In August 2022 I set off paddle boarding the Thames (non-tidal section) on a journey that would take 6.5 days, cover 135 miles, pass through 45 locks, spend 4 nights wild camping plus 2 in hotel rooms, and ultimately take me from Cricklade, near the Cotwolds, to Teddington, in London.
Day 1 (half day): Cricklade to Grafton Lock – 16 Miles – 9 hours
Around mid day I started my trip from Cricklade which is the first navigable point on the Thames. This is about 10 miles from where a stone in a field marks the origins of the Thames, at Thames Head. In Cricklade the water is only around 10cm-20cm in depth which meant that only very shallow draft craft are able to pass through. I had to leave the fins off of the bottom of my board until I reached Lechlade where it is deep enough for larger boats.
Getting from Cricklade to Lechlade was an adventure involving about 6 hours of paddling through reeds, ducking under branches and dragging the board over or around fallen trees. It was good fun and felt like an expedition through uncharted territory, but also hard work and quite tiring. Often people will elect to start from Lechlade to avoid this section entirely, however the worst (or best!) of it can be avoided whilst still experiencing this section by instead starting from the Red Lion Pub in Castle Eaton. This is located right on the waters edge and where I pulled up my board to stop for a drink and chatted to a couple of other punters enjoying the beer garden.
Carrying on down to Lechlade the river slowly opened up and the paddling started to get a little easier as the reeds clear.
Lechlade is the first larger settlement I arrived at which boasted a huge and popular pub on the Thames. Here amongst kayaks and boats there were also boards that could be rented for paddle boarding the Thames for shorter distances. There are a number of hotels and campsites around here and it had the best of British holiday vibes.
Just over half a mile on from Lechlade I reached the first Lock on the Thames, St John’s Lock, where I had to ‘portage’ (carry my board) around and place it back in on the other side. Here I learnt the importance of having a good setup for my luggage bags I was carrying on the board as these also needed to be carried around the locks, and would need to be done another 44 times down the Thames. My advice is to try and keep everything in one bag with rucksack type straps.
I then carried on paddling for another two hours, passing through one more lock and stopping to wild camp just before Grafton Lock. At about 9:30pm I found a suitable spot, pulled my board out of the water and in the last of the light I ate my dinner, laid out my camping things and went to sleep.
Day 2: Grafton Lock to Oxford – 27 Miles – 15 hours
I was awake, packed, and on the water paddling by 6:30am keen to make up some extra miles from the day before, as I was aiming to do about 20 miles per day on average.
The morning was calm and beautiful, making paddling easy as I quickly passed through the next 2 locks. There were few people awake at this time on the water, with the exception of one boat where the people were still having a few beers and hadn’t gone to sleep yet! Having a quick chat with them there was some disbelief that I would make it down to London but also the offer of a tow. I pulled up along side and attempted to hold onto the side of their boat as they powered ahead, however very quickly my bag and feet were getting wet as the front of the board nosed dived, so I let go before the board went under.
As the day passed by, the river which was still fairly small and banked by reeds, opened up passing mostly through countryside. I stopped for lunch around mid day and upon discovering that my phone’s battery had died and I’d forgotten the charging cable, I made the decision to try and make it to Oxford that evening to buy a new cable. This made for a very long day but one that was much faster and easier than the previous, as I navigated over another 11 locks. (On average I would say that each lock added 10 mins to the journey time, but also came as a welcome opportunity to rest and reposition feet on dry ground after hours of standing on a board.)
The afternoon was pleasant, albeit a test of my fitness levels, as I covered the distance whilst enjoying being on the river. Just before reaching Oxford I got chatting to some people on a canal boat who I’d seen a few locks earlier. They invited me aboard for a beer and when I mentioned my charging cable issue they promptly offered to charge my phone and shared a couple more drinks. Some genuinely really lovely people, who, to top it off, gave me a charging cable when I left!
Now without the need to stop in Oxford I attempted to pass through in the evening. However the weather was against me as the rain started and the wind picked up. I took this as my cue to deflate my board and find a hotel for the night, as there were no options to camp in the city. (If arriving into Oxford at the weekend make sure to have booked somewhere to stay as I found this difficult last minute.)
Day 3: Oxford to Shillingford – 17 Miles – 9 hours
Enjoying a hotel breakfast led to a late start on day 3 and only getting back on the water at midday. Feeling refreshed I pushed on down the river on what was a pleasant section and passed through 5 locks, including Clifton lock. Here I had a good chat with the lock keeper and learnt about how the river works and what the lock keepers do. (I came to think of the locks as little oasis’s of sanctuary on the long river, where help could be sort if necessary, as well as being able to fill up water and dispose of waste.)
As the sun began to set I passed a group of young people camping in a great spot just after Days Lock and looked on with envy. However only a little further down the river I pulled my board up into the woods and set up my own camp in time to watch the sun set.
I chose to climb up into the woods at a point that was quite steep (and if I’d gone a little further there were much easier spots) and unfortunately, whilst climbing up I slipped and hurt my foot. This made the next couple of days quite difficult and painful.
Day 4: Shillingford to Beale Wildlife Park – 11 Miles – 9 hours
Waking up early I patched up my foot and got back on the water. The weather was perfect and the morning filled with calm waters and wildlife spotting – Kingfishers, Heron, water-rats and many fish.
The Thames wound it’s way through some picturesque villages as another 3 locks were crossed, culminating in reaching the halfway point of my paddle boarding the Thames journey at Goring Lock in a pretty stretch along the river.
The day had been very hot and due to poor hydration whilst paddling I felt quite faint not too long after Goring Lock. Spotting a clearing in the woods I pulled over to the side and fell asleep for a few hours. Upon waking I decided to make camp for the night close to an old world war 2 fortification, to give myself longer to rest and recover. My foot was also still really hurting and I would carry onto Henley the following day.
As the evening wound down I got some entertainment from a small group that had paddled down the water and stopped nearby to swing from ropes hung from trees. They flew threw reeds to land just in the river being lucky that no-one was hurt. The confidence of youth.
Day 5: Beale Wildlife Park to Henley-on-Thames – 17 Miles – 9.5 hours
After another nights sleep spent under the stars, I woke with the rising sun and started out early on the water. Once again, the tranquility of the mornings were a real treat as I paddled down the section between Goring and Reading. Due to my injured foot I did however swap often between standing and kneeling to first give my foot a rest then my knees once they’d stiffened up.
Going through the stretch of the river that passes by Reading was rather underwhelming, with hints of the urban area slightly encroaching on the serenity of the river. However this was quickly left behind as Sonning approached and I was transported back into charming landscapes boarded by impressive houses.
On reaching Wargrave I stopped at the George and Dragon Pub for a drink, which was full of other kayakers and paddle boarders on the water. From here I took the the back water route along to the next lock and finally on to Henley around mid afternoon. Here I checked into a hotel room and ventured out to stock up on basic medical supplies to fix my foot. This was followed by dinner and an early night.
Day 6: Henley-on-Thames to Cookham Lock – 12.6 Miles – 6.5 hours
Today I had decided to take it fairly easy and allow my foot time to recover. After breakfast I took the train back up to Swindon and a taxi onto Cricklade to collect my car and move it back down to Henley. This would be easier for me to get back to at the end and alleviated my worries of amounting a collection of daily parking tickets (thankfully this didn’t happen).
Around 4pm I finally inflated my paddleboard again and got back on the Thames to commence the third and final stretch of the journey. After a busy section through Henley, that I admit I didn’t particularly enjoy, the rest of the river was lovely as I paddled through the afternoon. Passing through another 3 locks I arrived in Marlow where the river is bordered by some very elegant houses. From the river you get a unique perspective into the river side properties and I shamelessly peered in.
Not long after passing through Marlow Lock I stopped and chatted to a couple of people on a boat who mentioned they had done a similar trip themselves the previous year. This had involved kayaking from Lechlade to Marlow. After a couple of beers and some welcome conversation, I carried on until I reached an area just before Cookham Lock. On this island I pulled my board out of the water in the dark by torch light, had a quick dinner and fell asleep.
Day 7: Cookham Lock to Teddington Lock – 33.4 Miles – 16 hours
This would be a long day.
I woke with the light and was on the water and through the first lock by 5:30am. From here I wasn’t quite sure where I would get to by the end of the day or where I would sleep when I did. I decided however to just crack on see where the day took me.
With my foot feeling much better I made great progress as I went through Maidenhead and into Windsor where those on the water are treated to amazing views of the castle and grounds (which are extensive!). After making it past Windsor the Thames then passes through some of the outer London towns of Staines, Chertsey and Shepperton. Whilst the river continued to get more surrounded by buildings there were still nice areas to paddle through although with a few more people on the water in their local areas.
After passing through Molesey Lock (the last one before Teddington) I quickly passed by Hampton Court Palace and into what felt like the home straight, up through Kingston Upon Thames. By this point I had been paddling for over 15 hours and was completely shattered. The river had become extremely congested with pleasure boats, rowing clubs, paddle boarders and sailing dingys on the water. On this particular day it was like a wind tunnel coming directly head on all the time. I struggled to do more than one mile per hour as I knelt on the board and battled on. Eventually I arrived at Teddington Lock, just about in one piece, and finally able to relax and celebrate the end of the trip. It was a slightly bitter sweet moment as I realised I’d made it and wouldn’t be paddling on again tomorrow, but after having just done 33 miles I was really chuffed and also just looking forward to getting some dinner and a comfy bed. I took a few photos at Teddington lock, deflated my board, jumped on a London bus went to a hotel next to Twickenham Station.
It felt slightly bizarre going through London, dragging a large bag around, smelling pretty awful after a couple of nights sleeping outside and no one stopping to say hi or having any idea what you’d just done. The river had been a long, quiet and solitary place for a solo traveller, but also friendly, welcoming and caring. It was a place to reconnect with nature, reset the pace of life and leave all other thoughts and worries aside. I had thought that I would potentially be lonely paddle boarding the Thames by myself, but I spoke to people every day, greeted most people I passed, and for a few days felt like an equal member of the rivers community.
Overall paddle boarding the Thames is a trip that I thoroughly recommend for anyone with a bit of determination and who also wants to reconnect with nature and themselves. If you have any questions or comments let me know below and I’ll be happy to help.
Video of the full journey Paddle Boarding the Thames
