The Thames Down Link is a official walking route linking the

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996. The ...

and the

North Downs Way The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beaut ...

. It starts in the town centre of

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

and finishes at

Box Hill & Westhumble railway station Box Hill & Westhumble is a railway station in the village of Westhumble in Surrey, England, approximately north of Dorking town centre. Box Hill is located approximately to the east. It is down the line from . Train services are operated b ...

Name

The path is so called as it connects the River Thames with the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills ...

, the hill range which is to the south as far as the western border of Surrey.

Sources

The route starts at

town centre and finishes at

. The path follows as closely as possible the banks of the Hogsmill River through the urban fringes of Kingston passing

Berrylands railway station Berrylands railway station is a National Rail station in the borough of Kingston upon Thames, London. It is south-west of and is situated between and . Location Berrylands, operated by South Western Railway, is on the South West Main Line. ...

. South of this it is more rural following the banks of the river south through fields to the A3 and under the

South West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

railway line. A pavemented section by roads passes through Old Malden. After crossing the A240 near Tolworth centre the walk leaves the Hogsmill River and continues on a narrow green strip between houses and beside a stream to reach the

Horton Country Park Horton Country Park is a Local Nature Reserve north-west of Epsom in Surrey. It is owned and managed by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council. The park is a wooded recreation and amenities area occupying the east of a narrow upland watershed betwe ...

, Ewell. The route follows a wide path through the country park soon passing the former

West Park Hospital West Park Hospital is a modern NHS adult psychiatric hospital in Darlington, County Durham, England. It is managed by the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital was procured under a Private Finance Initiative ('P ...

. It continues over elevated

Epsom Common Epsom Common is a Local Nature Reserve in Epsom in Surrey. It is owned and managed by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council. It is part of Epsom and Ashtead Commons, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This is a nationally important wildlife lo ...

and then crosses the Sutton and Mole Valley Lines to reach Ashtead Park. The route then passes through the edge of

Ashtead Ashtead is a large village in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, approximately south of central London. Primarily a commuter settlement, Ashtead is on the single-carriageway A24 between Epsom and Leatherhead. The village is on ...

and then begins to climb up to the

, crossing the

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 the lon ...

and then following the ancient Stane Street Roman Road through Tyrrell's Wood and on over Mickleham Downs from where a trip to neighbouring Box Hill on the path to the south is recommended for those making the return journey by foot. It otherwise reaches further south then west to reach the A24 and the

which continues west about 200 metres to

(Chapel Lane, Westhumble).

External links

Thames Down Link
(text route instructions)
Lower Mole Project - countryside and healthy walks

Thames Down Link
(Long Distance Walkers Association)
Full GPX track at gps-routes.co.uk
{{Transport in Surrey Footpaths in Surrey Long-distance footpaths in England

Name

Sources

See also

External links