I recently walked the Thames Path, a 200ish-mile footpath from London to the river’s source. For my Thames Path accommodations, I stayed in hotels and Airbnbs along the way: much of the trip is in urban or suburban areas with few opportunities for camping. One of the reasons I split the trip into two parts was to spread out the costs.
Here’s my main Thames Path post.
Thames Path Day 1: Thames Barrier to Vauxhall
I stayed at: The Chelsea Guest House
In brief: The Chelsea Guest House is nowhere near Chelsea, but rather in Lambeth. It was very small and very cheap, at least for London.
Would I ever go there again? Not by strong choice, though it was fine for one night, and the staff were nice.
I paid: $58
Thames Path Day 2: Vauxhall to Hammersmith Bridge
I stayed at: The Muse Haus Chiswick
In brief: Basically a bed-and-breakfast for the Airbnb age — it’s a big townhouse with shared facilities, including a massive ground floor (with living room and kitchen) and shared bathrooms above.
Would I ever go there again! Yes! And in fact, I did, on a weekend when I came into London.
I paid: $87
Thames Path Day 3: Hammersmith Bridge to Thames Ditton
I stayed at: A private room Airbnb
In brief: A totally fine room in the middle of nowhere in the suburbs
Would I ever go there again? For sure, if I was for some reason in Thames Ditton.
I paid: $68
Thames Path Day 4: Thames Ditton to Kingston-Upon-Thames
I stayed at: The Kings Arms
In brief: Wildly overpriced, with terrible food
Would I ever go there again? Definitely not, and it’s closed, anyway.
I paid: $104
Thames Path Day 5: Kingston-Upon-Thames to Staines
I stayed at: The Swan
In brief: A lovely riverside pub with beautiful, design-conscious rooms and a great restaurant (sorry that picture is so terrible but I was starving.)
Would I ever go there again? In a heartbeat.
I paid: $139
Thames Path Day 6: Staines to Cookham
I stayed at: An Airbnb attic room
In brief: Totally fine.
Would I stay there again? If I had cause to be in Cookham.
I paid: $45
Thames Path Day 7: Cookham to Hambleden
I stayed at: The Stag and Huntsman
In brief: A lovely country inn, about a mile off the path.
Would I stay there again? Yes, it was terrific, and the tiny town was adorable.
I paid: $131
Here I left the path at Henley-on-Thames, and returned two months later. The rest of my Thames Path accommodations follow:
Thames Path Day 8: Henley-on-Thames to Pangbourne
I stayed at: A single room Airbnb
In brief: It was very cheap!
Would I stay there again? If I happened to be in Pangbourne!
I paid: $38
Thames Path Day 9: Pangbourne to Wallingford
I stayed at: A rather luxurious double room Airbnb
In brief: Convivial hosts and a very nice room, plus a sweet bathroom.
Would I stay there again? Sure.
I paid: $55
Thames Path Day 10: Wallingford to Oxford
Note: I skipped about 6 miles here by bus so I could finish the path before needing to return home. Also, I hated this part of the hike, going into Oxford, almost as much as I enjoyed walking out of it.
I stayed at: An Airbnb I did not enjoy very much
In brief: Blergh.
Would I stay there again: Nope.
I paid: A low price for the area: $50
Thames Path Day 11: Oxford to Witney
I stayed at: Rose Revived
In brief: There are few choices along this patch of river, and what there is is expensive.
Would I stay there again? Not at this price
I paid: $170(!)
Thames Path Day 12: Witney to Buscot
I stayed at: Buscot Manor
In brief: Exceedingly friendly host with a properly grand country bed-and-breakfast
Would I stay there again: Yes
I paid: $107
Thames Path Day 13: Buscot to Cricklade
I stayed at: The Old Bear Inn
In brief: A back-of-the-pub room, nothing fancy
Would I stay there again? It was fine.
I paid: $66
And that was it for my Thames Path accommodations! Though I’ll note that I liked The Stag and the Huntsman so much that I went back.
