Day 1 started early on the 6:45am train up to London Bridge with a connecting train to Charlton and a short walk to the Thames Barrier. Despite only living 19 miles away it took 1¾ hours to get there on public transport. It was a grey, but mild spring day, albeit with a cool breeze.

After passing Banksy’s Rhino on the way from the station (which wouldn’t be the only Rhino of the day), I eventually started from the Thames Barrier at 8:30am after an obligatory photo to mark the occasion. The start of a journey is always exciting, not knowing what to expect, despite having run a lot of the Thames Path before.

The plan was to run to 33 miles to Kingston-upon-Thames, where there are good transport links home. Luckily the first 9 miles was generally pedestrian-free (vindicating the decision to do the run on a weekday rather than a busy weekend) as I passed the Greenwich Peninsula development, the O2, Boris’s cable car, the Greenwich Meridian, a golf range, Canary Wharf (on the northern Bank) and the Cutty Sark on my way to Tower Bridge for a coffee.

Understandably it then got a bit busier with more tourists along the next 2.5 miles to Westminster Bridge, especially Italians following their 6 Nations Rugby trouncing the day before. Occasionally I would come across something stunning such as the mural below.

Passing the Wall of Remembrance (opposite the Houses of Parliament) which indicated that 247,553 people have been recorded as losing their lives through Covid was poignant given the Day of Reflection, again the day before.

Living in my own small world, I never thought about wine tasting as a career and how people would go about it…. until I came across people taking a wine tasting exam at 11:45am on a Monday morning at the Institute of Masters of Wine. I just wondered about how they would prepare – a teetotal weekend, no spicey food….

I continued past the refurbished Battersea Power Station (with an unusually quiet game zone area outside) and the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park.

After 12 noon, the lunchtime joggers made an appearance, passing the only plodder on his way to Putney for a Sainsbury’s meal deal at 1pm after 20 miles.

After Putney, the tree lined, path became more rugged to Kingston, but still runnable in road shoes. Getting to Kew, a ‘Road closed’ sign on the path reminded me that the towpath had recently (5 months ago) given way and hence was closed. I knew that this meant ‘closed’ closed, rather than ‘possibly passable for the adventurous’, which is my usual interpretation of such signs. With reference everyone’s best friend Google, it seems that it was caused by high river levels and heavy winds; a temporary solution has not been possible and that a permanent solution may start in April 2025 (watch this space – Richmond to Kew towpath works – London Borough of Richmond upon Thames).  

The alternative route (which I think followed the Thames path along the northern bank) could be accessed through a QR code, alright for me, but in these days of inclusion, not alright for everyone, perhaps the elderly without a Smart Phone. Surely they could have added a small map to fill the white space on the sign to give people a clue where to go. Is it just me who thinks that ‘inclusion’ is not always applied fairly ? As for me I followed, what I thought would be a scenic route around Kew Gardens, but which was unfortunately blocked by a 10 foot high brick wall.

Re-joining the Thames Path at Richmond Lock I had started to tire but was determined to maintain an average of 4mph (including stops); not brilliant given the pan-flat terrain, but a self-imposed target to hit. So, when I finally made it to Kingston Bridge after 33 miles in 7 hours 45 minutes (4.25mph), it was mission accomplished, rewarded by another Rhino, which book-ended the day perfectly !

After catching the bus back to Epsom, there was no immediate prospect of bus home, so I walked the remaining 2.5 miles home to end with a total step count of 73,547 – a great day out !

While the London section of the Thames Path may not appeal to all runners and walkers, I always recall the quote from Samuel Johnson, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”. For however many times I go to London there is always something new to see: developments, artwork, blue plaques, architecture, river life, people watching / dodging or new bars and restaurants with quirky names such as Tequila Mockingbird which made me smile. Thankfully I am not tired of London !