Thames Down Link
You now how it is. You're messing about on Google Maps looking for a place you need to get to, when you spot a potential new running route. The Thames Down Link. I'd never heard of it up until that point. Apparently it was a 15 mile trail from Kingston, London to Box Hill in Surrey.
I have a friend in Kingston, and I love a good hilly run, so it wasn't long until I, and said friend, had arranged a time and date to run the trail.
Matt lives in Kingston so I made my way over from Lewisham via Waterloo on a Saturday morning in January. It just so happened to be a very wet Saturday following a very wet week. The ground was saturated and mud was unavoidable. Did I mention I also love muddy runs. It was looking promising.
We began with a parkrun, just to warm up for the trails ahead.
Kingston parkrun takes place along the Thames river. It involves a 500m loop of a park, before joining the tow path up to Teddington Lock with the river of your left, before another off road loop at Hamlands. The tow path (with the river now on your right) brings you back, past the park and into the finishing funnel.
Well, the 500m grass loop resembled an ice rink as we all struggled for purchase on the boggy surface. It was a relief to hit tarmac and begin to run properly. The river was high as we made our way along past the locks and riverside homes before being diverted onto yet more slippery mud. Everyone seemed to stay on their feet, but there was no chance of maintaining any sort of pace on the off road sections.
I managed to get some speed going with better traction on the way back and ended up finishing in 21.25 and a respectable 24th place. I'll take that considering I was wearing road shoes and stopped to take a photo at one point. How the winner manager a sub 18 minute 5k I'll never know.
The drizzle had begun as Matt and I headed into Kingston and began the Thames Down Link trail. Ten minutes later we stopped. We were due to run past Matt's girlfriend's house so we stopped to say hi. It was hard to pass up the tea and cake offered, but we had a trail to run.
Once out of Kingston we passed Berrylands Station and entered our first bit of greenery - Rose Walk Nature Reserve. Mud, mud, mud, puddles, mud, puddles, mud, slipping, sliding, mud, mud, splashing, puddles, mud. This was how it started, and that was pretty much how it went for the rest of the Thames Down Link.
Inches deep wet mud covered all the trails which meant that enormous concentration was needed just to stay upright. All the smaller muscle groups used to keep my legs together were getting a major workout. Still, we chatted and smiled and took in the beautiful winter scenes.
We followed the Hogsmill River which overflowed its banks every so often, through Elmbridge Meadows Open Space until we hit the A3. We were actually forced to stop by the major dual carriageway in front of us while the river continued flowing beneath. With no boat, and despite the route map showing we could pass straight over, or under, the road at that point we had no option but to detour.
We ran along the side of the busy road with spray being thrown in the air all around us, until we reached an underpass. Trekking back along the other side, we reconnected with the Hogsmill River, and were off again with an extra mile in the bank.
It was nice to get away from the discordant reminder that we were still in the centre of a large urban metropolis.
Hogsmill Open Space and Six Acre Meadow (not to be confused with Hundred Acre Wood, Pooh fans) gave us more opportunities to slip onto out backside in gloopy mud, but we managed to skate safely across. By now our lower halves were caked in dirt, but the rain had abated. Grey, funereal skies threatened a downpour, but we were staying dry and enjoying the woodlands.
We left the Hogsmill River at Tolworth Court Farm Fields, instead following a tributary through Bonesgate Open Space to Castle Hill Nature Reserve. Mud aside, this was a beautiful place and must be stunning in the dry season. Snaking trails, mature trees and plentiful bird life made it an enjoyable part of the run.
Exiting Horton Country Park, Matt realised we were a stones throw from the house of a friend of his. We decided to knock and say hi, when his friend drove straight past us. A quick phone call to explain our presence, and we were back to the run.
Epsom Common provided a wide open space for us to finally feel we were getting closer to the Surrey Hills. Again, I made a note to return in the summer as this woodland and open spaces must be a mecca for runners, dog walkers and hikers. Wide trails, plentiful wildlife and a variety of trees and plants gave me a boost when my tired legs needed it most. By this point I had found that it was best to either head into the leaf litter or splash straight through the deep puddles. Trying to dodge and weave along the muddy paths just wasn't worth the effort.
Ashstead Park provided another scenic route, but then the heavens opened and within 30 seconds we were completely soaked to the skin. Despite being January, it was quite mild so it wasn't the end of the world. We didn't even bother to stop to get our jackets out. After a few miles we had pretty much dried out.
At this point we could hear the roar of cars on the M25. The circular motorway that surrounds Greater London like a belt containing a swollen belly. My worry that we might end up running straight into it, like the A3 earlier, proved unfounded as a bridge took us over and beyond the poor drivers, sweeping their way through the haze of water droplets being thrown up by thousands of rubber tyres. I smiled as I thought of the times I had driven along that very stretch of road, green with envy when I had seen runners on the bridge. Today I was the lucky one.
The end was in sight, but not before a few big hills had given us the opportunity to take walking breaks. We tried to keep running as much as possible, but there comes a time when it is quicker and more efficient to walk - you've got to love ultra running.
Eventually we descended into Mickleham and took a trail to our left straight up towards Box Hill. Hands on knees now, we ascended and then jogged the last few hundred metres to the café for a well earned hot drink and something to eat. I thought Matt had ordered a full English Breakfast, but it turned out he'd asked for an English Breakfast tea. I settled for a sausage roll.
Not content with our 3.1 mile parkrun and (detour enhanced) 18 mile Thames Down Link run, we also managed a quick tour of Box Hill. On my suggestion - I was knackered - Matt shortened the planned route slightly to a manageable 6 miles. The steep hills, steps and muddy descents kept us focussed as we ran on tired legs past the Old Fort and through the woodland with stunning views across to the Vineyards beyond.
Back at the viewpoint beside the café, we descended a small grass bank and with only a couple of metres to go Matt took the first tumble of the day. It was a miracle neither of us had ended up on our backsides up until that point.
The Thames Down Link is a great trail run for all abilities given good weather and conditions under foot. I would highly recommend it and look forward to running it again in the summer. I'm sure it would be a lot busier though, as we saw very few people on our journey. It is nice to be able to make it from the River Thames to the Surrey Hills on foot in a few hours. A train from Leatherhead also meant that I was back in London Bridge in no time.
