Thames Challenge

Thames Barrier – Start Point

Thames Head - End Point

Most attempts to walk the Thames start at the Source and end at the Barrier, but as I had originally intended to paddle down it, I wanted to make it a round trip by walking up and then paddling down the Thames.

So I looked at a few websites to get an idea of the challenge and you will find links to some on the home page. The Thames  is 184 Miles long and has a climb of 180 meters over the length of the Path. The Thames is the longest river which is entirely in England, and the second longest river in the United Kingdom.

I intend to stay at Bed and Breakfasts whilst in the London area, but once out of “The Smoke” I intend to ‘wing it’  in true GR!Z style. That means sleeping in my hammock strung between two trees, under a tarp wherever I feel I may get away with it. I have also packed a small thermarest mattress incase I have to sleep on the ground because there are no trees. My Back Pack is approximately 15 Kg due to having to carry kit for the whole 16 days so I am a little worried about the distance I can cover in a day, but if I have problems with my back then I will have to use Bed and Breakfasts occasionally I guess.