Kemble Village – Source of the River Thames loop from Kemble

Hiking trails & Routes

Kemble Village – Source of the River Thames loop from Kemble

Moderate

4.6

(24)

hikers

Kemble Village – Source of the River Thames loop from Kemble

04:13

16.3km

90m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily walkable paths. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: November 1, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

The Cotswolds National Landscape

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

200 m

Kemble Railway Station

Highlight • Rest Area

Kemble railway station is a railway station that serves the village of Kemble in Gloucestershire, England. The station is on the Swindon to Gloucester "Golden Valley" line, 90 miles 79 chains (146.4 km) from the zero point at Paddington. Despite its rural location, Kemble station has a high number of passengers, due mainly to the proximity of Cirencester.

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256 m

The Tavern Inn

Highlight • Pub

A pretty little pub, the kind we would often visit on our way along the Thames. The food is very good here, and there is even a small library inside for children. You can also eat outside, but the beer garden is very sunny, so we preferred to stay inside when it was 32 degrees.

Translated by Google •

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474 m

Kemble Village

Highlight • Settlement

Kemble is the closest settlement to the source of the Thames and is often visited by those starting the Thames Path long-distance hike. It is also the end point for the Wysis Way, a superb trek which links the Offa's Dyke Path to the Thames Path by way of the Wye Valley and the Cotswolds.

The village is superbly accessible thanks to its pretty railway station, which has direct services to London Paddington, Swindon, Gloucester and Cheltenham. Just to the west of the village is Cotswold Airport, which is used by light industry.

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1.58 km

Shaded Woodland Path

Highlight • Trail

What you don't expect: You'll be happy to find shade on the Thames Path, as large parts of it are very sunny and temperatures are around 30 degrees, especially in summer. Even when it rains, a little protection from trees is good. In the event of a thunderstorm, it's definitely advisable to take refuge in a small wood like this instead of continuing on the path in open terrain. We needed to do this twice.

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13.6 km

Railway Crossing Gate

Highlight • Rest Area

15.0 km

Source of the River Thames

Highlight • River

park at the end of the hike. start of hike missed but is easy to find from top of railway road. We came back via road as access that isn't recorded has a very high turnstile and so not as accessible as the rest of the walk

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