With Teach First’s annual Run the River event taking place in your neighbourhood this year, it’s up to you to pick your 5k or 10k route. To help you plan your route here are some of our top picks for river runs in London.
Take a look and don’t forget to help schools to rebuild after COVID-19 by taking part in Run the River. What we do now will define all of our futures.
River Lee
The River Lee actually finds its source all the way out in Luton, winding its way through Hertfordshire before it reaches London at Enfield Lock. The towpath follows the river all the way from Enfield right down to the East End of London. To feel like a real athlete, enjoy the route as it journeys through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford and take the Limehouse Cut towards the end for a dramatic finish line at the Thames!
Thames: Barnes to Battersea
With its independent shops and willows weeping over the pond, you’ll feel more like you’re starting your run in a village than in central London. Follow the Thames path around the Barnes peninsula, through Putney and Wandsworth before reaching Battersea Park with its eye-catching Peace Pagoda. Spot the rowers on this stretch of river and see if you can outpace them!
River Wandle
Once one of the busiest rivers in London with over 90 mills along its banks, the River Wandle now quietly meanders through South London before it meets the Thames at the aptly named Wandsworth. With 20km over waterway, the river stretches from East Croydon through Morden, Wimbledon and Earlsfield. The route even takes you through National Trust land at the Watermeads Nature Reserve – closed to the public for 100 years until 2015.
Thames: our Run the River route!
Our annual flagship fundraiser, Run the River, usually sees 3,000 people run 5k or 10k around the River Thames to raise vital money for our work supporting the UK’s most disadvantaged schoolchildren. This year, when our work is more crucial than ever, the Thames is out of reach for many and the mass gathering can’t go ahead as normal.
But, our usual route is well worth following if you’re keen to take in some of London's most famous sights. Start in Potters Field Park in the shadow of Tower Bridge and follow the South Bank all the way to Westminster Bridge. On your return, cross over to the north side of the river at the Millennium Bridge and catch a stunning sight of St Paul’s Cathedral. Wind your way east, heading past the Tower of London and back over Tower Bridge for a grand finish.
Regents Canal
It’s difficult to find a river route that takes you through such a variety of London neighbourhoods. Pick the canal up at King’s Cross and follow it to Camden – home to an eclectic mix of markets that sit canalside. From there, run along the edge of London Zoo. If you’re lucky you may see some of the zoo’s residents swinging high! Finish up in the tranquil setting of Little Venice – an idyllic spot for resting those tired feet.
Thames: Cutty Sark to Thames Barrier
Lastly, get a taste of London old and new with this stretch that takes you to some of the widest parts of the river. Start in historic Greenwich at Cutty Sark, the world’s only surviving tea clipper ship. As you head east along the Thames path, the hands of time move quickly as you leave historic London behind for a glimpse of the modern. With Canary Wharf across the river to your left and the iconic O2 Arena standing proudly on the Greenwich Peninsula, the route takes you out of central London until you reach the impressive Thames Barrier.
Take part in Run the River 2020
Our annual fundraising event, Run the River, can’t go ahead as normal in London this year. But, with our work more crucial than ever, we’ve upped the stakes and need to enlist our largest ever number of runners.
Will you join us to get behind the UK’s poorest pupils? Because this year they need even more help.
So – wherever you are in the UK – don those running shoes, start training for your 5k or 10k run and find out how you can #RunTheRiver2020: