Hello and welcome to the Independent Daily Travel Podcast and a very special edition today

because I am with Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet Travel Guides, who has just made

the most monumental achievement, which is, Tony, to walk the Thames path from its source,

almost all the way to the end.

Now, you've also walked on, for instance, the Anapurna Circuit.

How would you compare the two?

Well, I've got to say the Thames Path is a bit flatter than the Anapurna Circuit.

The Anapunus Circuit features one pass, which is the same height than the Annapurna circuit. The Anapuna circuit features one pass,

which is the same height as the Everest base camp.

Nothing anywhere near that on the Thames path.

Walking all the way from the source to Docklands of London,

what's been the absolute highlights for you?

Do you know, I think in a way I've liked the bits in London the best.

You've got a lot of history in London, an amazing number of statues.

You could write a guidebook just to the Thames Path statues.

Old churches, lots of nice pubs to go by.

So I like the city part of it, but then out in the country, you know, it's a whole

different ballgame. You've got the locks with the canal boats and the locks are autumn really

beautiful. Lock keepers are a bit like lighthouse keepers. They've got something they want to do and

they do it very well. I should explain that we're actually returning from the very final segment that you have

walked because you've done it in not necessarily all in complete order. So this last bit was

Marlowe to maidenhead and we're now on the Elizabeth line heading back into London. You've done it

...