Goring circular walk

Goring circular

Distance: 11.8 miles.
Time without long breaks: Apx 6 1/2 hours.

Terrain: Mostly very easy going.
How to get there and back: Train to Goring and Streatley station and back (trains run from Oxford and Reading).
Pubs: Goring: The Catherine Wheel, John Barleycorn, The Miller
of Mansfield; Streatley: The Bull, The Swan. Just before the final section there is The Beetle and Wedge at Moulsford.
More information: Bring your boots as some parts can be muddy.

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Starting and ending in Goring-on-Thames (once home to the singer George Michael – see panel below), this walk straddles the border of Berkshire and Oxfordshire. It incorporates parts of two long-distance National Trails: The Ridgeway (see panel on walk 9) and The Thames Path (there is a two-mile section at the end which runs along a beautiful stretch of the river). We walked it in October and it makes a lovely autumnal excursion (but check for possible flooding).

Turn right as you exit the station and join Station Road. Pass the Catherine Wheel pub (which you can visit later) and then turn down Ferry Lane. Past the Catholic Church, the lane turns into a path which leads to the Thames. Turn right and follow the river to the road bridge ahead. Just before the bridge, you cross over an inlet. The house and garden you can see on the right used to be owned by the singer George Michael (see below). When you reach the road bridge, turn right and walk up the lane that runs parallel to the main road. The first turning on the right is Mill Lane, which leads to the Norman parish church. Mill Cottage on the right, is the other side of George Michael's old house, where he died in 2016. Fans often leave tributes by the front door.

The bridleway leads to Lowbury Hill, where there are views across the surrounding countryside. The field on the left, which has a triangulation point, is a good place to stop and rest. This is the site of an old Roman temple, which once had orchard groves. There are also a number of burial mounds in this tranquil spot, which retains some of the feel and atmosphere of a sacred place. There is evidence the area wasn't always so peaceful, however. A 7th-century Saxon king, known as the Lowbury Hill Warrior, was discovered at the location, buried with his shield, spear and sword.

Follow the line of trees across the top of the field. The path then turns left to go through a gap before continuing in the same direction and passing under some electricity wires. Keep going straight ahead as the path runs between trees, ignoring the path which comes off to your right. You emerge at a cricket pitch. Cross straight over to reach Moulsford village and turn right into The Street. After about 200m, take a left into Ferry Lane, which returns you to the River Thames. Where the lane meets the river, you will find the Beetle and Wedge Inn, if you fancy a stop off before the final leg of the walk, which takes you back to Goring.

Retrace your steps to the top of Mill Lane, crossing the bridge, which has great views of the river, into Streatley. Turn right when you reach The Bull into Wallingford Road, then bear left into Wantage Road and take the next left into Rectory Road. This soon becomes a country lane, which runs past a golf club and Thurle Grange. It leads to a wooded track, which heads uphill. This is part of The Ridgeway, an old road that runs almost 90 miles from Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chiltern Hills to Ovenden Hill near Avebury in Wiltshire (also see walks 9, 17, 4, 26 and 51) Turn right when you reach the junction of tracks past Warren Farm and take the bridleway that heads north.

On leaving the field, continue walking north and then turn right into The Fair Mile. On the left is the site of prehistoric earthworks known as Grim's Ditch. Keep along this public byway, which runs alongside fields and between trees. After about two miles, you emerge at the A417 on Shortlands Hill. Cross over and walk down the path in the grass verge along the road to the bottom of the hill. You reach a footpath sign pointing to a path on the left. This is Moulsford Bottom. A short distance along you will come to a conveniently-situated bench, another good place to take a break.

Head south along the Thames Path, which has some beautiful views across the river towards the nature reserve on the other side. Just before reaching Streatley, the path turns inland and takes you along Church Lane and past St Margaret's Church. Cross over the bridge back into Goring and take the right into Manor Road. This leads into Station Road at the junction of Ferry Lane. If you fancy a drink or food before the train home, we recommend a stop off at George Michael's regular haunt, the Catherine Wheel (see below), although other options are available.

One of the most successful recording artists of all time, George Michael bought 16th-century Mill Cottage in Goring in 2000 and used it as a bolt-hole for when he was not staying at his Highgate mansion. He was often spotted in the village and frequented the Miller of Mansfield and Catherine Wheel pubs. When he first moved to the area, one of the owners of the Catherine Wheel put a note through his door telling George he was not 'the only gay in the village' and that he would love it if he visited his pub. He soon became a regular patron (his favourite food order was apparently scampi and chips). In 2004, George gave viewers of The Oprah Winfrey Show a video tour of his home, which he shared at the time with his partner Kenny Goss. He explained how he'd extended the house to include a library (although he confessed he'd bulk-bought antique books to fill the shelves). He also recounted the story of how his next-door neighbour, a member of the House of Lords, planted bushes alongside his garden to block out the noise from any potentially exuberant rock and roll partying.

After he split from Goss, George became something of a recluse and was spotted less often by locals. The singer often talked about battling his personal demons, saying 'I can be George Michael for a couple of hours on stage in the evening, but being George Michael off-stage for the rest of the day is a nightmare'. There is no doubt he was a complex character – the man behind timeless pop classics such as Careless Whisper once revealed one of his favourite albums was Joy Division's eerie, unsettling masterpiece Closer. George had admitted to a self-destructive personality and his issues with alcohol and cannabis addiction had worsened as he'd got older. On Christmas Eve 2016, the residents of Goring held their traditional torchlight procession through the village. He was spotted watching the event from the window of Mill Cottage – the almost ghostly presence of someone who had seemingly withdrawn from life. He was found dead at the house, from natural causes, by his partner the following morning. KB

Full-day country walks in SE England and beyond

Goring circular

Click on the image below to access the full map on plotaroute

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Full-day country walks in
SE England and beyond