The Thames River Ramble: a primer for ACU study abroad faculty and students

The end of the semester is looming, so a lot of my attention has turned toward the important but unglamorous work of wrapping up courses with students, preparing them for finals, and girding myself to grade large batches of final papers. Even though the Thames River Ramble is behind me, I am still thinking a lot about the experience with an eye to advising future ACU faculty and students who may be interested in their own ramble on the Path. If you are an audacious adventurer who wants to embrace the challenge, I want to give you some practical guidance in this post about how to do this well. Most of this advice comes from my own experiences this semester. The successes that I had and the mistakes that I made have informed the guidance that I am sharing with you.

What is the Thames River Path?
The Thames River Path is a national walking path that stretches the length of the Thames River from the “source” of the Thames in the Cotswolds to the Thames Barrier in London. The total length of the path is 185 miles. Oxford, ACU Study Abroad’s home in England, provides easy access to the path. Oxford is located just over 50 miles south of the Source, around 130 miles from the Barrier.

Is it possible to hike the entire path during a Study Abroad semester?

Absolutely. I (Dr. Vic McCracken) rambled the entire path during the Fall 2022 semester, breaking the 185 miles into 14 legs. Twelve of these legs were day trips that began and ended back in Oxford. There were two legs that I completed over two days, with an overnight stay in a small town in the Cotswolds (more details below). Completing the Path requires dedication, but it is possible within the space of a single semester. If one is unable to commit to the entire path, there are some viable alternatives that the Path offers: one could choose to hike the path from Oxford to London (130+ miles, with easy access to bus and train service back to Oxford), or from Oxford to the source (just 50 miles, but requiring some effort to negotiate the sporadic public transit options available in this more remote part of the Path).

What does a typical day look like on the Thames River Ramble?

On my rambling days I got up very early to begin the ramble, sometimes as early as 4:30 AM. In the early legs of my ramble, this was in part because of how excited I was to get going, but as you progress further from Oxford, an early start becomes more essential. In addition to the time you spend on the river, you need to account for the travel time to your starting location. Bus and train access is prevalent, especially south of Oxford, but you’ll need to consider the 1-3 hours of added time needed to get to the bus/train terminal and then to the river. Breaking up the path into 14 legs, an average rambling day for me covered just over 13 miles of the Path, not including the distance from our house on Woodstock to the train/bus terminal or any side journeys off the path into nearby towns. Averaging about 2.5 miles per hour, you’ll spend around 6 hours on the river on each leg of the ramble. I finished rambling mid-afternoon on most days and was back in Oxford well before dark.

How expensive is it to do the Thames River ramble?

There are a few costs you should account for if you are interested in hiking the path. The river is populated with numerous river pubs that are worth stopping in for a snack if you have the time. I did this much less than I had originally planned, mainly because I had miles to travel each day. I usually packed water and some light snacks for myself. The only ongoing cost you will have for the ramble is for public transit. Below I’ll give you a general estimate of the cost of each leg and some advice about how to reduce these costs, lessons I learned during the ramble. In general terms, I would suggest that you budget £300-350 for the entire ramble. This money will cover bus and train expenses as well as one night’s lodging in the Cotswolds.

Are there any essentials I should have for the ramble?

Waterproof shoes are essential. Make certain that they are comfortable on your feet; you will be in them a lot. I struggled with blisters early in my ramble due to a poorly fitted hiking boot. I got along okay in my athletic shoes for a few legs, but my entire experience really improved when I purchased some waterproof hiking shoes while in the Lake District. I also strongly recommend purchasing some high quality wool hiking socks, which wick moisture from your feet and will make the entire journey more comfortable. Waterproof overtrousers are inexpensive and a good thing to have on days when you are hiking through steady rain. A waterproof coat is also an important thing to have given the frequent rains you will encounter un the UK. You should have clothing that can be easily layered.

The only other thing I believe is essential is a quality trail map. There is a 1:25,000 trail map that is widely available. I found it extremely helpful to have this guide on hand so I could anticipate things to look for on my ramble.

Where should I begin?

The Thames River Ramble is a big commitment. Before you commit to the entire path, I suggest you commit to hiking one leg to see if the ramble is for you. There is good news here: the hike from Oxford to Abingdon is just 9.5 miles. This is one of the shorter legs of the ramble. It is easily accessible from the ACU house in Oxford. Give it a go. If you are gassed at the end of the leg, you should consider that there will be legs that are 5-6 miles longer than this. Don’t be dissuaded, however, if this is your initial experience. Remember, in your semester abroad you will be walking a lot. Your walking stamina will improve dramatically over the semester, so what you struggle to complete early on will become a normal walking day for you by the end of the semester.

Where do you recommend that I start/stop each leg?

I’m going to summarize here the 14 legs that I hiked. Published guidebooks present path information either on a southward journey from the Source toward London or as a northward journey toward the Source. Because I am writing this for ACU Study Abroad students, I am going to summarize information relevant to someone based in Oxford who is planning to hike the path in both directions. Rather than structuring this in the order that I hiked each leg, I’m going to break the legs into two sections: (1) the southward journey from Oxford toward London, and (2) the northward journey from Oxford toward the Source. All distances are approximate. I’ll also include suggestions on public transit options for each leg.

Southward Journey: Oxford to London
Leg 1: Oxford to Abingdon (9.5 miles) In Abingdon, one can find regular buses running from High Street back to City Centre Oxford. The cost is around £6.
Leg 2: Abingdon to Wallingford (13.5 miles) Take a bus from Oxford to Abingdon (£6). Wallingford has regular bus service back to Oxford, I believe serviced by the same company. A day pass costs around £6.50, which will cover both parts of this journey.
Leg 3: Wallingford to Tilehurst (14.8 miles) Bus to Wallingford (£6). Tilehurst has a train station. A one way offpeak train back to Oxford from Tilehurst costs about £10.
Leg 4: Tilehurst to Henley-on-Thames (12.3 miles): Buy a return train ticket to Tilehurst in the morning. You can save yourself some money in the afternoon if you buy a one way from Henley back to Tilehurst and then use the return ticket to get back to Oxford. A good rule of thumb: you should always buy a return ticket from the town where you begin each leg of the ramble when you are using the train system. A return ticket is only a few pounds more than a one way, and it is definitely cheaper to buy a short one-way back to the city where you begin each day than it is to buy one way tickets to and from Oxford. (Estimated cost: £20)
Leg 5: Henley-on-Thames to Maidenhead (15.4 miles) Buy a return train ticket to Henley-on-Thames. In Maidenhead you only need to buy a one-way ticket from Maidenhead to the next town westward (Twyford), where the Henley line connects with the main line back to Oxford. (Estimated cost: £20)
Leg 6: Maidenhead to Staines-on-Thames (14.5 miles) Buy a return train ticket to Maidenhead. Staines has a train station. Buy a one way ticket back to Maidenhead, where your return ticket will be good to get you back to Oxford. (Estimated cost: £25)
Leg 7: Staines-on-Thames to Hampton Court (12.3 miles) Buy a return train ticket to Staines. At Hampton Court buy a one way ticket back to Staines for the return to Oxford. (Estimated cost: £25)
Leg 8: Hampton Court to Putney Bridge (16 miles) The last 3 legs are all “London” legs, with Underground service running to the start and stop locations. The most economical way to complete these legs is to purchase return tickets on the Oxford Tube (the direct bus service between Oxford and London). The cost of a return ticket on the Tube is £18. Your bus trip to London will take you to Victoria Station, which offers Underground service to Hampton Court (£4-5). At Putney Bridge you can take the Underground to Victoria Station for the return to Oxford. If you intend to spend a lot of time in London, you should consider getting a 12-ticket bundle. For £90 you can purchase 12 one-way tickets, a nice discount over the cost if you buy Tube tickets individually. While train travel to London is quicker, it is also much more expensive. On-peak trips from Oxford to London cost over £60. Off-peak tickets are around £35. The Tube is the more economical option here.
Leg 9: Putney Bridge to Tower Bridge (10 miles) Take the Oxford Tube to Victoria, then the Underground to Putney Bridge. Tower Bridge has a nearby Underground that you can take back to Victoria for the return to Oxford.
Leg 10: Tower Bridge to the Thames Barrier (11 miles) Take the Oxford Tube to Victoria, then the Underground to Tower Bridge. At the Thames Barrier there is no convenient Underground station. I walked about half a mile to a bus stop that had lines running to Greenwich, where Underground service is available.

Northward Journey: Oxford to the Source
Leg 11: Oxford to Newbridge (14 miles) This leg is tricky. From the house you will pick up the Thames Path directly across Port Meadow. I discovered when I arrived in Newbridge that bus options are quite limited. I hiked two miles from Newbridge southward to Kingston Bagpuize on the A415. This was a mistake; do not do this. The road is very dangerous, certainly not designed for pedestrian use. My recommendation here: hire a taxi from Oxford to Newbridge, then hike the path from Newbridge to Oxford. I am uncertain how much a taxi will cost to cover this distance, but the cost will save you a lot of stress. Don’t hike the A415! (Estimated taxi cost: £30-40?)
Leg 12: Newbridge to Lechlade-on-Thames (16.4 miles) Take a taxi to Newbridge. Lechlade-on-Thames does have bus services running from the city. There are several routes. The preferred one will take you from the center of Lechlade toward Whitney. Be forewarned: the bus trip will take about 2 hours, and while there is daily service, it is infrequent. You should confirm the bus schedule before beginning this leg so you do not end up stuck in Lechlade. (Estimated taxi cost: £30-40?)
Leg 13: Lechlade-on-Thames to Cricklade (11 miles) Take a bus to Lechlade. The final two legs of the northward journey are remote enough that I opted to spend the night in Cricklade to complete these legs efficiently. I found an inexpensive but comfortable hotel above a local pub in Cricklade. The room cost just £50. (Bus cost: £6)
Leg 14: Cricklade to the Source (12.3 miles) Good news here: while the Source is remote, it is located just a mile from Kemble, which has a train station where you can catch a one-way back to Oxford. (Estimated cost: £25)

Any final words?
I hope that my journey on the Thames River Path will inspire future Study Abroad students to embrace the wonder of the Thames River. If you hike the path, I hope you will email me, especially if you intend to blog about your journey. Happy rambling!

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