I have walked, swam and kayaked over 200 miles of the River Thames – from the marshy source to the sea

The River Thames looks mighty and impressive as it flows through London, but at first it is little more than a swamp.

Thus reveals Ed Prattan adventurer who waded, swam and kayaked more than 200 miles of river from its source to the sea.

Ed has a past full of crazy adventures and has previously traveled 35,000 kilometers around the world on a unicycle.

His recent trip down the Thames was watched by hundreds of thousands of people on TikTok, with one of his videos having been viewed more than 4.2 million times.

Ed began his journey in Gloucestershire – where the river rises. The starting point, known as Thames Head, has no fixed location but rises from a group of shifting sources near Cirencester and Coates.

Adventurer Ed Pratt (pictured) waded, swam and kayaked over 200 miles of the River Thames, from source to sea. His journey was followed by hundreds of thousands of people on TikTok, with one of his videos reaching over 4.2 million views

Ed began his journey in Gloucestershire – the source of the Thames. The starting point, known as Thames Head (above), has no fixed location but originates from a group of shifting sources. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons- license

Ed paddled through London during his journey, passing the Palace of Westminster and under Tower Bridge

The first few days Ed struggled through muddy, overgrown water, ducking under the arches of small bridges.

On day four, when the water became more passable, Ed collected his kayak from Cricklade, Wiltshire.

The little ship, which he named ‘Thamesy McThamesface’, served him well for the rest of the voyage.

Ed paddled through Oxford, Reading, Henley, Windsor, Shepperton and Kingston before reaching the ‘bumpy’ London section, where he rode past the Palace of Westminster and under Tower Bridge.

Ed paddled through Oxford, Reading, Henley, Windsor, Shepperton and Kingston on his journey. The image above shows the Thames flowing through Henley-on-Thames

Ed spent most nights camping on the banks of the river, or in nearby parking lots, unless strangers invited him

During his journey, Ed capsized twice, came across sunken boats and picked up plastic waste that had ended up in the river.

He spent most nights camping on the banks of the river or in nearby parking lots, unless strangers invited him over.

He spent a night on a Dutch ship and was even invited to stay in the captain’s cabin HMS Wellingtonwhich is moored in the centre of London on the Victoria Embankment.

Ed started each day at the exact point where he had left the river the day before.

After 19 days he arrived at the coast of Sheerness in Kent, which is close to the Thames Estuary, where the river flows into the Thames Estuary and ultimately into the North Sea.

During his journey Ed capsized twice, came across sunken boats and picked up plastic waste that had ended up in the river. The above image shows the town of Windsor from the banks of the Thames

After 19 days Ed arrived at the coast of Sheerness in Kent (above), which is close to the mouth of the River Thames

In a TikTok video posted at the finish line, Ed described the last part of his ride as a “beautiful ride” and felt “relieved” to have reached the end.

The adventurer set out on his journey with the intention of raising ‘money and awareness’ for The River Trusta charity that aims to protect rivers in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland. He set himself a target of donating £10,000 to the charity and managed to raise over £20,000.

In the video, Ed said the fundraiser was still open for donations and thanked everyone who had followed the journey.