Cholsey to Goring linear
Distance: 12 miles
Map: Explorer 170
Walk surveyed by Richard Bacher and checked by David Slater, based on Ken’s summary as follows:
A 4 mile morning walk through fields to Blewbury for lunch, followed by 8 miles of rolling downland in the afternoon, partly along the Ridgeway path.
Ticket required: CDR to Goring
From Cholsey station building turn down footpath in left corner of car park. After footpath ends, turn left and follow the road round to the right and then turn left down the footpath next to No 21, opposite Sandy Lane.
The footpath eventually turns left under two railway bridges. (Ignore path on right). After bridge exit, take the diagonal path across the field to the left of the stream. Cross footbridge into next field, straight on at a crossing track, and pass pylon on right. Go through hedge into final field and exit on to bridleway. Turn right and follow bridleway for about a mile, passing attractive Georgian house ‘Filberts’, until reaching the road. Turn right along the road, passing a turning on the right, and take the bridleway on the left which passes in front of red brick cottages called ‘Finches’. Continue to the next road and turn right. When this road reaches a sharp right, turn left up some steps on to a footpath,
Follow the path, which becomes a bridleway, for about a mile ignoring any side turnings. At the end of the bridleway, after passing farm buildings, cross the main road and go down road opposite called Bessels Lea. At the T-junction (South Street) turn left and take the first right by thatched cottages. Follow this turning past cottage on to the path with a stream on the left and eventually turn left through a gate into the churchyard.
Follow path through the churchyard, past cottages on the right, into a recreation field with seats (useful for sandwich lunch). Keep to the right of the field and then follow the path between white thatched walls and, upon exit, turn right to the Red Lion pub (food available).
Upon leaving the pub, turn right and go up to the main road, passing thatched ‘chocolate box’cottages on right. Cross the main road and go up the wide track opposite and then take the second path from the left. Follow this long wooded path, or the parallel path which shortly goes up steps on the left (it makes no difference) until it leaves the trees and becomes a farm track. (Fine views to the left).
Continue on until you see a small wood ahead with a white notice on a tree. Look out for a gap in the fence, to the right. Go through the gap and walk through grass meadowland making for the long pinewood in the far distant left.
After passing the pinewood on the left, keep walking through meadow and fields until a concrete track is reached. Cross this track and turn sharp left on to a restricted byway, following this until reaching the junction with the Ridgeway (see signs on the right). Bear left on to the Ridgeway and at the exit junction keep right (see Ridgeway signpost). Follow the Ridgeway (well signposted along the way and eventually becoming a tarmac road) for about four miles.
Keep right at the junction with Wantage Road and again with the busy Wallingford Road (A329). Continue for about ¼ mile to the crossroads at Streatley and turn left, following the road over the Thames into Goring. Continue through the main street in Goring and, directly after crossing the railway bridge, turn sharp right down to the station.
You may like to stop at the Catherine Wheel pub, or at any of the other pubs and cafes in Goring, to recover before catching the trainhome.