Secrets of the Thames & foreshore tour with Thames Explorer
Explore the Thames foreshore and discover what it's like to be a mudlark, in association with Thames Explorer Trust.
Join Thames Explorer Trust on the Limehouse foreshore (20 mins walk from London Museum Docklands) as part of your visit to the Secrets of the Thames exhibition.
Their experienced guides will help you find and identify surface archaeological artefacts revealed by the Thames, uncovering thousands of years of history, like who lived there and how they lived.
Who knows what you'll discover – smoking pipes, drainpipes, pottery, bones? Theres lots of evidence of London's past to be found.
Thames Explorer Tour guides will meet you outside the museum 30 minutes before your tour starts.
Terms & conditions
Please read Thames Explorer Trust's FAQs and full terms and conditions ahead of buying your ticket.
Need to know
Advanced tickets are essential for this event.
Tickets are available for adults and children. Children must be at least 12 years old and accompanied by an adult. There's a maximum of two children per adult.
Your ticket will be sent directly to your inbox in your order confirmation email. If you can't find your ticket, please contact the Box Office.
For more information, please see the Thames Explorer's FAQs and terms and conditions.
After visiting London Museum Docklands for the Secrets of the Thames exhibition, your Thames Explorer Tour guide will meet you outside the museum entrance 30 minutes before the start of your foreshore tour. Staff at the museum will help to guide you on the day.
You will make your way to the foreshore with your guide. Please note, there are no public toilets at the second location, other than those available at the discretion of the local pubs.
Please find more information on timings and directions on your order confirmation and on your ticket. If you can't find this, please contact the Box Office.
To cancel tickets, please call the Box Office. Refund requests must be made at least 48 hours before the event takes place.
You will receive a full refund if your cancellation request is received seven or more days before the event.
You will receive a 50% refund if your request is received fewer than seven days before the event. This includes cancellations concerning illness, transport or unfavourable weather.
In the event that Thames Explorer Trust is forced to cancel, you will receive a full refund. We'll endeavour to get in touch with you with as much notice as possible via the contact details provided in your booking. If you should wish to still visit the exhibition in spite of the tour being cancelled, you can arrange this with our box office team or museum staff on the day.
On the day
Please bring hand sanitiser as there may be no local hand-washing facilities. Wash your hands with soap and water at the first available opportunity·
We also recommend you bring waterproof gloves. Although this isn't compulsory, it's important to cover broken skin, eg eczema, cuts, etc.
Please wear sensible footwear like wellies, old trainers or walking boots. No sandals, high heels or bare feet.
This event isn't safe for dogs, so it's important that you don't bring your dog to the foreshore, as you will not be allowed to participate.
Tours happen in a mixture of rain and shine, so don't assume that an event is cancelled because of a weather forecast.
In the event that Thames Explorer Trust is forced to cancel, you'll receive a full refund.
On a very few occasions, Thames Explorer Trust have been forced to cancel an event at the point of entering the foreshore. As a rough guide, these are the main weather conditions where we may need to contact you:
- Snow and ice, making the ground treacherous
- Heavy fog, which severely restricts visibility of the group by our staff
- Lightning
- Amber weather warnings
- Yellow weather warnings, as although tours still tend to go ahead, we may need to use a different foreshore.
For more information, please see the Thames Explorer's FAQs and terms and conditions.
A Thames Explorer Tour guide will deliver an introductory talk at the meeting point which lasts 30-40 minutes. The meeting point is at the museum and staff will be able to direct you on the day. You should have plenty of time to meet your guide. In case of very late arrival, please talk to museum staff.
Please be aware that the foreshore may be exposed to waterbourne diseases. However, with the correct safety guidance, it's still a safe place to explore.
Please find more on health and safety on the Thames Explorer FAQ and terms and conditions.
Following the PLA’s regulations, if you don't have a permit you're not allowed to remove items from the foreshore.
Both permit holders and non-permit holders need to report objects of interest to the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
For more information on artefacts, please see the Thames Explorer's FAQs and terms and conditions.