Stage 4 of 12 · Thames Path

Swinford Bridge → Culham

Distance
29.2 km
Ascent
+36 m
Descent
-53 m
Est. Time
5h 56m
Altitude
49–68 m
Type
point-to-point
🏃 Flat & Runnable🌲 Lowland

Use this route

Explore this stage

See the route, inspect its climbing, or preview the stage over real terrain.

Loading topographic map…
50m05 km10 km15 km20 km25 km29.2 km67m50m
Flat (<5%)

Route briefing

What comes next

Water in route order. Not listed does not mean absent: it may not be mapped.

14 route events
  1. Start

    0 m

    Swinford Bridge

    Start

    Route geometry · source 2026-08-26

    About 0 min in

    29.2 km remaining

    +36 m remaining

  2. Water

    0 m

    Drinking Water

    Water

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-08-26

    About 0 min in

    29.2 km remaining

    +36 m remaining

  3. Water

    0 m

    Drinking Water

    Water

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-08-26

    About 0 min in

    29.2 km remaining

    +36 m remaining

  4. Water

    6.3 km

    Drinking Water

    Water

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-08-26

    About 1h 17m in

    22.9 km remaining

    +31 m remaining

  5. Water

    9.0 km

    Drinking Water

    Water

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-08-26

    About 1h 50m in

    20.2 km remaining

    +26 m remaining

  6. Water

    9.2 km

    Drinking Water

    Water

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-08-26

    About 1h 52m in

    20.0 km remaining

    +26 m remaining

  7. Finish

    29.2 km

    Culham

    Finish

    Route geometry · source 2026-08-26

    About 5h 57m in

    0 m remaining

Trail route lab

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29.2 km Distance36 m Climb5h 56m Est. time68 m High pointMODERATE Difficulty
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🚌

Getting Here

Swinford Bridge (bus stop)

183m from trailhead · ~2 min walk

🚌

Getting Out

European School (bus stop)

32m from trail end · ~1 min walk

Segment Breakdown

Auto-analyzed from the elevation profile. Each segment shows the dominant character for planning your effort.

SegmentDist↑ / ↓TimeCharacter
Swinford Bridge → km 9.8 (58m)
56–67m
9.8 km+20m / -26m1h 58m🏃 Highly Runnable
km 9.8 (58m) → km 19.5 (54m)
51–60m
9.8 km+16m / -20m1h 58m🏃 Highly Runnable
km 19.5 (54m) → Culham
50–60m
9.7 km+31m / -34m1h 59m🏃 Highly Runnable
Total29.2 km+36m / -53m5h 56m

Pace & Fuel Calculator

Adjust your flat 10K pace to see personalized finish time, calorie burn, and hydration needs.

7:00 /km
4:00 /km (elite) 12:00 /km (leisure)
Fast Hiker / Jogger
Est. Finish Time
3h 28m
Calories
1,736 kcal
Water Needed
2.5 L
Effort Distance
29.9 km
flat-equivalent
🍫 Recommended: ~45g carbs/hr (156g total) Electrolyte needs vary with conditions and sweat losses; no individual sodium target is estimated. 🩹 Consider anti-chafe and blister prevention

Terrain Analysis

Lower-gradient terrain
Unknown
Gradient coverage unavailable
% of route below 15% gradient
Climb Ratio
1 m/km
Gentle profile
↑ 36m ↓ 53m

Surface & Technicality

Gradient breakdown
Low gradient (100%)

Gradient describes steepness, not exposure, scrambling, footing or current conditions. Technical difficulty is unknown where no mapped rating is available.

Current Conditions

Loading live weather...

Based on 1991–2020 climate averages, the weather on Thames Path Stage 4: Swinford Bridge → Culham is usually best from February to December.

Weather this week

Loading the forecast for on the trail (59 m)…

Weather by month

Typical weather on this stage, around 49–68 m. Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.

Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
WeatherMixedGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGood
Day / night8°/2°8°/2°11°/4°14°/5°17°/8°20°/11°23°/13°22°/13°19°/10°15°/8°11°/5°8°/3°
Rain, mm574446445152536455697065
Snow at high point––––––––––––
Daylight8 h 179 h 5611 h 4613 h 4915 h 3516 h 3816 h 1514 h 4312 h 4510 h 478 h 547 h 50

Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.

Averages cannot establish current trail conditions. Check recent local reports, the forecast and restrictions before departure. Snow and ice can persist on shaded sections or arrive outside the usual season.

Planning ahead?

Checking snow-monitoring coverage... Notifications require permission on this device; on iPhone use the installed Home Screen app. No email alerts are sent.

Safety & Bailouts

Exit routes not verified

We do not have a verified emergency exit plan for this route. A nearby settlement, hut or route endpoint is not necessarily reachable or open. Do not leave the trail based on a straight-line distance or compass direction.

Mapped high point: 68 m, approximately 0.7 km along the route. This is not an assessment of the most remote or exposed point.

Review possible exits against current local information before your trip. In an emergency, contact local rescue services; this page is not live rescue guidance.

Suggested Gear List

Auto-generated based on 29.2 km, 36m ascent, max altitude 68.3m, ~6h duration.

Essential 4 items
  • 👟
    Trail running shoes / hiking boots
    Required for any trail
  • 📱
    Phone (charged) + offline map
    Navigation & emergency contact
  • 💧
    3L hydration vest
    Estimated 3.0L; verify refill availability
  • 🍫
    Trail mix, bars & sandwich
    Est. 2082 kcal burn
Recommended 3 items
  • 🧴
    Sunscreen
    Basic sun protection
  • 🧥
    Light rain jacket
    Weather changes fast in the mountains
  • 🩹
    Mini first aid kit
    Blister plasters, tape, antiseptic

Logistics

This route runs from Swinford Bridge to Culham (29.2 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.

Start — Getting There
Swinford Bridge
🚌 Swinford Bridge (175m)
🚌 Field Station (597m)
🚌 The Talbot PH (611m)
Finish — Getting Back
Culham
🚌 European School (32m)
🚌 Stert Street (109m)
🚌 Wilsham Road (152m)

Nearby Points of Interest

🚏 Transit stops along this stage

  • 🚌 Swinford Bridge 175m off trail
  • 🚌 The Turnpike PH km 4.2 · 867m off trail
  • 🚌 Squitchey Lane West km 8.2 · 765m off trail
  • 🚌 Redbridge Park and Ride km 12.5 · 199m off trail
  • 🚌 Sandford Lane km 16.6 · 605m off trail
  • 🚌 Stonhouse Crescent km 21.7 · 481m off trail
  • 🚌 Wilsham Road km 25.5 · 152m off trail
  • 🚌 European School km 29.2 · On trail

🛖 Shelters

  • Shelter km 8.7 · 1.7 km off trail
  • Shelter km 10.1 · 1.5 km off trail
  • Shelter km 11.8 · 417m off trail
  • Shelter km 12.2 · 1.5 km off trail
  • Shelter km 13.1 · 1.6 km off trail

💧 Water Sources

  • Drinking Water 1.6 km off trail
  • Drinking Water 113m off trail
  • Drinking Water km 6.3 · 678m off trail
  • Drinking Water km 9 · 428m off trail
  • Drinking Water km 9.2 · 1.6 km off trail

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Route data from OpenStreetMap © contributors, licensed under ODbL. Updated 2026-08-26.