Monday Walk: Goring Circular

11.4 miles 17.5km  or 9.6 miles 15.45km. Difficulty 6/10
A choice of two slightly different walks in the downland above Goring. The YHA‘s hand-drawn map (9.6 miles in total ) or the SWC version at 11.4 miles. Both have a similar morning but the map version has a shorter afternoon. Feel free to mix and match.  Both converge for a steep up and down near the end.
Trains
Get a return to “Goring & Streatley”.
Get the 9:34 Didcot Parkway train from Paddington arriving “Goring & Streatley” 10:36.
You can also catch the later 9:48 Carmarthen train and change onto the above at Reading (arrive 10:11 platform 9, depart 10:23 platform 12)
A Freedom Pass is valid as far as Reading on the slower Elizabeth line (Paddington 9:17, Ealing Broadway 9:26). Arrive Reading 10:11 to catch the 10:23 Didcot Parkway train. You need a ticket for the rest of the journey.
Return times vary slightly:15:18 and 48, 16:18 and 48, 17: 17 and 50, 18:12 and 49, 19:14 and 46 Change again at Reading for faster or Elizabeth line services.
Lunch
Your  lunch stop, the Bell in Aldworth has been in the same family for 250 years. Good for beer - it was CAMRA’s  2020 Pub of the Year. Simple but pleasant fare – rolls, ploughmans and suchlike.
The well opposite is said to be the deepest in England. Aldworth’s church is home to the Aldworth giants,   aka John Long, John Strong, John Ever Afraid, John Never Afraid, once so famous that Elizabeth I made a special detour to see them. Not looking so good since Basher Cromwell set the boys on them but still worth a quick look.
Tea
Returning through Streatley, you encounter a string of pubs. First, the Bull, then the Swan at Streatley. In Goring, you've got the Miller of Mansfield,  and the Catherine Wheel.   
Directions
Walk info here. The SWC Walk is on the “Download Walk”  button.
The map walk is on the "YHA Goring via Aldworth"  button. Go anti-clockwise to tie in with the SWC walk.  See below for directions from and to the station. Both walks are plotted on the GPS.T=swc.17
The details below link the station to the YHA map walk.
From the station: Follow the others as far as the Swan…or… exiting from platform 1, head right (Red Cross Road )for the High Street then turn left downhill. Cross the river and pass the Swan pub. Here you have a choice of 2 anti-clockwise starts, both depicted on the map.
• For the gentlest route, similar to the SWC start, turn right about 45m after the Swan, following a sign for the Thames Path. Then follow the map route..
• The second choice involves a steep climb with a view at the top.  Pass the Swan pub and continue ahead across the A329 onto a lane to turn right shortly afterwards, onto the map route.
Returning to the station: left along the A329 to the crossroads, cross the A road, then the river, head uphill on the High Street and turn right for the station after crossing the rail bridge.