The classic day of two halves. Arriving at Cholsey, the logical thing would be to get the bus back to Wallingford and pick up the trail there. But that wasn’t coming for over half an hour. The next section of the Ridgeway follows the Thames down to Goring, on the opposite bank to the Thames long distance path. So another option would be to cheat a little and just follow the Thames path., cutting a couple of miles from the day’s walk. But the completist in me decided to walk up the Thames path almost to Wallingford and pick up the Ridgeway where I left off. This added about 3 miles to today’s route, making about 16 miles in all, the most of any sections. I had been thinking, before deciding on the Ridgeway, to walk the Thames path, and I’m glad I didn’t, because this section, along with others I’ve walked before, was very same-y, pleasant but unchallenging. You can have so much of river banks and bullrushes and skiffs and boathouses. I’ll write this up as options.
So six or seven miles of this, and a couple of pretty villages, and I reached Goring. The Goring gap is where the Thames has cut through the chalk escarpment as the land has risen, leaving this narrow breach between the Chilterns and the Berkshire Downs. Goring proved disappointing: I’d read that the Catherine Wheel was a good pub, but it was closed and another ancient pub nearby was permanently closed – and so was the cafe. Across the river, the Swan at Streatley was thriving. I remember when Ian and I had lunch there forty years ago when it was a Roux Brothers restaurant – very stylish exemplar French cuisine where the main courses came under silver salvers, to be revealed like a surprise. Now it’s a much more modern gastro pub, very stylish in its own way.
The first half was all on the level: well, clay paths that had obviusly been extremely muddy in the winter and now were baked hard and lumpy, so you have to watch the ground ahead all the way.
The second half is a complete contrast. After a long rise to over 600 feet, the route runs along a high chalk ridge, so different from the Chilterns. Not along a sharp escarpment, but a rounded ridge dropping away on both sides, with wide views to other ranges beyond, and mostly rough chalk and flint surfaced tracks, very hard on the feet. Here you’re much more aware of the wind and the sky. There are very few trees but the route is mostly hedged in, and virtually no buildings. Those that are around give you a clue why: Folly Farm, Starveall, Lands End. This gives a much clearer idea of the experience of pilgrims and other travellers taking the high route. The few villages are down at the spring line, and I head to one of these, dropping down rather wearily after 16 miles to East Ilsley.
This took me past the half way point of the modern Ridgeway today.
