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Peter went for a hike
April 6, 2026
Woolwich to Erith - Thames Path Extension
02:57
15.1km
5.1km/h
70m
80m
This is one of the less beautiful stretches of the Thames Path, although it has its moments, and TBH the weather was so nice that I even enjoyed the rubbish bits.
After Woolwich the path is still somewhat wild and gravelly, with some decent views back to the City and Docklands. I took a quick detour into Gallions Reach Park, a surprisingly nice park with a large artificial mound that gives some beautiful views.
After that it got a little less interesting until Crossness Pumping Station, a beautiful Victorian brick complex; there were, to my surprise, lots of birdwatchers around and I saw that in the low tide there were lots of unusual (to me) birds: Redshanks, Shelducks, Godwits, Oystercatchers, Teal, and more. One of the birdwatchers told me its because they come to feed on the fish which come to feed on the poo coming out of the sewage station!
It was lunchtime but the smell of poo was very strong and this wasn’t a beautiful spot, so I took another little detour into Crossness Nature Reserve for lunch among the birds and horses.
Then back onto the path, the final stretch to Erith is quite industrial and unlovely, the major highlight being randomly bumping into one of my occasional walking group coming in the opposite direction! Then into Erith itself, a somewhat forgotten little town with the sad sight of tattered flags flying from lampposts and windows.
I enjoyed it all in all because of the weather and a few interesting spots, but certainly this isn’t a highlight section.
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