Goring Gamble

Join us for a stunning walk along the Thames valley from Goring to Whitchurch-on Thames  and return via the Chiltern Way, Cockpit Plantation and Hatton Hill Shaw.

The walk will commence and finish at Goring & Streatley Station,  initially we walk  South through the back lanes of Goring down to the river,  paying homage en-route to George Michael.  We then follow the course of the river East, potentially the wettest section, then head up through a rare section of Ewe Forest with panoramic views along the valley.  The majority of the route offers wide dry trails for the all important magic of interaction and shared experience. 

The route includes the Greyhound pub for a midway warming refreshment.  Food at the pub is not available at lunchtimes and it looks too small to accommodate a large group, so we may have to take our refreshment outside or there is a riverside area/church yard close by. 

The walk will finish back in Goring and there will be a chance for another pub stop to finish our day

The Sights

Goring Village and the last residence of George Michael, the village now holds its own Pride day.

Hartslock Wood

The name Hartslock is believed to derive from the Hart family, who in the 15th century owned a 'lock', probably a wooden construction used to support nets and eel traps, across the river below the woods. This structure no longer exists, having been removed in stages during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1915, Hartslock Wood was one of the sites listed by Charles Rothschild for conservation. The site has diverse semi-natural habitats, including species-rich chalk downland, ancient yew woodland, semi-natural broadleaved woodland, riverside fen and scrub. The wood has a variety of tree species including beech and yew, and there is a large colony of badgers. Besides the monkey orchid, several other orchid species, including lady (Orchis purpurea), bee (Ophrys apifera), pyramidal (Anacamptis pyramidalis), common spotted (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), common twayblade (Neottia ovata) and white helleborine (Cephalanthera damasonium), are to be found on the steeply sloping grassland part of the site. A hybrid of the monkey and lady orchids has been reported at Hartslock, the only place in Britain where this hybrid has been recorded.

Whitchurch-On Thames

Since the 16th century Whitchurch has had a weir and flash lock on the Thames to manage water levels for navigation. In 1787 the flash lock was replaced with a pound lock, Whitchurch Lock. The original Whitchurch Toll Bridge between Whitchurch and Pangbourne was built in 1792. 

The Greyhound Pub the only watering hole at the halfway point. 

Is it dog friendly?  Dogs are welcome but please note and abide by the Countryside Code (https://tinyurl.com/rlqvp3h) and be prepared for a couple of stiles / hills on the walk. Please also remember not everyone loves dogs as much as you do so please be mindful of other members.

New Members - I would like to warmly welcome any new members looking perhaps to try this as their first Outdoor Lads event. You may find this link useful https://www.outdoorlads.com/my-first-event or if you have If you have any questions then feel free to message me. 

Photo credits: All photos taken by Mark Westwood. Permission given to OutdoorLads to reuse

This will be Mark's assessment walk and thanks to him for puling together the information 

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Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are extremely mild, or who has recently tested positive for Covid-19, is asked not to attend.