Lottie Chatfield is making her way along the entirety of the Thames in a wheelchair — starting at its source in Kemble, and finishing on the Isle of Grain. Accompanied by her friend Megan, the two are 'Rolling on the River' for causes close to their hearts. They're also learning some tough lessons about the accessibility of the Thames Path along the way...
Megan and I met up one Wednesday after work in Walton and decided to do a leisurely 6km wheel/walk along the Thames. While we were doing it, I started thinking, "Why couldn't we do the full length?"
It came at a good time for me, as I was having a pretty rough time personally and needed something to focus on — a challenge that would give me a bit of a distraction from everything else going on.
I think Megan thought it was just a joke. And yet a couple of weeks later we were in Kemble starting the journey. Now, around 170 miles later, we are at Battersea Bridge.
"We packed the tyre with grass, so we could get to somewhere we could be rescued!"
It's not been easy. There have been many steps, narrow gates and rough paths. The number of thorns that have ended up in my tyres is unbelievable. I'm now on puncture number 15. I even had one day near Radley in Oxfordshire where the puncture was completely irreparable. We were about 1km from civilisation, so we had to get creative. Our solution was to pack the tyre with as much grass as we could to protect it and get us to somewhere where we could be rescued!
We've learned that, for a significant amount of the Thames, the route is simply not accessible for wheelchair users. Even in London, where you might expect accessibility to be better, the signposted Thames Path route has included steps and narrow obstacles. One example was crossing Chiswick Quay, where the route involved a set of steps and then a narrow bridge that my wheelchair simply wouldn't fit through. I had to get out of my chair and bum-shuffle across the bridge to get to the other side. A step-free Thames Path route being signposted through London would be so helpful.
We've also discovered that Radar Keys can be used to open some of the kissing gates. That isn’t actually advertised on the gates, so we only found out a few days into the challenge when a lovely gentleman happened to tell us about it. It was a complete game-changer. However, not all the gates are designed to work with Radar Keys, and even some that are have locks that are so stiff they’re incredibly difficult to open. One of our Radar Keys snapped while trying to open a gate!
"We wheeled/walked all the way from near where we live to Brentford, arriving in time for the 3pm kick-off"
Although some of the early sections have also been among the hardest, the stretches through the Cotswolds and approaching Oxford have probably been my favourite. They're incredibly beautiful and peaceful, with less of the hustle and bustle you get around the bigger towns and cities. The river feels much more serene, and being surrounded by the countryside makes those difficult sections feel very worthwhile.
However, being a Brentford fan and season ticket holder, the section from Walton to Kew Bridge that we did on Saturday (5 September) was pretty epic. We wheeled/walked all the way from near where we live to the football, arriving in time for the 3pm kick-off at Brentford. What made it even more special was that we passed back through the exact area where, on that original 6km walk, we first came up with the idea of doing the whole length of the Thames. To come back through that same spot having already travelled so much of the route was a pretty surreal feeling.
"Meghan's a pastry chef, so delicious baked goods appear along the route to keep our spirits up!"
I honestly think it would have been pretty much impossible to complete this without Megan alongside me. Her support and encouragement have been a huge part of keeping me going, particularly on the days when I've been struggling or questioning whether I can carry on. She's also a pastry chef, so there's the added benefit of having some absolutely delicious baked goods appearing along the route to keep our spirits up!
Once we've completed the challenge? Maybe we'll do the Thames Path in reverse... But honestly, we haven’t fully planned it yet! When we started, finishing seemed like it was a million miles away, but it's slowly creeping up on us, so I think we probably need to start thinking about it.
We're due to finish on Saturday 26 September, so we might see if some family and friends want to come and join us for the final stretch. Then we'll probably go for a nice dinner and, most importantly, relax!
You can support Lottie and Megan by contributing to their Rolling on the River fundraiser. Megan's charity is the Little Princess Trust, for which she's also donating her hair for wigs. Lottie's is the Valley End Cricket Club Rascals: "When I first became ill and started using a wheelchair, my life was turned completely upside down. Thankfully, the cricket club I'd been part of since I was a kid had a thriving disabled section called the Rascals. They welcomed me with open arms, and that has been genuinely life-changing. I'm now incredibly proud to be the Surrey and GB Wheelchair Cricket captain."
