you have memberships to either or both. I chose to stop at Ham Ho

Stage 5 - Teddington Lock to Windsor - 17th June 2024

Setting off from Teddington Lock 5th stage of my Thames Sea to Source 2024 challenge on an absolutely belting day. This time 25.49 miles from Teddington Lock to Windsor and Eton Bridge. I don't know what was wrong with my camera but the colours were all over the place today. Refurbishment works going on at Teddington Looking downstream from Teddington Teddington Lock & Weirs Duck enjoying the early morning sunshine Kingston Bridge which the Thames Path crosses over Looking up

Stage 6 - Windsor to Henley - 7th May 2024

Setting off from Windsor & Eton Bridge 6th stage of my Thames Sea to Source 2024 challenge on yet another belting day. This time 23.79 miles from Windsor and Eton Bridge to Hanley via the Temple Bridge Closure diversion in Marlow. I did this walk out of sequence in May. It's probably my favourite stage. The Brocas - a large meadow on the Eton side of the river Looking upstream from the Brocas This is as much of Dorney Lake as you can see without leaving the path Dorney Lake D