In 2021, as the UK began to emerge from the third COVID lockdown, I embarked on a slow, long-distance run from the source of the River Thames to the sea.

The run was a live artwork I called Thames Run: Source to Sea, as part of the Estuary 21 Festival Associated Programme.

Following the course of the river as closely as I could over a continuous period of 14 days, I set out on the 240-mile journey using the Thames Path and the England Coast Path. They are national trails that now provide an uninterrupted route from the river’s official source in the Cotswolds to the North Sea, off the coast of Kent.

Mobile phones strapped to my body live-streamed my viewpoint and location. This enabled me to share the experience and for people to follow and track my navigation as I ran.

At each mile, I paused to take a photograph in the direction of the river. This allowed me not only to take in my surroundings and build an archive of images that could be shared with others, but to manage this task of running an average of 17 miles each day.

As we reach the 30th anniversary of the Thames Path, I am reflecting on the importance of such paths – and how they can help people learn more about the environment.

How the Thames Path was developed

The Thames Path and England Coast Path are two of 20........

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