Sunday Walk: Goring Circular

17.5km (11.4 miles) or 14.5km (9.2 miles ) with the "YHA" afternoon.

6/10

A walk in the downland above Goring, visiting Aldworth for lunch.. After a choice of two afternoon routes, there's a steep climb and descent into Streatley.

Trains

Get the 09:44 Hereford train from Paddington changing at Reading onto the Didcot train (platform 15 10:25) arriving Goring and Streatley station at 10:37.

Return trains leave at xx:22, changing again at Reading. 

Freedom passes are valid on the Elizabeth Line as far as Reading (Paddington 915, Ealing Broadway 9:23) arrives Reading 10:10, where you change onto the above train. You'll need a return for the rest of the journey. Note that there's no Elizabeth Line east of Paddington this morning.

Lunch

Your lunch stop is the Bell in Aldworth 01635 578272  – a pub that has been in the same family for 250 years. Don’t expect nothing fancy – just rolls and  ploughmans. It has won several CAMRA awards, so expect the beer to be good. The church there is home to the Aldworth Giants. Not at their best since a run-in with Roundheads, but still worth a look. 

Tea: You pass two pubs in Streatley, the Bull, then the Swan. There's a teashop just after the bridge but it closes early. Back in Goring, the Catherine Wheel on Station Road is suggested. You’ve also got the Miller of Mansfield, on the High Street.  

Directions

Info on the walk here . The main SWC walk (on the "Download Walk" button) is suggested for the morning. 

In the afternoon you may prefer to follow the hand-drawn map on the "YHA Goring via Aldworth" button.  As well as being shorter, this follows quiet roads for most of the way, avoiding a potentially muddy part of the SWC route. This option isn't described in the text but is shown on the gps. It rejoins the SWC route for the climb back up to the downs.    t=swc.17