Streatley-on-Thames - Winter Landscapes and the Goring Gap
27 people attending
9 places left
YHA Streatley is a very large, comfortable Victorian house five minutes’ walk from a lovely stretch of the River Thames. The village of Streatley-on-Thames is mostly surrounded by National Trust land: Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down. At the crossroads of the Thames Path and Ridgeway National Trails, and with National Trust woodlands behind the Hostel, there are plenty of leisurely walk and cycle ride options in the vicinity. Being easily accessible with a direct train link to London, come along and enjoy the wonderful countryside and stunning views!
One of the most dramatic locations along the whole length of the Thames is the Goring Gap (created when the last Ice Age ended about 10,000 years ago) - a deep passage between the villages of Goring-on-Thames and Streatley-on-Thames offering magnificent views. The valley is situated between Oxfordshire in The Chilterns and Berkshire in the North Wessex Downs and forms an intersection of three ancient trading routes: The Ridgeway, Icknield Way and River Thames. Being in such a vital crossing point on the Thames, Streatley has been around for a long time and was mentioned in the Domesday book. There are two listed bridges over the Thames here, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway connecting London with Bristol.
Whilst this is one of the larger hostel events by Outdoorlads ‘small hostel event’ standards, the accommodation actually has the capacity to sleep many more than the 36 provisioned so we won’t be cramped. Activities are likely to be governed by weather conditions, but it is hoped to offer one or two walk options and potentially a bike ride.
IMAGES
Pic 4: Thames Valley and the Goring Gap by Mr Humphrey Cobbold. Licensed for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
Pic 5: Streatley Warren by Graham Horn. Licensed for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
Pic 6: The Swan at Streatley by Graham Horn. Licensed for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
What to bring
As well as casual clothes for the hostel, be sure to bring some reasonable clothing and footwear for a good walk in the open countryside. Please bear in mind that the weather can be unpredictable, so think ahead.
Bedding will be provided.
Bring a towel and washing kit.
If you are unsure about anything please message the Event Leader.
Food & drink
Friday Evening: Please bring at least one item for the buffet. You should aim to bring enough to feed no more than 2 to 3 people.
Saturday Breakfast: Included in the event cost.
Saturday Lunch: Please bring a packed lunch.
Saturday Dinner: Included in the event cost.
Sunday Breakfast: Included in the event cost.
Drinks: Tea/coffee included in the event cost. Please bring anything else you may wish to drink.