Sweet Thames, Flow Softly

Posted bynickletjogPosted inDiary

Sunday 17 August 2025

Contemplating our journey, on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Source of the Thames

The Thames Path is one of England’s 15 National Trails, and is the only one of these to follow a river along its entire length. Being relatively accessible and close to home, this 184-mile trek has long been on our list of potential rambles, and so last week, when we saw a few clear days opening up in the diary, Rachel and I decided to embark upon the first four sections of the trail. We agreed, like the majority of walkers, to begin our trek from the river’s source, near to the Cotswold village of Kemble, and to follow the Thames downstream and, eventually, through London to the North Sea estuary.

Our afternoon reconnaissance started and ended at the Thames Head Inn (the large green dot): Rachel and I took the short path over the fields to the Source of the Thames, before exploring the (currently dry) upper catchment of the nascent river

So a two-hour drive on Sunday lunchtime took us to The Thames Head Inn, a well-known hostelry on the busy A433 (once the Roman Fosse Way), a mile to the north of Kemble, and just three miles or so south-west of Cirencester. From here, we took the gentle stroll over the fields to the north, to find the source of the river, and to get into the mood of our upcoming escapade. You will soon see that there is not a lot of water in these parts at this time of year, particularly given the recent dry spell, but here are some pictures of our short afternoon ramble.

The Thames Head Inn, our overnight base, is just a half mile or so across the fields from the Source of the Thames
Over the parched fields, and past this redundant stile . . .
. . . soon brought us to the marker stone at the Source of the Thames – although with not a drop of water to be seen on this hot August day
The wording on the granite marker reads ‘THE CONSERVATORS OF THE RIVER THAMES – 1857 to 1974 – THIS STONE WAS PLACED HERE TO MARK THE SOURCE OF THE RIVER THAMES‘
A moment of reflection, before our true endeavours commence . . .
. . . and a reminder (if one is needed) of the task ahead
The stones at the source mark a some-time spring, that geologists and hydrologists have determined to be the source of the mighty Thames: there has been past debate as to the precise point of the river’s origin, but Rachel and I are complying with contemporary wisdom and starting our trek here
In any event, we had been warned not to expect any water in the stream-bed at this dry time of year . . .
. . . for at least the first few miles!
But we do at least have a valley . . .
. . . that opens out into a wider floodplain on the southern side of the main A533 Fosse Way
Then it was time to re-trace our steps back to base, to prepare for tomorrow’s hike

The good folk at the Thames Head Inn fed us well, both at dinner and again in the morning with a hearty breakfast before our trek commenced – and the manager also allowed us to leave our car with them for these first four days of our walk. So, many thanks are due to the Inn’s team for getting our Thames Path journey off to a fine start! The whole trek might take us, eventually, around 20 days or so to complete on foot, and I will be reporting over the next few days on our progress over the initial four sections of the way and, in due course, on the remainder of our Thames Path adventure.

Sundown at Thames Head, as we turned in for the night

‘Sweet Thames, Flow Softly’ is an easy on the ear ‘call and response’ song, written in 1966 by folk revivalist Ewan MacColl, and performed originally by MacColl and his future wife Peggy Seeger. The gentle melody and poetic lyrics of the number personify the River Thames, using the waterway as a metaphor for love and loss.

Old Father Thames is the river god often depicted as the guardian of the waterway, watching over its vital role as the source of transportation, commerce – and even life itself – for London and its hinterland

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