Walking Adventures along the Thames River

Walk with us as we follow England's greatest river, the Thames. This river has its birthplace in the meadows of the Cotswolds and ends in London in an estuary, which opens out to the sea. The Thames Path, the first National Trail to follow a river for the whole of its length, is over 180 miles long and covers over 2,000 years of history and we will follow it for the 57 miles between Windsor and Oxford. All rivers can be rewarding but the Thames is something special, flowing serenely through the pages of English history. This is the river of the royals as their palaces stood by the river's edge; the famous Royal Regatta of Henley; the river of Wind in the Willows; the river of anglers and barges, and of ordinary people who live by it and those who traverse its path either as a long walking journey or in easy stages.

Since the 1930's local visionaries had been trying to create a long walk beside the Thames but it was not until 1989 that it was declared a National Trail. As a walking experience, it is very different from the other National Trails in that it is a very easy walk, having no rugged hills to climb or vast moorland expanses to challenge. The clay and gravel make for a pleasant walking surface through most seasons. The Thames never seems to be going anywhere in a hurry and the mood is catching. On its way the Path passes peaceful water meadows, rich in wildlife, farming land, historic towns and many lovely villages.

This walk will be an inn-to-inn walk with our luggage transported for us each day. This portion of the trail was selected to see the best of the walking route and the finest villages and towns. We will use the local train a couple of times to provide us best access to the Trail. We will be stopping at local pubs for lunch each day. Our walks will all be between 8 and 11 miles daily and that will still leave us plenty of time to explore and enjoy the towns and villages (and pubs) that we come to. On the walking portion we will have an English walking guide who is knowledgeable on all aspects of this Path and while in Oxford, Windsor and Eton we will have half-day city tours with Blue Guides, certified specialists in the history of each city. Our hotels and guesthouses are very good and most meals are included.