Product Description

This guide takes the walker from the Thames Barrier in London to the source of the Thames 180 miles away in rural Gloucestershire. The towpath route, opened as a national trail in 1996, has been improved by the addition of new footbridges and the creation of 20 miles of new riverside path. More than 90 per cent of the Thames Path is either public footpath or bridleway. The Thames, once an important water highway, links a string of historic sites. In the capital there is Greenwich, the Houses of Parliament and Lambeth Palace. Hampton Court Palace lies just outside London, and before reaching Windsor there is riverside Runneymede where King John agreed to the Magna Carta. The water and towpath in the Upper Reaches can be both beautiful and lonely, with cormorants, herons and swans, as appreciated by Shelley and William Morris. The climax is the 22 miles of the infant Thames leading to a field with its often dry spring situated just below the Roman Foss Way.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72208 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Andy Walmsley was born in Preston, Lancashire on December 18th 1959. From an early age mountains always held a fascination for him, and early family holidays to mountainous areas of Europe and Britain began a deep affection for the wild places. Having been active in sports such as cycling, caving, and fellwalking for many years, Andy began his exploration of the Sierra Nevada in the 1980s whilst visiting relatives in Granada and this book is the result of all his explorations from that time until 2004. Despite a serious motorcycle accident in 1981, in which he lost his right arm, Andy remains an active mountain-goer. He took up the arduous sport of fellrunning in 1985 and still competes in mountain events all over the British Isles. In 1989 he set a record of 15 hours and 5 minutes for the traverse of all the Sierra Nevada's 3000m peaks - the 'Integral de Los Tres Mil' - which still stands today.

Customer Reviews

A pleasant little book lacking detail
The author, Leigh Hatts comes with impeccable credentials having been involved with the Thames walk feasibility study and written plenty of other walking books. But if you are expecting any great insight into the Thames path you will be disappointed.

Although the book has 217 pages they are tiny - approx 12 X 17 cm so why the publisher decided to put a 3.5cm margin on most of the pages is beyond me. The book equates to just 36 pages of A4 which means that there is little room for any detailed information. What you get is a short description of the route and pen pictures of the towns and villages en route plus tourist attractions.

For the most part, the 2 - 4 cm wide selections taken from the 1 -50000 Ordnance Survey Explorer series are adequate, but only if you stick closely to the route. They let me down on several occasions!.

I mainly followed the route from London Bridge to Goring and was left with the uncharitable impression that the author hadn't actually walked the path but maybe had written the book from the Internet. I don't have any problem with what is said - it is what is left out that bothers me! For example, at Goring the book says "cross the bridge to leave Oxfordshire ......." The book neglects to say that just 100 yards to the right of the bridge there is a hotel called `The Miller of Mansfield' that welcomes dogs. There is also a good shopping area including a chemist and several other pubs, and another pub on the other side of the river.

Overall, this is not a bad little book, but if you are a long distance walker you might like to consider 'The Thames Path (National Trail Guides) by David Sharp' and/or 'The Thames Path National Trail Companion: A Guide for Walkers to Accommodation, Facilities and Services by Jos Joslin.'

The author of this review is an experienced walker having successfully walked many long distance trails including Coast to Coast (Southport to Hull) and the West Highland Way.