Goring and Wantage Walks - England.

The Walks described below use The Ridgeway National Trail and are circular walks leaving from Goring and Wantage.

The walks described below utilise The Ridgeway Trail in varying degrees to make circular walks of between 5 and 15 miles and also sometimes include other National Trails such as the Oxfordshire Way, Icknield Way and the South Bucks Way as well as parts of Grim's Ditch and The Thames Path.
The walks visit or pass close by various famous places such as Goring, Moulsford and Wantage as well as various hill forts etc. We have included some GPS readings which are set up on are OSGB British Grid and shown in [ ]s and are in easterly and northerly order. You must enter the correct Grid Letters into your GPS ( i.e. the first walk uses SP grid letters.)

Wantage to Wantage via Letcombe Castle fort (on the Ridgeway) Park at the long term car park just before Sainsbury's in Wantage [ SU 3971 8803 ] - when we did this walk in December 2003 it was on a Sunday and the parking was free which makes a nice change for England. This walk takes you alongside some old cress beds, includes the small villages of Letcombe Regis, Letcombe Bassett, Childrey and West+East Challow, also a short part of the Ridgeway at Segsbury (or Letcombe) Castle Fort, and finishes off with a walk along a very overgrown canal - the Wilts and Berks Canal - back into Wantage.

From the car park head back to Mill street and then walk up into the market square. Bear right and take the first road off to the right from the square and follow this round passing the church - continue on Priory Road passing Locks Lane and the old school buildings until you reach a T-junction. Cross over and follow the footpath which has tall hedging on your right, cross over a stream and then bear right around football pitches. Cross another stream and stay on the footpath as it leaves Wantage and follows a stream - there are old cress beds here as well as reed covered wet areas. Stay on this path until you reach a road at Letcombe Regis [SU 38237 86667] - cross the road and follow it round to the church.

Turn left now onto Warborough Road and using the raised footpath - the way is signposted "Village Downs Only". Continue up going past several houses and then slightly left past Manor Farm - the road then goes straight upwards going past Warborough Farm and then Castle Hill to arrive quite steeply at the side of Segsbury Castle Fort, there is a stile [ SU 38505 84685 ] on the left where you can go into the Fort and walk round the ramparts. (The Fort is also located on the right side of the track so take your pick.)
The Ridgeway is just beyond the Fort so once you have had a look round go on up to this ancient trail and turn right - walk along The Ridgeway for about half a kilometre and watch for a stile on your right [ SU 37810 84123 ] - go over the stile on walk steeply down towards Rectory Farm and on reaching a road turn right and walk on into Letcombe Bassett. This is a very pretty village and has lots of old houses and barns - also it is very worthwhile walking up to the old Norman Church [ SU 37409 84941 ] and having a look round it.

Continuing along the road - which is signposted Letcombe Regis and Wantage - go down hill to arrive at old cress beds and Letcombe Brook. Continue along the road out of the valley and turn left on a footpath opposite a thatched cottage [ SU37541 85508 ] . This is an undulating bridlepath which goes across Letcombe Bassett Field and arrives eventually at a green cross track [ SU 36849 86631 ] - turn right and follow this down to the bottom - turn sharp left below the bank and follow the curving path to the road (B4507). Cross over onto the opposite track and then at a T-junction turn left to walk into Childrey and carry on until you reach Hatchet Pub [ SU 36117 87352 ] which is on your left.

Turn right and follow the road - going past a duck pond and then a Victorian Working Men's Club (there are seats around this grassy area if you think it's lunch time) - and continue along Church Row. Childrey's St. Mary's Church is surprisingly large and seems quite dark probably because of the huge fir trees around it. Return back along from the church but then continue straight ahead passing Victorian Gothic cottages and the Old School House - when the lane goes sharp left go straight ahead to shortly reach a cross path, turn left onto this fenced tarmac path which is by Godfrey's Farm. This path takes you to West Challow.

Cross the canal and on reaching a lane turn right. Continue past the church and at the road junction turn right and then soon after left to pick up the canal [ SU 36792 88257 ]. Now simply follow the Wilts and Berks canal to East Challow (here you can slightly divert to have a look at their church) - continue on along the canal as it heads towards the outskirts of Wantage. When a tarmac lane crosses the canal turn right onto it and follow it round the field edge and then turn left in front of houses and follow it til you get to the road. Go left and then on reaching the main road turn right and follow it downhill looking out for Belmont on your left, go down Belmont and eventually cross a stone pier to go into Mill Street. There is a duck pond on your left and the old mill on your right - turn left up Mill Street and left again into the car park.

Goring - Moulsford - Goring. The first part of this 15 mile (25km) walk has several quite steep climbs but then is much easier as it undulates across country and ends up with a nice flat couple of miles along the River Thames. The walk starts from the car park in Goring - this is well marked once you get into the town.
From the car park go past the public toilets and into the High Street, turn left and stay on the main road as it crosses the River Thames twice via 2 bridges - go on up the road as far as the traffic lights. Turn left uphill and after around 100 yards look out for a driveway and house on the opposite side of the road - cross over to this driveway and take the marked path on the left up wooden steps. This is very steep to start with as it climbs out of Streatley with a fence on the left and high shrubbery on the right - eventually it comes out into a more open area and becomes a grassy wide path - now with excellent view of Goring, Streatley and the river way below. As the path reaches the woods carry straight on ahead into the woods on an initially fairly indistinct path i.e. do not follow the more obvious path which goes left. Once into the trees the path becomes very clear - stay on this main path to go through Common Woods to reach a gate. Once through the gate continue straight ahead now over open ground and with a hedge on the left - the path comes to a stile at the field edge - cross this and then walk very steeply down the field towards a house - this area was still full of wild flowers even in July. The path goes round the side of the house to reach a small road.

Turn right on the road and then shortly go left onto a marked path at the field edge - at the top of the field in the right hand corner the path continues through the woods to rejoin a road. Turn right initially going fairly steeply up but soon the road flattens - stay on this road as it passes Bennett's Wood Farm on a bend on the left and then continues fairly straight between fields. Just after passing a house on the right the road bears right - on this bend go through a gate on the left. Follow the marked path as it drops down and then up again to finally reach a woods (Growcroft Copse). The path through the woods is very narrow and quite overgrown - it goes down to a way marked junction.

Go right here and then follow the path up still through the woods and then over a field with a hedge on the left to finally reach a small road.Turn left on the road - ignore a road coming in from the right but as the road starts to bend sharply left take a path ahead into woods (Broom Wood) - this path now winds through the woods - and this year (2005) we found masses of foxgloves growing. The path comes out at a field having just crossed a bit of the ever wandering Grim's Ditch. Continue on the path going half right down the field with woods on either side - once at the bottom lookout for a signpost - a small incline then takes you into the woods at a track.

Turn right and stay on this track which goes along the right hand edge of White Hill - i.e. woods on the left and fields/open ground below on the right.The track emerges on a road - turn left and follow this to the next junction where you go right and then shortly after go right again. This then goes up hill with houses on either side - towards the top of the hill note a signpost on the left - take the (permitted) footpath which goes straight ahead along the field edge i.e. still alongside the road. The path then becomes a wide track - follow this as it heads eventually past more houses, then a common area to finally reach a small road on the outskirts of Ashampstead. Turn right along the road and then left into St. Clements' churchyard.

Walk on through the church grounds and then continue across the field, at the far side go through a hedge gap and onto a small tarmac'd bridleway. Turn right along this and shortly cross the main road and then continue on a narrow path which winds through the woods. The path emerges by houses, go left along a quite muddy tree-lined track then as it enters a more wooded area at the field edge look out for a signposted path on the right which hooks back a little (this signpost can be somewhat obscured by undergrowth and no longer actually sits on the path/track junction.) Take this path on the right and follow it down through Bullards Copse to reach a road. Turn left and then around 200 yards along the road turn right up some steps - keep right at the top of the steps and now follow the path as it goes through trees and then into a more open area where it becomes more of a grassy track.

Stay on this track which eventually goes through pine woods and then emerges on a small road. Go left and follow the road for around 300 yards to then take a byeway going off to the left initially in woodland and then treelined which eventually passes houses and ends up on a road, turn left along the road to walk into Parsonage Green. At the road junction turn right to walk on down to St Mary's church. At the junction in front of the church gates you divert from the walk by taking the road on the right which goes up into the village and it's pub the "Bell Inn" - also the village's publicised well - the latter is a bland and complete waste of time in our view.

Take the small road to the left of the church gates and follow this as it passes a farm and then reverts to a track - stay on this main track which winds to the right and then starts a long climb intially with fields either side and then finally with a high hedgerow on the right to meet a small road.

Turn left and then a few 100 yards along go right onto a track marked "To Warren Farm" - follow this as it drops down then soon turns to the left. Keep on this undulating main track as it heads almost straight to reach the Ridgeway Path. Turn right along The Ridgeway and shortly look out for a gate and stile on the left - take this as it heads a little uphill to reach a stile by a wood edge - cross this and then take the path on the right which goes round the edge of a house and then on into woods - it is marked. When you emerge from the woods go straight ahead at a track junction - the path now becomes a narrow tarmac road. Follow the road as it goes through woods, open hill side (Cow Common) and then eventually drops down to a hunting lodge on the left. Follow the road round to the right and then go left now with another hunting lodge on the right. Cross a cattle grid and head uphill and then along - passing Well Barn on the right - to eventually arrive at a main road.

Cross the main road and take a small road opposite which goes between houses and farm buildings at Greenlands Farm - keep ahead and once past the buildings the track climbs and then levels out - with really good views to the left. The track then descends to the main road (A329) just on the edge of Moulsford. Turn left along the road and shortly turn right at the crossroads into Ferry Lane - go along this road now heading for the river. Stay left at a junction and then go through the car park belonging to the Beetle and Wedge public house to reach the river bank.

Turn right and follow this lovely part of the River Thames, eventually passing Cleve Lock where there are shaded picnic tables, to arrive eventually at the outskirts of Streatley. The path does not continue along the river, instead you have to cross a wooden bridge on the right which then continues between fields and then becomes a raised footpath. This comes out on a small road by houses. Turn left and follow this road as it goes between the back of a large hotel on the left and also passes St. Mary's church on the right - to come to the main road. Turn left and walk back over the bridges to the car park.

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