About me and my journey
I have lived near the River Thames in Putney for nearly all of my adult life, I walked our dog by the river and have spent a great deal of time supporting members of my family rowing at races and regattas on different parts of the Thames; and I worked in the water sector for several years. So I was intrigued to follow this mighty river from source to sea.
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In 2018 I walked and paddled from the source in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier in London fundraising for an apprenticeship at The AHOY Centre charity (see below). I started my journey in early June 2018 at the source of the Thames near Cirencester in Gloucestershire; over the Summer of that year I journeyed 302 km/188 miles following the Thames in stages, with a total of 9 days walking, 7 days paddleboarding, 1 day kayaking, finishing with a day rowing from Tower Pier to the Thames Barrier-and beyond. I ended that journey, on the afternoon of 26th September 2018 in a small rowing skiff, with AHOY apprentices as crewmates, our small craft bouncing on a muddy, rippling tidal Thames next to the embankment walls at Woolwich Arsenal. We were towed back through the Barrier to The AHOY centre, then came refreshments and farewells, with a happy reunion at the AHOY Christmas party a few months later. This journey from the Source to the Thames Barrier (and just beyond) is explained in three stages: The Source to Radley; Radley to Reading; and Reading to the Barrier-see menu bar above.
In the four years that followed I took to regular paddleboarding on the Thames and continued to explore the Thames in many other ways. Then, in April 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and the UK experienced its first Covid lockdown, the Government approved proposals to improve coastal access between Grain in Kent, and Woolwich in London. These proposals would join the Thames Path with the English Coastal Path, extending the Thames Path for about 47 miles beyond the traditional finish at the Thames Barrier. The Path would follow the South side of the Thames: through South East London, then along the North side of the Hoo Peninsula in North Kent, to the mouth of the Thames estuary at Grain where the Thames meets the sea. Just under two years later, in January 2022, work was complete and the extension opened. Of course, I had to do it.
So, during 2022, I resumed my journey, following the extension of the Thames Path to the mouth of the Thames estuary, and finally reaching the sea on 18th September 2022, almost exactly four years after I had finished at Woolwich. This final part of my journey along the Thames is covered in To the Sea (again, see menu bar above).
Exploring the Thames
In the years between my fundraising in 2018 and my reaching the sea in 2022, I have been paddleboarding regularly on the Thames, with Active 360 at Kew Bridge. Through them I took the ‘Thames Skills and Knowledge’ courses, on how to paddle on the tidal river. The navigation rules for paddlers are set by the Port of London Authority in The Tideway Code (the tidal Thames below Teddington Lock being known as the Tideway). These rules are initially bewildering: your paddling channel alters depending on the state of the tide, and whether you are paddling with or against the tidal flow. ‘Slack tide’ (a period of about 10 or 15 minutes, when the tide is turning), can be confusing, as you try and work out where on the river you should be; then there’s ‘working the slacks’ (paddling on the inside of the bend-the ‘wrong’ side of the river-when paddling against the stream).
On the river one needs to be aware of wind, strong tides, other river-users, buoys, barges, tree branches, and floating debris which can catch you unawares. As a result, I would never paddle on the Tideway alone. I am fortunate to have two wonderful paddling companions who share the joy and challenge of paddleboarding on the Tideway: exploring quiet backwaters of Brentford Ait, meeting a seal at play, riding the wash from a passing powerboat, feeling small as we pass under huge bridges, feeling tired as we battle against wind or tide (sometimes both). Quite simply: the endless wonder of the river.
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My interest in this mighty river has deepened, exploring it in many other ways-reflected in my related Follow the Thames social media accounts. I've come across people with shared or overlapping interests, such as Hedley Thorne, whose beautiful drone photography of the Thames valley is truly inspirational, and Nick Higham, author of the intriguing Mercenary River, the history of London’s water supply, in which of course the Thames features strongly.
I regularly volunteer for two community organisations associated with the river: Putney’s Tidy Towpath group, which litter-picks along the embankment and foreshore at Putney for the charity Thames 21, and The Old Chiswick Protection Society, a charity protecting and preserving the heart of the old parish of Chiswick; this includes Chiswick Eyot, a small, delicate island off Chiswick Mall, where I’ve cut and bundled ‘withies’ of willows, which are then used to create terraces to capture river sediment when the tide recedes, creating reed-beds to strengthen the banks of the Eyot against erosion.
At the end of my initial journey in 2018 I said that my reading journey had only just begun. That journey is and remains full of discovery, taking me down all kinds of fascinating streams of thought and exploration, and it goes on. In fact, I suspect my reading journey will never end.
Fundraising in 2018 for The Ahoy Centre
My family have benefited hugely from the challenge of rowing on the Thames, so I was keen to support The AHOY Centre: a watersports charity on the river at Deptford. AHOY uses sailing, rowing and water based activities to break down social barriers, providing opportunities and innovative training for disadvantaged and at-risk youths, young people and those excluded from mainstream education. It gives disabled people the chance to participate in activities and courses on an equal level.
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I successfully fundraised for a 1-year apprenticeship with Outdoor Activity/Leadership qualifications. Using water-based activities, the programme builds self-confidence, personal resilience, teamwork and self-esteem for 16-24-year olds: crucial transferable life skills vital for finding employment. AHOY has a strong track record of employment success for its graduate apprentices. I was impressed by the programme leaders and apprentices, and wanted to give another young person a similar chance in life.
I started my journey in early June 2018 at the source of the Thames near Cirencester in Gloucestershire; over the Summer of that year I journeyed 302 km/188 miles following the Thames in stages, with a total of 9 days walking, 7 days paddleboarding, 1 day kayaking; finishing by rowing from Tower Pier to the Thames Barrier with AHOY apprentices on the afternoon of 26th September.
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It was challenging: the logistics of organising and transporting gear and equipment (and me!) between the start/finish of different sections of the journey involved a lot of planning. I had four nights in a tent, but also generous support from friends and family providing accommodation, meals and a friendly welcome after a day on or by the river. I dealt with aggressive horseflies (not easy swiping at them with your paddle whilst not losing your balance), some very hot days' walking and footsore feet, and some strong winds on the river. However, I only started paddleboarding in March, and despite these challenges I did not fall in! And I even managed 2 days of paddling solo
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who donated towards my fundraising in 2018, when I successfully raised funds for a one-year apprenticeship at AHOY. I am deeply grateful to everyone who responded so positively to my endeavours and so generously to my appeal. I know that every single donation helped towards changing a life by giving a young person a new chance in life.
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In addition, many people helped to make that journey possible. Here are a few.
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A year prior to my journey I was introduced to Andrew Triggs Hodge, three times Olympic rowing gold medallist, who casually said to me "If you're planning on walking down the Thames, why not paddle it too?" And so my journey morphed into an expedition involving walking, paddleboarding, kayaking and rowing. I am deeply grateful to Andrew for laying down the challenge, and for all his help and support in my fundraising.
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I could not have done the paddleboarding part of my journey without Paul Hyman, who brought the sport to London through his company Active 360, based under the arches of Kew road bridge. From there, I took my first tentative steps onto a paddleboard, and after a few lessons, including one memorable rain-filled day in March, I felt confident enough to paddle the Thames. Active 360 generously provided a full set of paddleboarding equipment and safety gear for each of the paddleboarding stages in June and September 2018.
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Paul Hyman has been instrumental in raising awareness of plastic and litter in the Thames-and in doing something about it. He has organised litter-picking expeditions by paddleboard, highlighted the problem of overflowing riverside bins and flytipping, and started a not-for-profit scheme inthedrink encouraging a move away from single-use plastic cups on the Thames and other waterways. Through Paul I joined up with The Whale Company who were doing their own source to sea on 'bottleboards' (paddleboards made from plastic bottles), for their Message in a Bottle project. My first four days of paddleboarding on the Upper Thames were spent with them: improving my paddling skills, learning more about plastics, camping by the river, and sharing the experiences of paddling on the remote Upper Thames from Lechlade.
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Friends and family provided invaluable accommodation, meals and vehicle support (Peter & Lizzie in Cricklade, Stephen & Sarah in Brightwell, Michael & Jane in Henley; my sister Tricia at Rushey Lock and Bablock Hythe and my daughter Holly at Henley also provided essential vehicle support). And I could not have done the kayaking day without Jonathan who provided kayaking gear and accompanied me down the river, nor without Jane (and Rusty) providing land support (for an account of this memorable day see Day 9, in Stage Two of my journey).
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My thanks to Radley College Boat Club for the warm welcome on a sunny afternoon in June, and to Andy for the loan of the kayak! And to Hobbs of Henley and Upper Thames Sailing Club for allowing me to leave my paddleboarding equipment in their boatsheds overnight. Also to The White Swan at Twickenham for kindly providing a most welcome lunch and refreshments, in a beautiful setting, on a long walking day in September; and to Thames Water for the coffee break at Reading. Sandi of PutneySW15.com kindly reported on my journey over the course of the Summer.
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Thank you also to those who joined me on some of my walking and paddling days: for your support and companionship which kept me going on my odyssey towards the sea. And to The AHOY Centre and AHOY graduate apprentices who helped me reach journey's end in 2018. The entry for the final day of my journey in 2018 (see Stage 3 Reading to the Barrier) encapsulates all that I had fundraised for.
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Last but by no means least, thank you to my daughters for their positive encouragement, social media and technical support, to my son for joining me on one of my walking days, and to my husband who, behind the scenes, made a huge contribution to my efforts-advising me on donations, acting as vital vehicle support officer, and as house sitter and dog minder while I was away.
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Click on the menu bar for an overview of my journey and to follow the different stages.