No, it isn’t near Lewes, but this is an extraordinary walk.
I went to school within sight and smell of the Thames at Greenwich and I’ve always thought that it was the tidal Thames that was most worth exploring. I wanted to walk from my home area down to the sea. This is the working Thames, the warlike Thames, the Thames that gave London much of its history. Always grand, sometimes frightening, often lonely, this is one of the wildest areas of south-east England.
The Thames Path National Trail ends rather prissily at the Thames barrier. But on this site you can find out a walk along the banks of the Thames in Kent, one of the most unknown and amazing walks in South-East England. You can also find a description of a link along the Thames from the Thames Barrier to the start of the Kentish Thames walk- a sort of prequel.
The Kentish Thames Walk is not waymarked as such (although it may be waymarked as the English Coast path) but it is all on rights of way.
It can be done as a long distance walk, on its own as a walk of about 36 miles, or as a grande finale to a walk from the source of the Thames, or in manageable day trip segments of between 7 and 10 miles.
Update 18/10/2023- The English Coast path has opened over this whole area. In many places it takes the same route as the Kentish Thames Walk. You can find an interactive map of the coast path with updates on diversions here.
The first written guide to the Coast Path has appeared. It is “The England Coast Path – Book 1 The South Coast” by Christopher Goddard ISBN-13: 9781913625092. It covers the whole coastal path from Greenwich to the river Exe in Devon. The description is more up to date than the description on this web site, which was researched some years ago. However the maps are very small scale and you are likely to have to rely on the signage on the ground.
I have decided to keep these pages on the site because, where the route differs they offer you an alternative and also there may be some information not included in other guides. I will not be updating the pages however.
The Kentish Thames prequel, Thames Barrier to Dartford
The Kentish Thames 1- Dartford to Greenhithe
The Kentish Thames 2- Greenhithe to Gravesend
The Kentish Thames 3- Gravesend to Cliffe
The Kentish Thames 4- Cliffe to High Halstow
The Kentish Thames 5 – High Halstow to All Hallows and the London Stone
LOGISTICS
Transport
Each stage starts and finishes at a railway station or a bus stop with a frequent service, so the walk can be done as a series of day trips with easy access to London or most of Kent. However buses to the Hoo peninsula do not run on Sundays or bank holidays. Buses to Cliffe, High Halstow and All Hallows run to Rochester and Chatham, not Gravesend. Full details here
Accommodation
This is not really a tourist area, so many hotels are designed for overnight stays for those using major roads and on their way to somewhere else. There are clusters of hotels in Dartford, Gravesend and Chatham. You can find them on www.booking.com Have a look at the location and the reviews. Many hotels are out of town near the motorways and therefore not very convenient, although there are a cluster near the Dartford river crossing that could be useful. Some of the town centre accommodation gets poor reviews, so be selective.
Orchard Cottage in Cliffe Woods, a couple of bus stops away from Cliffe, gets consistently good reviews.
You could hire a caravan at the Haven Holidays site in All Hallows. Outside of the school holidays prices can be very affordable and the minimum stay is 3 days. You would have some distance to travel during the earlier walks.
Conclusion
Do let me know your experiences on this walk at travelman@travelloglewes.co.uk