Walking the Thames Path with John Tippetts

Through the years, I’ve become quite fond of the idea of visiting select parts of England to accomplish a variety of things. One aspect of English culture that I’m absolutely in love with is walking. As of right now, there are 16 National Trails for walkers to take advantage of and in total, between England and Wales, there are over 2,500 miles of path to enjoy. If you’re a walker like I am, I’d say visiting England is something to strive for.

A few days ago, I was browsing YouTube in search of a nice English video to watch while sitting back, enjoying my afternoon. I stumbled across one that detailed the source of the River Thames. The video was well made and described the area beautifully. I decided to pursue the gentleman who created the video to learn more about him. After visiting his corresponding website, I was convinced I needed to know more. After all, the gentleman who created the video was an avid walker as well. He’s walked miles and miles of the Thames Path and certainly had some insight – I was sure of it. The gentleman’s name is John and once I was in contact with him, I asked if I could possibly ask him a few questions regarding his travels for this website. He graciously agreed, so I present his interview to you below. Please read it through and enjoy the stories and photos he’s shared. They’re stunningly wonderful. And John, I wholeheartedly thank you for taking the time to write some wonderful responses to my questions. I learned a lot about you and the Thames Path and I hope my readers do too.

Who is John Tippetts? Where do you call home? What are your general interests? Can you please tell me a bit about yourself?

I’m John Tippetts. I live in a small market town in Northamptonshire, England. Where I live is semi-rural, so there is plenty of countryside in walking distance of my house. I was lucky enough to be made redundant nearly 5 years ago at the age of 64 and chose to retire at the same time. My 2 main interests are walking and taking photos but I also enjoy gardening and going away with my long-term girlfriend when we’re able to.

I initially discovered you by watching a fantastic video on YouTube about the source of the River Thames. You did some great aerial videography with your drone. Where is the source located and what is it about the area that interests you?

The official source of the River Thames is a spring in a meadow called Trewsbury Mead which is near Kemble, a village in Gloucestershire. A commemoration stone marks the location of the spring. Having said that, there are numerous springs in the vicinity but this one was chosen to be the source. I say ‘official source’ because there is at least one other location some miles away that has a strong claim. The arguments have been raging for years as to which is the true source. The way I look at it is that the Thames Path National Trail has its start/end point in Trewsbury Mead and that’s good enough for me.

The reason I made that video was that not many walkers get to see water at the source. Each time I had been there up to January 2023, it had been completely dry. In fact, during long spells of dry weather, the source and the river bed can be bone dry for up to 5 miles. The spring water comes from the limestone aquifers of the Cotswolds when the level of the groundwater in the limestone reaches a certain level and this occurs only after prolonged spells of heavy rain. Most people who walk the Thames Path choose not to do so in the winter months; hence why not that many walkers like myself have seen water at the source. I made a one-off trip to the source in January 2023 more in hope than anything else. I just couldn’t believe my luck at what I saw. I know this sounds a bit sad!

Upon clicking a link in the video description that led to your website, I learned that you completed the 185-mile Thames Path three times. That’s quite the feat. What inspired you to take on the challenge of walking the path in its entirety and what inspires you to continue to do so?

If you look at my website – you’ll be able to read and see what inspired me to first walk the Thames Path from London to the source in 2020. I believe BBC’s opening to their coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games provided the inspiration that 8 years later surfaced from my subconscious and I decided to do something about it. Their program started with a whistlestop journey from the source of the Thames to the Olympic Stadium in East London –  In fact I remember making it a New Year’s resolution on January 1st 2020!

In 2021, I decided to walk from the source back to London because I’d enjoyed the walk so much the first time. Also, to challenge myself I wanted to complete the walk in fewer stages than 2020. Mission accomplished!

In January 2022, a 47 mile extension of the England Coast Path from the Thames Estuary at Grain into London opened. At the same time the Thames Path in London was extended slightly to meet the England Coast Path at Woolwich. This meant that for the first time there is now a fully signed walking path from the sea to the source. Needless to say, I had to take this challenge on and at the same time complete the Thames Path in fewer stages than in 2021. To achieve this would require one 26 mile section, which would be further than I’d ever walked before in a single day. Mission accomplished!

In 2023 I will be walking the Thames Path and England Coast Path from source to sea and once again I will hope to complete in fewer stages than previous years. I think this will be my toughest as it will include two marathon length walks.

Another reason I keep walking the Thames Path is that there is always something different to see along the route, especially if you walk at different times of the year.

I’m a walker. A few select folks around the world are walkers. We all have our reasons for walking. What are yours?

I started walking after I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and it took off from there. Whilst still working I made sure that come what may, every lunchtime I went for a walk, even if just around the block. It did wonders for clearing my head and setting me up for the afternoon. Since retiring, I endeavour to go for a long walk every day with a daily target of 8 miles. Quite apart from the health benefits, both physical and mental, I really enjoy experiencing the world around me, be it in the countryside or the city. I also believe that after giving up work it’s still important to have challenges. To this end, as well as walking trails like the Thames Path end to end, I also take part in virtual walking challenges. You get a real sense of achievement and the virtual challenges give you a daily push to get out walking.

One example of how walking can raise your spirits is as follows. After 3 months of being locked down in 2020, I decided I wanted to get back to walking the Thames Path. Using public transport was still a no-no, so I drove to the start of a section and decided I’d walk the 7 miles and then walk back again to my car. It was a lovely warm sunny day at the end of May and as soon as I got back on the path and was walking alongside the Thames, this amazing feeling of well being just hit me. I thought to myself at the time that doctors should prescribe a walk like this to anybody suffering from depression as a result of having been locked down. I was on a real high all day. This shows the power of walking.

I also have a very enquiring mind. If I see something new on any walk I make sure I Google it when I get home to increase my knowledge. This is why I now consider myself to be a real Thames Path nerd and my knowledge of all things London in particular has increased immensely! As an example, prior to walking the Thames Path for the first time I’d never heard of an ancient annual tradition called Swan Upping. Thanks to doing some research I now know a great deal about it and witnessed it with my own eyes in 2021 and 2022.

What lessons did you learn during your very first complete walk of the Thames Path that you brought with you during your subsequent walks?

The main thing I learned was to not just walk for the sake of it but take in everything you walk past. I was quite surprised at how many places and points of interest I missed the first time. It might have helped if I’d done a bit more research into what I’d see before setting off. Instead I purely concentrated on the practicalities of how to get to the start and finish of each section I walked. I also learned to check for flood alerts before setting out on walks.

Completing a challenge such as walking the Thames Path is something to be extraordinarily proud of. It’s something I can imagine would change a person. Have your walks changed you at all? If so, how so?

Walking the Thames Path certainly gave me confidence in my own ability to walk long distances. Hence why in 2022 I completed two stages as one 26 mile long stage. It also gave me the confidence to take part in a charity marathon walk with 3 of my siblings a few months later along the same route.

For your upcoming 2023 walk, what types of adventures are you planning? What types of challenges do you anticipate? If you do foresee any challenges, how do you plan on overcoming them?

This year I have already completed The Ridgeway National Trail, something I’ve been thinking about doing for a number of years. The Ridgeway is 87 miles from start to finish. It’s referred to as “Britain’s oldest road” and as the name implies, it follows a ridge of chalk hills from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Avebury in Wiltshire. It was a wonderful walk and I could well imagine travellers, herdsmen and other people using the same route thousands of years ago. With lots of going up and down hills, the landscape was completely different from the Thames Path which is virtually flat.

My next big walk will be the Cotswold Way, another of the UK’s national trails. This one is 102 miles from Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire to Bath in Somerset. Like The Ridgeway, this walk has quite a few steep climbs.

I will of course also be walking the Thames Path from source to sea this year. I often meet up with one of my sisters who lives in the Chiltern Hills where there are some wonderful walks. Where I live makes it quite easy to go for day walks in the Peak District of England.

How does weather factor into your adventures? Do you need to plan around/avoid certain seasons or weather events?

Weather is really important to me. For example, I do not relish trudging through thick mud whilst it’s raining at the same time. I can’t see the fun in doing this. Large upstream sections of the Thames Path for instance have a tendency to flood during a wet winter. That is why I haven’t yet started my 2023 walks along it because we continue to have so much rain over here at the moment. I also have a thing about photos taken with grey skies – I don’t like them! As the photos taken on a walk such as the Thames Path are almost as important to me as the walk itself, I do my utmost to avoid days where I’m unlikely to see any sun. I do make reference on my website to this obsession I have, pointing out the effect grey skies have on my mood and that I have even been known to revisit places on holiday to retake photos I’d taken earlier in the holiday when the weather wasn’t sunny. Yes – I know I’m a bit of a weirdo!!

I was able to walk The Ridgeway National Trail in February this year because it’s hilly and not prone to flooding and also the days I chose were wonderful, crisp sunny days.

My walking photos are my screensaver on my PC. I absolutely love seeing them and looking back at the great times I’ve had on my walks. My photos are guaranteed to lift my mood.

Anything that’s 185 miles long must have its highs and lows. What were your favorite parts of the Thames Path and what were some parts you wish weren’t there? Where were the most beautiful spots and where were the areas you’d rather avoid?

Favourite parts – reaching the end each time. In particular, on the first time I did the walk I finished at the source on a hot sunny afternoon with the large marker stone advising me I’d arrived at the source of the Thames. I was on a real high for the rest of the day.

Low part – In March 2020 flooding along one section got so bad that I was forced to turn back but not before my feet got an absolute soaking. A few days later our government announced the first COVID lockdown which effectively stopped any progress along the path for 3 months.

The thing I love most about the Thames Path is variety – it not only takes in all of Central London with all its history but also some beautiful towns and villages in 5 English counties. Away from the built up areas are miles and miles of water meadows that are rich in flora and fauna. Most of the path is right alongside the river, so there is added interest from boats or people paddleboarding etc. I mentioned earlier that there is always something new to see and this is why I’ve walked it as many times as I have. I am a little obsessed with it.

My favourite section is from Marlow to Henley – it is just so picturesque. I wouldn’t say there is any area I’d rather avoid because the less attractive areas, all in East London, are part of the history of the Thames and London.

How did you study up on the Thames Path? Are there available resources that assisted you? Have you come across any helpful literature that someone such as myself might take advantage of if I were to challenge myself to take the walk as well?

I mentioned earlier that I didn’t do much research at all. I started with a Google search of ‘Thames Path’ which came up with nearly 15 million hits! What I really wanted to know was how to break the path down into manageable walks that a solo walker could undertake taking into account that the closer to the source you get, the less public transport there is. There were a number of blog sites like the one I’ve created and I hit on one which I used as the basis for my walks. Having arrived at the breakdown I then researched the public transport to get me to the start of each section and from the end of each section. That was basically my research! I should point out that I live in Northamptonshire which is about 80 miles from the start of the Thames Path in East London. For all but the final 50 miles of the path I could walk a section as a day trip from home, getting to the start either by train or by driving my car. Whilst I could have done the final 50 miles as day trips, they would have been very long days, so I chose to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights. The idea of camping is totally alien to me by the way!
I didn’t bother with maps because the signage all along the trail is so good – just follow the signs.

There are plenty of publications but the recommended one is this one.

Did you meet any interesting characters during your journeys? How do walkers generally interact when seeing others on the Path or venues such as pubs, restaurants, hotels, etc…?

I always meet lots of lovely people on my walks. More often than not we just say ‘Hello’ or something like that as we pass one another. When I first walked the Thames Path in 2020, I’d just started one section and recognised a walker who had been staying at my hotel. We got talking and I ended up walking the whole section with him, even though his pace slowed me down. Similarly in 2021, I recognised a walker who I knew from his photo on the Facebook group I’m a member of. I approached him and asked if his name was Phil. He confirmed it was and we ended up doing half a section together, parting company after a lunchtime drink at a pub. Both of these characters had interesting stories to tell.

Here’s an extract from my website of one of my walks in 2020 – “Just beyond the lock I caught up with a fellow walker (I do tend to walk quite fast!). As is customary, I said ‘Hello’ to him as I was about to overtake him and he responded accordingly. I also said what a beautiful day it was and that triggered the opening of the floodgates! He told me all sorts of things about how badly lockdown had affected him mentally, not helped by having to work from home and not being able to see his GP girlfriend who lived in Sweden. He described a number of physical ailments that had developed, one of which was really bad toothache which almost resulted in the removal of a tooth. He had been bottling everything up but had at last realised that he needed some help. He was in fact waiting for a call from a counsellor. As someone who’s struggled at times with anxiety, I was quite happy to listen to everything he wanted to say and was able to offer some advice and encouragement from my own experiences. I know that the brain can play dreadful tricks on you – such as the toothache he had and I told him this. Harping back to the first walk I did post-lockdown from Tilehurst to Sonning, I told him that I thought GPs should prescribe walks like this to patients with anxiety issues resulting from lockdown. Anyway, after about 10 minutes, we wished each other well and he thanked me for listening to him and my advice. He told me what a really nice person I was! He loved my smile he said, as that cheered him up. That made my day – actually ‘No!’ – that made my week!!”

Did you have to do any training for such an endeavor? Did you purchase special walking shoes or gear that would make your life easier?

No. I only decided on January 1st 2020 that I would do this and set off on my first walk on January 4th. Admittedly this was only a 9 mile stage, albeit that my FitBit said I walked considerably further (which I know I did). The fact that my regular daily walk was 8 miles obviously helped. I’ve been wearing the same brand of walking shoes for many years now – Merrell MOAB GTX. I’ve always got on well with them and they don’t need any breaking in. I tend to go through about 3 pairs a year.

And finally, what was it like when you finished your walks and returned to normal life? Was there a “decompression” period that you used to unwind so you could settle into daily life again?

There is always a sense of elation at having completed a challenge and then I’m thinking about where I can walk next. I do tend to take too many photos of each walk so after each one I spend ages editing and keeping just the best ones.

By the way, the YouTube video I made was my first attempt at making a video from drone footage. My drone is a new addition to my photographic equipment and I plan to use it more on my walks this year. Also, my website is the first website I’ve ever put together so I’m continually learning thanks to my walks.