a river runs through it

The Thames Path

Not a standard urban space, more one that stitches London's best together, The Thames Path slices through the city from the Thames Barrier to Surrey and beyond to the river source.

Other national walks, like the Capital Ring, are man-made; the Thames Path just officially links the many towpaths and embankments that have been trod for centuries. It tells the story of London, from the docks and heavy industry of the East, through to the palaces of royalty and the landed gentry - and the reinvention and reuse that any old city has to embrace. Pockets of modernism spring through, though: the Thames Barrier, Millennium Dome, South Bank. 21st century follies to those from the 14th.

It's a path for walking, exercising, meandering, cycling, boating, eating, talking, remembering and forgetting; those wanting quick respite from the city surrounding, to those rambling from end to end. It's London's dichotomy at its best, a densely packed city with constant access to nature and the countryside.

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I can't think of any other city that can offer both the long deep history of a river like the Thames, nor the public right of way from one end to the other. The best cities have a river running through, but none offer the diversity of city life like the Thames - industry, folly, work, pleasure, greenery, countryside, but still unmistakably urban.

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