Greater London, England

North Woolwich put-in (Greater London)

Launch — A Port of London Authority-surveyed drawdock onto the tidal Thames foreshore, reached down a flight of concrete steps through the flood wall rather than by road.

Parking — No dedicated car park; on-street parking near the gardens is metered or permit-controlled, with marked Blue Badge bays on Woolwich Manor Way.

Access — Reached on foot down steps through the flood wall from the riverside walk beside Royal Victoria Gardens, part of the Thames Path; the PLA's own landing-places survey records this drawdock as in good condition but notes road access is barred by the flood wall. The PLA advises that anyone visiting the foreshore does so entirely at their own risk.

Season — Royal Victoria Gardens is open from dawn until dusk year-round. The Thames Barrier immediately upstream closes periodically for routine testing, announced in advance through London VTS notices to mariners.

Regulations — The tidal Thames here falls under the Port of London Thames Byelaws 2012 and the joint PLA and Paddle UK Tideway Code; a small craft used only for personal recreation does not normally need a specific licence to navigate. Personal watercraft and jet skis are not permitted anywhere on the Thames in the London area.

This slipway gives foreshore access to the River Thames at North Woolwich, next to Royal Victoria Gardens, a riverside park laid out in 1890 close to the free Woolwich Ferry crossing. The water here sits at the meeting of Woolwich Reach and Gallions Reach, immediately downstream of the Thames Barrier.

The foreshore here is backed by vertical flood walls more than four metres high, with no natural riverbank; the drawdock is reached down a flight of concrete steps rather than by road, and the Port of London Authority's own landing-places survey records it as in good condition, though "road access is barred by flood wall." The foreshore itself is mud and gravel, with patches of exposed London Clay.

From the water, a paddler faces Thamesmead on the far bank, the derelict ironwork of the former North Woolwich Pier, and the Thames Barrier a short distance upstream at Woolwich Reach. The free Woolwich Ferry crosses close by, and the riverside walk behind the launch, part of the Thames Path and Capital Ring, runs along the top of the flood wall through Royal Victoria Gardens.

Nearby

Show on map

Roz Cafe

A cafe near King George V DLR, on the same bank as the launch.

Conditions to check

Tidal flow

The tidal Thames rises and falls by around seven metres here and can run with fast currents; below Putney it becomes increasingly sea-like, with wave heights of a metre easily possible.

Source

Boat traffic

The free Woolwich Ferry crosses close to this point roughly every 15 minutes, and commercial aggregate and other vessels also use this reach.

Source

Other

The Thames Barrier lies immediately upstream at Woolwich Reach; transiting its control zone between Margaretness and Blackwall Point requires calling London VTS on VHF Channel 14 for permission.

Source

Limited exit

The banks along this stretch are entirely artificial, typically vertical flood walls more than four metres high, with extensive mudflats beginning downstream past the Thames Barrier.

Source

Log in to add a photo. Paddled here? Add the first photo — we review each one before it goes on the page.

Questions

No questions yet

Ask about parking, access or conditions. Anyone who knows this water can answer.

Log in to ask or answer. Share what you know about this spot.

Comments

No comments yet.

Log in to comment. Add conditions or a photo to this spot.

Save your own spots

Keep the places you launch, check the wind and shelter before you go, and log every paddle. Add a spot to the directory too, and other paddlers will find it. Free to start.

Get started, it’s free Log in

Location data

OpenStreetMap

View this point on OpenStreetMap