Thames Path

Thames Path

A scenic walk following the development of the River Thames from a stream in Kemble all the way to the sea.

5 to 23 nights
88-192 miles
Easy / Moderate to Strenuous

From £730 per person

Find your holiday

About the trail

The Thames Path National Trail follows the second longest river in Great Britain from its source in the Cotswolds to Woolwich and the Thames Barrier where it meets the sea, taking in a wealth of beautiful and varied sights along the way.

The walk features a mixture of river banks, fields, woodlands and charming settlements as it journeys through the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, before winding towards the iconic capital city of London. With a unique mix of rural landscapes and urban stretches, complimented by a wide range of amazing scenery, fascinating history and intriguing architecture, a walking holiday along the Thames Path offers interesting attractions to appeal to every walker.

Your overnight stops along this trail will more commonly be pubs and inns rather than B&Bs.

We offer multiple holiday options along this trail. If you wish to experience the entire trail, simply select the first option from the list below.

Choose your route

  • Thames Path
  • This route includes dog friendly tour options Thames Path - East Section
  • Thames Path - West Section

Dog friendly tours available

Dogs are welcome on select routes along this trail. Look for the pawprint icon when choosing your holiday.

About this route

6 to 13 nights
105 miles
Easy / Moderate to Strenuous
2nd January to 24th December
Includes Dog-Friendly Tours

From £1000 per person

Thames Path - East Section

The east section of the Thames Path begins in Goring and winds through Windsor into the heart of London, where it concludes in Woolwich. The scenery is diverse and beautiful, passing lush meadows, quiet woodland and peaceful riverbanks interspersed with urban stretches of great architecture and history.

This section of the Thames Path is novel in that, in places, walkers may choose which bank of the river to walk along, with plenty of bridges allowing the river to be crossed as required. The trails on each side of the river boast their own unique sights and intrigue, offering a special sense of discovery to enjoy along the way.

Your overnight stops along this trail will more commonly be pubs and inns rather than B&Bs.

Available tours

Code Tour Duration Difficulty Price per person
TPE0 From Goring to Woolwich 6 nights, 5 days walking Strenuous £1000
TPE1 From Goring to Woolwich 7 nights, 6 days walking Demanding / Strenuous £1160
TPE2 From Goring to Woolwich 8 nights, 7 days walking Moderate / Demanding £1325
TPE3 From Goring to Woolwich 9 nights, 8 days walking Moderate / Demanding £1480
TPE4 From Goring to Woolwich 11 nights, 10 days walking Moderate £1810
TPE5 From Goring to Woolwich 12 nights, 11 days walking Moderate £1975
TPE6 From Goring to Woolwich 13 nights, 12 days walking Easy / Moderate £2130

Thames Path - East Section 6 nights, 5 days walking

£NNN per person
  • Itinerary
  • What's included?
  • Extra nights?
  • Tour facts
  • Route profile
  • Travel info
  • Weather
  • Holiday Highlights

Important information

Due to the higher cost of accommodation in London and in order to keep the overall cost of this holiday down, for the overnight stops at Vauxhall Bridge and Woolwich you will be booked into 2 or 3 star standard chain accommodation. If you would prefer to stay in better quality accommodation, please advise this when booking. There will be an upgrade supplement for an accommodation upgrade in these two locations. 

Instructions are provided to travel via the London Underground from the end of the trail at Woolwich to your accommodation. The cost of this is not included in the cost of your tour.

Start

Travel to Goring where your first night's accommodation will be booked

Day 1

Goring to Henley-on-Thames(L). 21.5 miles (34.5km)

Day 2

Henley-on-Thames(L) to Windsor. 23.5 miles (37.5km)

Day 3

Windsor to Hampton Court(L). 21 miles (33.5km)

Day 4

Hampton Court(L) to Putney. 17 miles (27.5km)

Day 5

Putney to Woolwich. 21 miles (34km)

Finish

Depart from Woolwich after breakfast

Your Itinerary

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this tour. Sometimes there may be a shortage of available accommodation in a preferred location, in which case we will transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back again at no extra charge. Overnight stops marked with a (T) will always require transfers as standard.

Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends. We will use non-transfer accommodation wherever possible.

The daily mileages quoted are average trail miles only and do not include the distance from the trail to your accommodation. We do not expect you to have to travel more than a mile from the trail to your accommodation in most cases; should your accommodation be further than this, transfers will be provided as standard if practical. A very limited number of stops will require you to travel on foot up to two miles off the trail, however these instances will be clearly communicated to you if applicable.

Further transfers may also be required due to some accommodations having a two-night minimum booking policy, especially at weekends.

Below are the additional costs that may apply depending on your requirements. Dog-friendly tours are subject to a Daily Dog Charge, which will be listed below if applicable. Our standard prices per person are based upon two people sharing a room; if you are on your own, or are part of a group but require a room of your own, then the Solo Traveller or Single Supplements apply respectively:

A note about transfers
Solo Traveller Supplement
(please ring for prices)
Single Supplement
£60.00 per person / per night

Due to the high costs incurred by booking a Solo Traveller on this trail, we can only provide prices on application. Please contact us for further details.



You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Extra night (Standard)
£65.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Henley-on-Thames(L))
£75.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Putney)
£75.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Woolwich)
£75.00 per person / per night
Standard
Interactive
© Contours Walking Holidays Thames Path - East Section map
Goring to the Woolwich, London
105 miles (167 km)
2nd January to 24th December

Holiday highlights

Encountering fascinating glimpses into British History, including the site of the signing of the Magna Carta and the capital city of London.

Being free to choose your own route by using the historical Thames bridges to cross between the North and South banks.

Passing through Lambeth and visiting its many iconic landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.

What's included?

  • 6 nights' accommodation in en-suite rooms (where available) in selected B&B’s, hotels, inns and guesthouses along the trail, or a short distance away via taxi provided at our expense.
  • Breakfast each day.
  • Door to door luggage transfer.
  • Maps with the route marked on and a guidebook or route notes describing the trail.
  • An information pack containing an itinerary, instructions on how to find your accommodation each night and a kit list.
  • Detailed travel instructions on how to get to the start of your holiday and back from the end of it.

Extra Nights & Rest Days

Adding an extra night into your holiday allows you a full day to explore a location of your choice at leisure; The Thames Path East boasts many wonderful rest points along the trail, each with their own array of exciting things to see and do.

Richmond takes great pride in its historical buildings and architecture, including Hampton Court Palace, Kew Palace and Chiswick House. Richmond also has many wonderful museums, galleries and theatres to explore, as well as being a stone?s throw away from The Royal Botanic gardens at Kew, which contains the world?s largest collection of living plants.

London is a great location to celebrate the completion of your walk. Highlights of the city include Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Tate Modern Gallery, St Paul's Cathedral and Big Ben. You can see all of this and much more either by taking an open-top sightseeing bus tour, catching a boat down the River Thames or even getting on the London eye for a birds-eye view of this amazing city.

You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Extra night (Standard)
£65.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Henley-on-Thames(L))
£75.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Putney)
£75.00 per person / per night
Extra night (Woolwich)
£75.00 per person / per night

Tour Facts

Total distance: 104.5 miles (167 km)
Duration: 6 nights, 5 days walking
Minimum daily distance: 17 miles (27.5 km)
Maximum daily distance: 23.5 miles (37.5 km)
Code: TPE0 Grade: Strenuous
Season: 2nd January - 24th December
Start of holiday: Goring
End of holiday: Woolwich

Route Profile

Thames Path - East Section Route Profile

Travel Information

Useful information and travel links that will assist you in your plans to travel to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent to you with your full tour pack. A summary is given below:

By Air - The most convenient major city and international airports are London Heathrow and London Gatwick.

By Rail - There is a rail station at the start of the trail (Goring & Streatley). The nearest rail stations to the end of the trail (Thames Barrier) are either Woolwich Dockyard (about 1.5 miles away) or Charlton (about 1.5 miles away).

By Bus - Various bus services run to Goring and from London (Thames Barrier), as well as the London Underground, which is more widely used (which is best will depend on the exact location of your accommodation).

From London - Trains run from London Paddington station to Goring.

Return To The Start - The easiest way to return to the start of the trail, is to take the underground train to London Paddington station. From there trains run to Goring & Streatley station.

Weather Information

To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:

  • MetCheck - This website allows you to look up detailed weather information for specific locations as far as six months in advance.
  • Met Office - This website shows regional area forecasts a few days in advance, with a general UK forecast description of up to 30 days in advance.
  • Mountain Forecast - This website shows what the forecast is like up on specific hills and fells, and offers forecasts a few days in advance.