A Hampton boy of 10 and his father walk the Thames Path from source to sea, 185 miles in 17 days. They pass through the borough on 1 and 2 September.

A 10-year-old from Hampton and his father reach their home stretch of the Thames next week, near the end of a 185-mile walk from the river’s source in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier.

Ellis Kent and his father Matt set off on 19 August and are due to finish on 4 September. Their own challenge page puts the walk at 185 miles over 17 days, the full length of the Thames Path National Trail.

Richmond Council says the pair pass through the borough on 1 and 2 September, and that residents are welcome to come out and greet them.

Why they are walking

The walk is raising money for Cancer Research UK, in memory of Ellis’s grandmother, Barbara Sutherland, who died of pancreatic cancer three years ago.

“Barbara was a huge part of Ellis’s life, always cheering him on, encouraging his adventures, and reminding him that he could achieve anything he set his mind to,” the council’s account of the challenge says.

Ellis lives in Hampton and goes to school in Teddington. If he finishes, he would be the youngest known person to complete the National Trail end to end as one continuous walk.

Where the money stands

Their JustGiving page had raised £7,201.78 from 124 donations, with a further £1,576.50 in Gift Aid, when we checked on 27 August. The target is £50,000.

That is a little over 14 per cent of the target with about a week of walking left, so the fundraising has a long way further to go than the walk does.

The route, and when it reaches here

The challenge page breaks the trail into checkpoints rather than fixed daily distances:

  • Days 1 to 2: the source, Cricklade, Lechlade
  • Days 3 to 4: Lechlade, Newbridge, Oxford
  • Days 5 to 6: Oxford, the Abingdon area, Benson
  • Days 7 to 8: Benson, Moulsford, Beale Park
  • Days 9 to 10: Beale Park, Sonning, Hurley
  • Days 11 to 12: Hurley, Maidenhead, Runnymede
  • Days 13 to 14: Runnymede, Shepperton, Teddington
  • Days 15 to 16: Teddington, Chiswick, central London
  • Day 17: central London to the Thames Barrier

Counting from 19 August, day 14 falls on 1 September and day 15 on 2 September. That matches the council’s dates, and puts the pair on the Teddington and Richmond riverside at the turn of the month.

Timeline of the 17-day Source to Sea Thames Path walk showing the Richmond stretch on 1 and 2 September
The 17-day schedule, with the local stretch marked. Chart by Richmond Online.

The two of them are posting daily map updates on Instagram, which is the only place an exact position on the day is going to appear.

What it means for you

If you want to see them go past, the practical points are these.

  • The local days are Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 September.
  • The stretch runs from Teddington downstream through the borough towards Chiswick, so the towpath at Teddington Lock, Richmond and Kew is the place to stand.
  • No time of day has been published. The Instagram account is where the daily update goes.
  • Donations go through JustGiving rather than in person.

Nobody has published a fixed timetable, so treat this as a rough window rather than an appointment. A pair walking a long day on a towpath will not keep to the minute.

Sources: the Source to Sea challenge and its route page, the JustGiving page and Richmond Council. Fundraising total checked on 27 August 2026.