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Thames walk 1: Gravesend to Greenhithe // Starting over

  • Writer: Tim Brown
    Tim Brown
  • Feb 22
  • 3 min read

Updated: Feb 25

Back in 2004, my good friend Jo and I went for a walk along the Thames, from Woolwich to Canary Wharf. It was a cold, grey Sunday in January. I loved it, and I probably have more memories of that day than most of the parties I went to back then.


Over the next ten years, Jo and I walked upstream as far as Hampton Court, and downstream as far as the fascinating Hoo Peninsula in the Thames Estuary. I took a lot of not very good photos along the way.


Sometime around 2016, I carried on the walk around the Kent coast, losing Jo along the way (not literally). Sorry, Jo.


When COVID hit, I found myself in a strange situation of being sort of homeless (it’s a long story), so I ended up renting various places around the coast of Britain for short stays (abiding by all the rules, honest). Along the way, I walked the rest of the Kent coastline, along with most of Sussex, Dorset and Norfolk, and a fair chunk of Cornwall too.


I loved Cornwall so much I tried to move there, but my plans were scuppered by the unlikely combination of Liz Truss and meeting the love of my life on a darkened dance floor at ALFOS.


Continuing to live in London has become a bit of a problem for me. I’ve hiked all the Thames and all the coastline within easy reach. So, a few weeks ago I decided to do it all again, but this time with a better camera and some understanding of how to use it. Oh, and I decided to do all the walks in reverse this time, just so I get new views to enjoy.


Which is a very roundabout way of explaining how I ended up in Gravesend on a cold but sunny-ish January morning a few weeks ago. According to my admittedly not very reliable memory, the walk from Greenhithe to Gravesend was one of my favourite stretches along the Thames, mainly because it was so crap and full of ugly industrial sites. I love crap and ugly industrial sites.


I’ll stop writing here, as I promised I wouldn’t write too much, and I have.


Here are a few of my favourite photos of the day. There will be a few more on my Flickr site when I resurrect it soon.


Hope you like them. Oh, and if this hasn’t been too dull, then you can follow me (not actually follow me, that would be weird, and I prefer hiking alone anyway). Pop over to the contact me page and enter your email address, simple.





The old Terrace Tavern pub in Gravesend, advertising Shrimp Brand Beers
I loved the look of this old pub, The Terrace Tavern in Gravesend, and that there used to be a Shrimp Brand Beer. You can read more about the pub here: http://www.dover-kent.com/2014-project-c/Terrace-Tavern-Gravesend.html and more about Shrimp Brand Beer here: https://breweryhistory.com/wiki/index.php/Russell%27s_Gravesend_Brewery_Ltd.
The Tarmac office building in Northfleet.
I love brutalism too (sometimes). Brutalist buildings have the happy knack of being great to photograph; lots of leading lines and perfect symmetry. This building was still in use, just, part of the Tarmac group.
An old decaying industrial building on a wharf in Northfleet by the River Thames
My favourite shot of the day. I love old decaying industrial buildings and this one is brilliant. It was also easily accessible as the protective fence had been knocked down so I could get onto the wharf for a proper look around. The two shots of the old rusting pipework below were taken on the wharf.
Old rusting pipework on a disused wharf in Northfleet on the River Thames
Old rusting pipework and taps on a disused wharf in Northfleet on the River Thames
The Gill Aggregates site by Swanscombe Marshes on the River Thames
What's not to love? This is part of a Gill Aggregates site. Aggregate sites also make for brilliant photographs.

A map of my route from Gravesend to Greenhithe
Date of walk: 20 January 2026 // Distance walked: 14.12km // Elevation gain: 67 metres

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