Thames Path: Belvedere To Greenwich Walk

Looking for a walk in London? Why not try the Thames path? This long-distance trail follows the longest river in England for 184 miles (296km). Part of the trail passes by London, from Richmond to Dickensian, for 79.5 miles (127.94km). In this post, I am taking you on a portion of the Thames path from Belvedere to Greenwich.

Belvedere to Greenwich walk features image showing View of the Thames from the Cable Car

Logistic for the Thames path: Belvedere to Greenwich walk

Distance: 12.5 miles (20km)
Ascent: Flat
Walking estimate: 6 hours 15 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate due to the distance. However, you can shorten the walk and do Woolwich to Greenwich which is 6.94 miles (11.16km) to make it an easy walk
How to get there: Trains from London Bridge. Belvedere is in fare zone 5 so you only need your Oyster card or contactless card.
What to pack: Comfortable clothing, pair of trainers for walking in concrete, water (2 litres recommended)

Highlights of the Thames path: Belvedere to Greenwich walk

Crossness Nature Reserve
The Assembly
Hydra and Khali
The O2
The cable car
Cutty Sark
Greenwich University
Greenwich park
The Royal Observatory

Belvedere to Greenwich walk

Belvedere to Gallions Reach

We arrive at Belvedere Station. My tip is that there is a massive Asda behind the station, so you can get your food and drinks for the day from there. I would also advise you to use the customer toilets there as there are no facilities until the O2.

It is not easy to join the Thames path from Belvedere due to the lack of signage. I strongly recommend that you take a map with you. To get to the Thames path, we need to follow the B253 until we reach Erith marshes. This area is classified as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. As we walk on the field, we meet some horses. We arrive at Crossness Nature Reserve, which was closed that day, so we had to take a detour. The reserve is a site of 25.5 hectares in the marshes. It is one of the few remaining grazing marshes in London.

Once we arrive at the river, we follow the path, walking alongside a sewage plant. This is not the nicest part of the walk. Once we pass the plant, we continue our walk by going through Barking Reach and Gallions Reach.

Woolwich to the O2

We then arrive at Woolwich where we are greeted by partially moulded steel sculptures in the middle of the Royal Arsenal Heritage Site. Sculpted by Peter Burke, the “Assembly” represents a group of men getting together.

The Assembly, empty sculptures, Woolwich Arsenal. Thames path — The Assembly

We continue our walk through the Thames path and arrive at the Thames Barrier. They are designed to protect the floodplains of Greater London from being flooded during exceptional weather conditions such as storms coming from the North Sea. They have been in operation since 1982.

A little further down, we admire one of the two sculptures of Damien Hirst on the Thames path. This 17-foot-high sculpture on the tide represents the Hindu goddess Khali fighting a multiple-headed serpent, the Hydra.

Hydra and Khali sculpture, Thames path — Hydra and Khali

We then arrive at the O2 arena where we stop for a break. The arena opened in 2007 and is an entertainment complex with a music stage, restaurants, shops, a bowling alley and a cinema. It has a capacity of 20,000 making it the second-largest music arena in the UK behind Manchester Arena.

The Cable Car to Greenwich

We then jump on the Cable Car by the O2. The service, linking both sides of the Thames, opened in 2012. It is the highest viewpoint over the river, reaching heights of 90 metres (295 feet). TFL operates the service, so you just need your Oyster or contactless card.

View of the Thames from the Cable Car — The Thames from the Cable Car

After taking countless pictures up in the air, we hop off the Cable Car on the North Bank. We walk to the Greenwich footpath.

Canary Wharf as we are walking from the Cable Car to Greenwich footpath — Walking from the Cable cars to the Greenwich footpath

As we approach the footpath, we can see Greenwich University on the opposite bank. The university, founded by Frank Didden, opened in 1891 and now has more than 18,000 students.

Greenwich University with the Cutty Shark masts on the right side — Greenwich University

We cross the Thames and come face to face with the Cutty Sark on the other side of the footpath. The Cutty Sark was built in 1869 and was originally intended for the tea trade with China before the steamers took over. It was therefore repurposed for transporting wool from Australia to England. In 1954, the ship was towed to Greenwich and after three years of renovation, it was opened to the public by Queen Elizabeth II.

We then stopped at Greenwich market for some food before a walk to the park. Greenwich Park was used by Henry VIII to hunt deer. This 74 hectares park is part of the Royal Parks of London. Nested at the top of the hill we find the Royal Observatory. It was built in 1675 and plays an important role as the Prime meridian passes through it. We end our walk enjoying our food sitting under a tree. A well-deserved rest after a long walk. Bon appetit!