Thames Path South East Extension
16 km / 10 miles
The waymarked Thames Path Extension, which extends the national trail east but does not have National Trail status, follows the south bank downstream from the Thames Barrier to Crayford Ness along east London's working river to link the Thames Path National Trail to the London Loop at Erith, after which these two routes run together with the Cray Riverway.
Starting with views upstream of the high-tech Thames flood barrier, with its visitor centre, and Canary Wharf's striking modern office towers behind, it soon passes the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, part of Britain's maritime heritage. There is a mixture of marshland, industrial infrastructure and pumping stations, small nature reserves, riverside apartments at Thamesmead and a domestic waterfront at Erith, until the Crayford saltmarshes are reached with views to the slender Dartford QE II bridge spanning the river downstream beyond the finish east of Crayford Ness, where the simpler flood barrier on the River Darent ends the route.
Some parts of the riverside can be subject to flooding at high tide - see the Port of London Authority website for tide times. Being a riverside walk it is flat and it generally provides good access for restricted users along with many public transport links.
Connected Paths:
Details:
| Waymark: | Thames Barge (white) on named signs | |
| Attributes: | River; Urban | |
| Start: | TQ417794 - Thames Barrier, Woolwich, Greater London  |
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| Finish: | TQ539777 - Darent Flood Barrier, Crayford Ness, Erith, Greater London |
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| Web Sites: | Port of London Tide Times | |
| Walk London - Strategic Walks Information Service |
Maps:The map to the right is from the Ordnance Survey. You can use the interactive controls to zoom in and out and to move around the map, or click on a marker for more info. (interactive map help) |
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| Ordnance Survey Maps (path is named on OS maps): | |
| OS Landranger: | 177 |
| OS Explorer: | 162 |
| OS Explorer Active: | 162 |
Route Profile:
| 17.0 Km (10.6 miles) 116 m (381 ft) ascent 10 m (33 ft) maximum height |
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Publications, Badges and Certificates:
| Leaflets: | Thames Path: In Greater London (Walk London - Strategic Walks Information Service - 2006) |