Inspired by a map from www.mdlmarinas.co.uk called RIVER THAMES map of the river and the paths. a group of us descided it would be nice to cycle it, but i may be more difficult that assumed.
A log of various resources to plan/descide the best route:
A log of various resources to plan/descide the best route:
Can I cycle on the
Thames Path? 
The
Thames Path National Trail is not a long-distance route for cyclists. Most of
the Thames Path is a public footpath on which cyclists have no legal right to
ride unless they have permission from the landowners - cycling without
permission is a trespass offence against the landowners.
Outside
London there are a few sections that can be cycled, with the longest stretches
being the 5.4 miles (8.7km) stretch through Oxford and the 10 miles (16km)
length from Weybridge to Teddington Lock. Additionally, the riding of cycles
through lock gardens on sections that can be cycled is prohibited by the
Environment Agency. Please see our Cycling page
where you can download maps of the sections that can be cycled.
Within
London some boroughs allow cycling on the Thames Path but it is a disjointed
picture. See the FAQ on London cycling below for further information.
Cyclists
wanting a long distance cycle ride on a National Trail should not attempt the
Thames Path. The National Trails that can be cycled are the western half
(approx 43 miles (69km)) of The Ridgeway National Trail and the whole of the South Downs Way National Trail, and Pennine Bridleway . Information on
other long distance cycling routes can be obtained from Sustrans, including the Thames Valley
Cycle Route, a 97 miles (155km) route from London to Oxford that does in places
share the same route as the Thames Path. See our Publications page
for details of how to purchase this from us.
PDF maps of cycle routes along the Thames path can be
downloaded here:
Associated Downloads
Alternative
long-distance cycle routes:
Cyclists wanting a long-distance ride should not attempt the Thames
Path. The National Trails that can be cycled are the western half (approx 43
miles (69km)) of The Ridgeway, the whole of the South
Downs Way and Pennine Bridleway .
Information on cycling routes can be obtained from Sustrans,
including the Thames Valley Cycle Route, a 97-mile (155km) route from London to
Oxford that in places shares the same route as the Thames Path. The map for
this route can be purchased from us via our publications page
Other sites:
Although you can't cycle much of the Thames Path as most of it is a public footpath, there are some nice parts where you can. These are shown in the table below which includes other sections that are not on the Thames Path.
The National Cycle Network - routes four and five - take you next to the river for short periods before leading you to other scenic areas of the countryside.
For a list of cycling leaflets, books and maps covering the River Thames area, visit the Sustrans website.
* National Cycle Network, Route 5
** National Cycle Network, Route 4
*** Not a section of the Thames Path
There are detailed maps available on the Thames Path National Trail website. These show the routes listed above that follow the river as well as other sections where cycling is permitted along the Thames Path.
