Goring Gap Cycling

Starting from the railway bridge at the top of Goring High Street, head for a few yards along Wallingford Road and turn right up Lockstile Way. At the end of Lockstile Way, walk past the No Cycling sign for a few yards, then ride down Fairfield Road and Cleeve Down. Turn left for a few yards on Elvendon Road, then carefully right onto Icknield Road.

For new riders, the half-mile climb up Icknield Road from the Fire Station to the pig fields at the top may be quite a challenge. The reward is lovely views across the Thames Valley to Wittenham Clumps, and a fast descent to the “lonely crossroads”. You’re quite likely to see one or more red kites soaring in the sky and may also hear the sound of a skylark or two. Turn left at the crossroads to take the lane to South Stoke. Cross the B4009 with care to go under the railway into South Stoke village, turning left at the bottom past the church and the Perch and Pike PH. To access the recreation ground and village shop, turn left up Cross Keys Road, turning left just after the railway.

Continue along The Street from the Perch and Pike, and where the road turns sharp letft, go straight ahead following The Ridgeway trail. The route passes the Withymead nature reserve and the Goring Thames Sailing Club, with a lovely view of the river. Go straight ahead where this road turns sharp left, taking care as the road is also the access to the Leathern Bottel riverside restaurant. From here the bridleway following The Ridgeway trail is quite narrow and windy, and may be muddy after rain. It emerges first onto a private road, then joins the public road at the bottom of Mill Lane. Care is also needed at this junction, because of limited visibility. Go straight ahead past Cleeve Mill to return to Goring via Cleeve Road.

Don’t be fooled by the gradient profile. This is a relatively flat ride, and certainly the flattest that is possible from Goring. The first couple of miles are the same as the ride to South Stoke on the Starters page. Don’t turn off to the South Stoke shop, but carry on along The Street past the Perch and Pike, the school and the church.

At the end of The Street you have to turn up Ferry Road to South Stoke Crossroads, then turn left on the B4009 for half a mile. There are footpaths from South Stoke to Little Stoke (The Ridgeway, along the river and a footpath across the fields that has stiles) but neither are suitable for cycling and neither are legal for riding.

Take care on the B4009, which has a 50 mph speed limit and can be busy at times. Turn left off the B4009 on the minor road to Littlestoke. At the bottom of a small hill, the route turns sharp right outside Littlestoke Manor. In less than half a mile, the minor road turns right back to the B4009. You can carry straight on across the fields to North Stoke as this is a bridleway, but it can be very muddy after rain. The alternative is to use the B4009 as far as North Stoke, then turn left on Cook Lane. The bridleway joins Cook Lane at the beginning of The Street.

Follow The Street through North Stoke and carry straight on, where it becomes a bridleway across The Springs golf course. The Ridgeway Trail rejoins this route at North Stoke church. The Springs has a sign inviting walkers and cyclists to stop by for a coffee (or even a meal) and is very welcoming.

At the end of the golf course the bridleway wiggles around a bit before emerging in Mongewell. Watch out for residential traffic, but carry straight on. After the houses the route becomes a bridleway again. The Ridgeway leaves on the right just before your route dives under Wallingford bypass through a subway, then runs past a housing development.

There is a gate at the end of the bridleway, where the route joins a tarmac farm road, which swings around to the right. After a couple of hundred yards, a bridleway leaves on the left. This is Watery Lane, but it also manages to be stony, muddy and overgrown most of the year. An alternative to it is to carry on along the farm road for another few hundred yards, where you can turn left onto the old A4074 past Crowmarsh primary school to The Street (Crowmarsh Gifford, this one), where you turn left. Watery Lane joins the route just at the approach to Wallingford Bridge.

Return by the same route.