Running for 180 miles (288 km) from the river's source in rural Gloucestershire to the  Thames barrier, the Thames Path is England's newest National Trail and one of the most varied and accessible of the country's long-distance paths. The Countryside Agency's acorn waymarks lead the walker through tranquil water meadows, past the dreaming spires of Oxford and the pageantry of Windsor and Hampton Court, through the heart of the capital, to London's Docklands and beyond. This is the official guide to the Path and will be invaluable to the long-distance walker and weekend stroller alike.

Category : Thames Path Guide books

Customer reviews
“This is an indispensable companion if walking the Thames Path, and if you are taking only one book along with you, it should be this one. Others, such as Turner's one on pubs, the National Trail Companion, and the Imray map, are helpful, but you can get along without them if you have this.

David Sharp, the author, is one of the founders of the Path. His other book, on he London Loop, which he also helped found, is equally excellent. As another reviewer points out, you can't follow the Path uptream with this book.”

The London Stone at Staines marks the ancient western boundary of the jurisdiction of the City of London. The Lord Mayor and Corporation's conservancy of the Thames extended east from there as far as Yantlet in Kent. This is the stretch of the river documented in Liquid History. Drawing on the resources of English Heritage's unrivalled photographic archives, the book records a journey along the length of the tidal river and over almost 150 years.

We see the rural Thames as it approaches London, riverside towns, the civic and commercial development of the riverbanks, the working docks and warehouses, the development of the web of bridges that now links north and south, barges, sailing ships and warships, the great flood defences and a tiny beach that flourished briefly at the Tower of London. Featuring the work of pioneers of photography and some of the great topographical photographers of the 20th century, and with a fascinating commentary by Stephen Croad, Liquid History chronicles the ebb and flow of the life of the river.

Category: Thames Path Photographic Guides, Thames Path Online Guide Books

WIND turbines have been fitted to three of the East End?s tall towers, making Blackwall ?go green.?
The 25-storey Electron Towers development nearing completion now sprouts solar energy ?collectors? high above the Thames waterfront in East London to make a ?renewable contribution? to its energy needs.

A community service charity volunteer finds rare butterfly eggs in a conservation area in Oxford.

A FULL-scale replica of the Michelangelo Pieta sculpture has been installed in the church in East London known as ?The Cathedral of the East End.? It has been given by builders this week to St Mary & St Michael?s RC in Commercial Road, Stepney, which celebrated its 150th anniversary before Christmas.

A POST mortem is being held today following the death of a teenager rescued from the Regent s Canal at the Limehouse Basin at around 4am on Monday. The 17 year-old died shortly after his arrival at the Royal London Hospital. A passer-by in Narrow Street i

Boris Johnson scraps The Londoner freesheet and pledges 10,000 news trees with the money saved.

Plans to build the biggest reservoir in the UK for 25 years in Oxfordshire - costing £1bn - go on public display.

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.

Category : Thames Path Guide Books

A new bridge spanning the River Thames in Surrey will have special features to stop swans crashing into it.

Rail company Grand Central is hoping to expand its service between London and the North East.

London exists because of the Thames. The city's history is inextricably bound to the river and its tributaries, and to the man-made water channels created during the 19th century - the canals around the north of London and the Docks to the east. In “London's Waterside Walks”, one of the city's experienced Blue Badge Guides, Brian Cookson, describes 16 walks, selected to reflect the history and modern developments related to these waterways.

The walks cover many of London's most stunning views and its most beautiful scenery, as well as much compelling waterside industrial archaeology. Routes range from the riverside village of Richmond with its famous view from Richmond Hill and the remains of Henry VII's Tudor palace to the extraordinary mix of old and new industrial and commercial structures around Docklands and the  Thames Barrier. The walks were developed for the highly rated City Literary Institute courses of combined lectures and walks on London's waterways, and have been tried and tested several times by the author.

Using his experience and local knowledge, David has produced commentaries that are a pleasure to read and clearly point out what to look for, both the popular tourist attractions and significant lesser-known sights. The walks are designed to last about two hours, including stops and visits to places of interest with free entry.

Each walk includes a summary of the highlights, a clear route map, detailed descriptions of approximately 15 stopping points and listings of places worth a further visit, with information on opening times, addresses and entrance fees. Dramatic photographs of some of the spectacles which adorn London's waterside enhance and enliven the text.

Category : Thames Path Guide Books

 CANARY Wharf together with Community Arts have jointly launched a new exhibition venue promoting home grown talent from painting, crafts and design, to poetry, writing and film-making. The Community Window Gallery is located in the Jubilee Link in Canad

A custom-build boat designed for disabled children is soon to be afloat on the Thames.Trustees of the Rivertime Boat Trust are planning to launch the 'Rivertime' next month, which

Of course everyone knows that the River Thamess runs through the center of London but people are only now discovering that you can hire a boat to take a sight seeing trip on the River Thamess. If you are interested in sight seeing then …s

A  Cookham advantage card that would give youngsters discounts for facilities in the area was just one idea proposed at a youth forum last night. The forum,&nbs

FORGOTTEN woodland crafts have suddenly emerged in one of East London?s biggest nature reserves, set up in an old Victorian cemetery. Hundreds of visitors turned up for the May Woodland Craft fair at  Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in Mile End to have a go at pole lathe turning, chair making and willow weaving.

From its source in sleepy Gloucestershire, the Thames runs nearly 180 miles - past the spires of Oxford, Royal Windsor and eventually on to the bustle of London. Thanks to its recently renovated towpath, the Thames has become the only major British river that can be walked from its source to its estuary - the  Thames Barrier.

The path is one of the busiest trails in the country. The pubs (all within a few hundred yards of the river) cover a wide range from Cotswold stone country inns and thatched riverside taverns to the traditional establishments in the City and East End of London.

In addition to providing a lively social history of the river and its inns, Pubs of the River Thames is a practical guide for the day-tripper and tourist alike, offering tips and details on all the pubs featured (travel, opening hours, food and beer selections and other facilities).

Category : Thames Path Guide Books

Jonathan Schneer writes in his introduction that there are lots of books on the Thames, but most are either highly specialised (tomes on flood control, environmental concerns, economic impact, etc.) or rather out of date.

Schneer's intention with this book was to provide a more general, and more generally accessible, book on what is perhaps one of the most important rivers in history, with an impact that far outweighs it relative length. Schneer points out that most other major rivers (the Mississippi, the Danube, the Yang-tze, the Ganges, etc.) have major impact, but not the kind of dominating presence on their surrounding cultures that the Thames has had on its (perhaps the best comparison would be with the Nile, perhaps the only other river that was central to defining the culture of the lands around it).

Schneer begins with the prehistoric and early historic settlements and influence of the Thames, and how it has been seen by Celts and early peoples, Romans, Angles and Saxons, Danes and Jutes, Normans and Middle Englishmen, Renaissance and Reformation people, all the way up to modern times when German bombers used the outline of the river to find London, and modern governments have seen the Thames as the gateway to Europe. Chapters go in a logical, chronological progression, and describe in socio-economic and historical narratives how the culture around the river ebbed and flowed, just as the river would rise and fall. Some seems a bit further afield than discussion of the river might require, but then, this is more of a labour of love for the English culture, of which the river Thames is certainly apart, but in fact the book is geared more toward the understanding of the history and culture itself.

The Thames features in art, music and literature - the book contains a generous collection of print reproductions, both black-and-white as well as colour plates of artists such as Turner, Canaletto, Spencer, and more. Handel's Water Music is one of the better-known pieces from the time, inspired by the river, and literature past and present draws from its inspirational depths (Edmund Spenser's 'Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song' was used by Ewan McCall as title for his song, 'Sweet Thames, flow softly'; also, author Matthew Kneale uses it for one of his works of fiction).

'More generally the Thames's accumulation of meanings over the centuries, its interconnectedness with so much history, has linked it with evolving understandings of the nation and its heritage. Britons identify themselves as heirs to a record through which the river has always run.'

This is an interesting, accessible, and well-written general book detailing various strands of English culture with a connection of the river Thames. The writing flows well with a cup of tea.

Category: Historical Thames Books

Photographed May 5, 2008. Added to archive May 10, 2008 by Fred Guenther.