Celebrating 30 Years of the Thames Path

From Towpaths to National Trail

After years of effort, the Thames Path was officially inaugurated on 24 July 1996, stretching 184 miles from Thames Head in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier in London. Today, it runs slightly further to the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, linking with the England Coast Path for a true “source to sea” experience.

The Thames Path is more than a walking trail—it’s a living timeline. Every mile tells a story of engineering ingenuity, industrial heritage, and the fight for public access. It connects rural meadows, royal palaces, and the beating heart of London, offering walkers a chance to trace the river’s journey from commerce to culture.

From Working Waterway to Walking Route

The River Thames has been a lifeline for Britain for thousands of years. Long before roads and railways, it served as a vital artery for trade, travel, and communication, used by Romans, Saxons, and medieval merchants alike. Barges laden with goods were hauled by horses along the riverbank, creating the towpaths that would later form the backbone of today’s Thames Path. 

During the Industrial Revolution, the Thames became a super-highway for freight. The Thames Navigation Commission, established in 1751, built pound locks to improve navigation, ensuring goods could move efficiently between London and the Midlands. But the arrival of Brunel’s railways in the mid-19th century changed everything—river trade declined, and the towpaths fell silent. 

The Vision for a National Trail

The idea of transforming these historic towpaths into a public walking route first surfaced in 1947, when the Hobhouse Committee identified the Thames as one of six potential long-distance trails. The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act (1949) laid the legal foundation, but progress was slow.

Momentum grew in the 1960s with the formation of the River Thames Society, whose mission included creating a continuous riverside path. In 1973, David Sharp, a volunteer with the Ramblers, sketched the first proposed route—a vision that sparked two decades of campaigning, negotiations with landowners, and engineering solutions like new footbridges. 

Looking Ahead 24-day Thames Path Walking Relay

As the 30th anniversary approaches, expect special events and guided walks celebrating this remarkable achievement. Whether you walk a short section or tackle the full 185.2 miles, you’ll be part of a tradition that honours both history and nature.

The 24-day walking relay in June will involve hundreds of ramblers, community and river-user groups, with residents from towns and villages along the 185.2 mile route.

The Thames Path Relay will start on Friday 5 June from the source of the River Thames in a Cotswold meadow near Kemble, Gloucestershire, and finish on Sunday 28 June at the Woolwich Foot Tunnel in east London.

When the Thames Path National Trail was declared open in July 1996, the Thames Barrier in Greenwich was the start or finish point. In January 2022 the route was extended to Woolwich Foot Tunnel where it links up with the King Charles III England Coast Path.

There will be 24 walks along the Thames Path, each walk will be led by an experienced leader from a community group, several of them from The Ramblers. Everyone is invited to join the Thames Path team on the Relay. 

Each section is published on the website: Thames Path - 30th Anniversary - National Trails

The Thames Path Relay is a collaboration with the Drinkable Rivers Foundation, whose founder, Li An Phoa, walked the Thames Path from source-to-sea in 2023. This walk gathered momentum for a movement, uniting mayors, councillors, river user groups, and local environmental organisations in the ‘Mayors for a Drinkable Thames’ action network.

Li An Phoa and James Manthel, co-initiator of the Mayors for a Drinkable Thames, invite people to join the walk and local community events to take place during the Thames Relay. “During this walk we hope to strengthen the connection between the people and communities along the Thames. Therefore, we hope local people and groups will organise community-based events during the Thames Path Relay to celebrate and deepen our love and dedication for our shared Thames.”

The Thames Path 30th anniversary celebrations also include:

• 30 wonderful poems by Poet-in-Residence Robert Seatter. The poems can be read and heard via QR codes on waymarker posts in 30 locations between the Source and Woolwich, and on Visit Thames.  Robert’s book of the poems, titled RIVER, will be launched on 2 June in London.
• A beautiful new mural highlighting the amazing nature and wildlife of the River Thames and Thames Path is being painted on Mill Meadows Pavilion in Henley-on-Thames during May by local artist Vickie Amiralis - Henley ‘Nature of the Thames’ Mural featuring a poem by Robert Seatter.

‘Thames Path at 30’ photo-competition and exhibition hosted by the Thames Festival Trust to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Thames Path National Trail and the completion of the Thames Tideway Tunnel in London, details: https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/artistic-programme/thames-path-at-30/