Berkshire Walkers (20’s & 30’s Ramblers Group)

The Thames Path is a 182 mile National Trail stretching from London to Gloucestershire. This year, the group will aim to cover the whole trail from start to finish! This initial 5 part series will involve covering the “London” section of the Path from its start in Woolwich up to Windsor.

To add some fun to our adventure, you are encouraged to purchase the Thames Passport where we will collect stamps at over 30 stamping stations along the Path. Collect stamps at all the various stations and you can receive a Certificate of Completion for doing the whole trail from start to finish! The link to purchase the passport is here: https://walkthethames.co.uk/thames-path-passport/

Please note that the walk leaders will be at the café at Southwark Cathedral from 10am. Feel free to join before we start the walk!

We begin Part Two of our Thames Adventure with more London highlights! We will begin our second leg at Southwark Cathedral to collect another stamp then head out to pass London landmarks Winchester Palace and the Globe Theatre, best known as the theatre of William Shakespeare. On the other side of the river, you will be able to glimpse St Paul’s Cathedral and Mansion House.

Heading under Blackfriars Bridge and onto Waterloo, more landmarks will greet us including the legendary London Eye, Jubilee Gardens and Lambeth Palace, home to the Archbishop of Canterbury. On the other side, you will see the Savoy, 80 Strand and the famous Houses of Parliament with the Big Ben clock tower.

Not too shortly after, we will pass under Vauxhall Bridge and skirt around Battersea Power Station before entering Battersea Park where we will have our lunch.

Exiting the park, we will pass through some more wharfs and piers into Wandsworth before a pub stop at the Ship.

Afterwards, we will continue for our final section to Putney Bridge, where our second leg will conclude. Before the trip home, we will pay a visit to the Tea House in Bishop’s Park to collect another stamp for our passports.

Saturday 21 February 2026
Start time: 10:40 am
Estimated finish time: 3:30 pm
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 14.5km / 9.0mi
Ascent: N/A
Type: linear

Travel Details
To get to London Bridge from Reading, please get the 8:30 train into London Paddington then take the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines on the Tube to London Bridge station. The walk starts at Southwark Cathedral (SE1 9DA). To return to Paddington at the walk’s conclusion, please get the District line from Putney Bridge. If your travel plans differ from this, please feel free to ask the walk leaders for suggestions on what may be suitable.

Dogs

• Assistance dogs only on this walk.

Please see our dogs policy on our group website for more details.

Notes

• Please bring a packed lunch and plenty of water.
• It might be muddy – please wear suitable footwear.

The Thames Path is a 182 mile National Trail stretching from London to Gloucestershire. This year, the group will aim to cover the whole trail from start to finish! This initial 5 part series will involve covering the “London” section of the Path from its start in Woolwich up to Windsor.

To add some fun to our adventure, you are encouraged to purchase the Thames Passport where we will collect stamps at over 30 stamping stations along the Path. Collect stamps at all the various stations and you can receive a Certificate of Completion for doing the whole trail from start to finish! The link to purchase the passport is here: https://walkthethames.co.uk/thames-path-passport/

As Part Three of our Thames Adventure progresses, we start to move towards the leafier parts of London. Commencing from where we left off on the second leg, we will set off from Putney Bridge towards Barnes where we will see a bollard that marks the start of the annual University Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge. Continuing the rowing theme, we will pass a number of rowing clubs and boathouses, then under Hammersmith Bridge and towards Barnes Bridge. Here, we will cross to the other side of the river and eventually arrive at Strand-on-the-Green where we will collect another stamp at the Bull’s Head pub.

We will then cross back over Kew Railway Bridge and follow the path parallel to Kew Gardens and towards the Old Deer Park where we will have lunch.

Afterwards, we will continue on to Richmond, including the first lock of the trail, and have a café stop at Tide Tables Café collecting another stamp whilst there.

Once refreshed, we will walk alongside Petersham Meadows below Richmond Hill, with Marble House in full view on the other side of the bank. We will reach Teddington Lock which marks the end of the tidal Thames and our final section will take us to Kingston for the conclusion of another leg.

Saturday 28 February 2026
Start time: 9:45 am
Estimated finish time: 4:30 pm
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 20.9km / 13.0mi
Ascent: N/A
Type: linear

Travel Details
To get to the walk start from Reading, the quickest route would be to get the 8:33 train to London Paddington and then get the District line to Putney Bridge. As Kingston is not on the Tube, you will need to get a separate single ticket to Twickenham and then change here to get back to Reading. If your travel plans differ from this, please feel free to ask the walk leaders for suggestions on what may be suitable.

Dogs

• Assistance dogs only on this walk.

Please see our dogs policy on our group website for more details.

Notes

• Please bring a packed lunch and plenty of water.
• It might be muddy – please wear suitable footwear.