Paddle the Thames: A Guide for Canoes, Kayaks and Sups

This book is brilliant. It's written in a really clever way that makes planning trips really easy, giving itineraries and suggestions of sections to do. The level of information in it is really impressive and you can tell that the author knows their subject very well.It's a godsend for planning a trip if you don't know the area that well and it not only gives you everything you need to know about the river itself, but also parking, camp sites and countless bits of interesting local facts and history.Fully recommend it. I'll be getting the other river books by this author too!

The big problem with paddling many of our rivers is knowing where to launch from and when to end our trips. In some ways for the Thames because of its popularity this is even more of an issue with many places that look possible from a glance at a map proving to be unusable due tot he need to park on or cross private land. This practical guide is a great help here as the writer and his friends have paddled from and to all the launch points they document and give good advice on how to use them. For example some pubs are happy for you to park and launch if you are happy to have a meal there.One big downside is that all the distances are given in French so you will need to convert to miles and of course elevations tend to be in french too so you will need to convert to feet before they mean anything.

I wanted to leave a review unusually because this is a lovely publication. It is clearly a passion project with one man's exploration of the Thames from Source to Estuary outlined - Mark and his family and friends have documented the length of the river, and characterised each of the sections - with things to see and look out for, places along the way, historical venues and backwaters to explore, as well as describing the sweep of the scenery and the river conditions and history as well. And the photos are lovely - more like a friend's holiday photos than a glossy professional portfolio. But I like them all the more for that. I have just bought a kayak and live near the upper Thames, in Oxford, and I wanted to know how to access the beauty of the river with my new found kayaking passion. This book has given me everything I need, and I can't wait to (over the years maybe) explore all section of the Thames on my kayak. Thanks Mark Rainsley and your publishers - fantastic book, that will be perfect for anyone wanting to get on that beautiful river and get exploring.

It answered all the questions that I needed to know, just brilliant

Great book all you need to use the thames

Good and clear guide to paddling on the Thames.

We used this book for planning a camping/kayak trip down the Thames. It made planning easy to find out about the launching sites, campsites and the history of the section we were travelling through.

Good overview by someone who's clearly been there & done it. A bit more practical info like more on campsites, lock facilities and nearby shops, etc would be useful.