A Thames Journey The Thames River is famous for its history scenery and wildlife It follows a winding course through southern England flowing from the Cotswold hills east toward London and beyond You will follow its 219 mile 352 km journey from source to sea V The Thames is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest river in the United Kingdom Before reaching London it passes through several towns England's River The Thames has shaped England's landscape since prehistoric times In the first century bc Roman London grew up on its banks In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries ships traveled the river carrying raw materials from all over the British Empire Many famous events took place on or near the Thames and your journey will take you past many of England's best known
A Cleaner River Where is the source Sixty years ago the Thames was so polluted that scientists thought it would never recover In the 1960s a big cleanup began and fish once more began to appear in it Now it is one of the world's least polluted urban rivers The Thames starts as a tiny spring bubbling out of the ground at Thames Head near the village of Kemble in Gloucestershire Or does it Some say it should be measured from a place called Severn Springs which is near Andoversford I miles 18 km farther north Severn Springs is the source of the Churn River which joins the Thames at Cricklade No Sea fathy Seven Spring Colm River Port Meadow Ashton Cricklade Marlow Greater London Going Gap Do wNS Windsor Reading River Rather title Tunnel Port of London Heather Burmese Thames Ltuary Southwark Otters once disappeared from the Thames but they are slowly returning as the river becomes Thames Barrier Elizabeth II Bridge Hampton Greenwich Bridge Greater London Cleaner
Severn Springs n The Cotswolds Thames E We Head S Kemble chlade Ashton Cricklade nes For the first part of its journey the Thames is little more than a stream flowing through the Cotswold countryside At this point the river is too shallow for boats so you have to follow the route on foot You ARE HERE Soon after leaving Kemble you pass the pretty Cotswold village of Ashton Keynes Many of the cottages are reached by their own tiny stone bridge across the river The water is crystal clear and you can see schools of tiny fish darting among the weeds v This shady stretch of the river is a perfect place to fish for
What is a lock Locks were first built on the Thames in the eighteenth century to help barges travel the river Locks work like lifts raising or lowering boats from one level to another The locks allow boats to bypass weirs or parts of the river where the water is too shallow or fast flowing Thames Tributaries On its journey the Thames is joined by many smaller streams called tributaries which add to its flow Near Cricklade it is joined by the Churn A little farther on at Lechlade the Leach and Coln flow into it too and the water becomes deep enough for boats The Thames has 50 tributaries not including canals In the Middle Ages barges traveled from Lechlade carrying goods to market in London Mills along the river used water power to grind corn A In earlier times Lechlade just beyond this lock was the highest point on the river that could be reached by barge These rare wild flowers are called snake s head fritillaries They are only found in flood meadows beside the
