Goring Gap Cycling
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Other Mend the Gap Images

The gallery below presents a number of images from the area covered by the Mend the Gap project, highlighting recreational activities and the rural environment.

There is also a gallery specifically focusing on the Goring – Wallingford active travel route.

Reading Bridge from footbridge
Whitchurch-on-Thames
Autumn at Gatehampton bridge (before electrification)
Winter at Gatehampton bridge (before electrification)
Winter at Gatehampton bridge (before electrification)
Autumn at Goring
View upstream from Streatley Bridge
Goring lock in the floods
Streatley Weir
Busy day at Goring lock
Busy day at Goring lock
Swan upping at Goring
Swan upping at Goring
Heading upstream from Goring lock
Paddleboarders at Goring
Water Lily
Cariad boathouse
Springtime at Cleeve
Summer at Cleeve
Goring Thames Sailing Club
Goring Thames Sailing Club
Goring Thames Sailing Club
South Stoke slipway
The Beetle & Wedge
Thames Conservancy house at Wallingford
Coming down The Ridgeway to Streatley
Cyclists near Ipsden

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Cycle Infrastructure

Examples of good and bad cycling infrastructure

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FixMyStreet - report, view or discuss local problems
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goringgapcycling2023
🚴‍♂️Only 2nd September and it’s already 🚴‍♂️Only 2nd September and it’s already feeling autumnal. However it’s very warm and the off-road trails are still dry, so an ideal opportunity to do some off-road along the Ridgeway bridleway to @spireandspoke in Watlington. Lovely coffee and the best selection of flapjacks for miles around. #gromils #goringgapcycling #Chilterns #theridgeway #ridgeway_national_trail
🌞 That rare thing known as a sunny Bank Holiday 🌞 That rare thing known as a sunny Bank Holiday for the Gromils’ annual trip to the Chilterns’ quirkiest coffee stop, @thebarnatturville heath.  ☕️ For the last couple of years The Barn Cafe has only been open Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, and reservations are mandatory, even just for a cup of coffee.We had reserved for six but there were only five of us, which was quite handy for the couple of women cyclists from Marlow who hadn’t reserved but got mixed up in our part of the queue. 🚴‍♂️ On the way back we took the still newish cycle path adjacent to the A4130 from Fairmile up to Bix. It was good to see that most of the undergrowth had been cleared back since our last visit and subsequent complaining on Fix My Street. 🍰 At Highmoor some enterprising young people were having a cake sale in aid of Age Concern, now known (since 2009!) as @age-uk (after a merger with Help the Aged). We did the only thing that touring cyclists could do - stopped and bought cakes, some of which were inhaled on the spot. 🦜🦜🦅🦌🏃‍♂️🐶 No photos, but it was a good day for wildlife spotting - a pair of kestrels, a sparrowhawk on the wing, a fallow deer jumping across the road just in front of us, and a jogging @benfogle with dog. #gromils #goringgapcycling #Chilterns #cakeoff #FixMyStreet  #roadmaintenance #Oxfordshire
🚵‍♂️🍰 We enjoyed last Sunday's off-roa 🚵‍♂️🍰 We enjoyed last Sunday's off-road ride to @the.maker.space so much we’ve made it one of the 60-odd freely-downloadable routes on the goringgapcycling.co.uk website 😀 #gromils #goringgapcycling #Chilterns
🚴‍♀️ A variety of off-road surfaces for t 🚴‍♀️ A variety of off-road surfaces for the Gromils ride to the new cafe at @earth_trust in Little Wittenham: * Ridgeway and other byways to Upton * Sustrans NCN Routes 544 and 5 down the old railway to Didcot and across the fields to Wittenham * Bridleway through Little Wittenham Wood back homewards via Wallingford #gromils #goringgapcycling #Sustrans #NationalCycleNetwork #theridgeway #ridgeway_national_trail
Off-road in the Chilterns is not just about 🚵‍♂️ through 🌳🌳🌳. There are some magnificent views to be had, eg on the descent back from @the.maker.space across the ⛳️, past @bluetinproduce and @brazierspark. The surprisingly busy (even on Sunday morning) B4009 not so much fun 🚘☹️ #goringgapcycling #gromils #Oxfordshire #Chilterns
🌞 The hottest day of the year so far for one of 🌞 The hottest day of the year so far for one of the Gromil’s longest, a three-counties ride to Bramley in Hampshire. Yes, we went right across (West) Berkshire - much easier than trying to do the same in Oxfordshire. ♒ Good to see that the ford at Clapper’s Farm was back to something like its normal summer level. 🥐 Although Bramley’s quite a large village, the approach to it from the north is quite abrupt, so suddenly your mouth starts watering as you nose lets you know you’re only a few yards away from the bakery - which is air-conditioned, much appreciated by some of the Gromils. 🚉 Train trivia on the return journey - Why is Midgham station called Midgham, when it’s in Woolhampton? When it was built, the powers that be on the original GWR thought that porters calling out “Woolhampton” might confuse travellers who really wanted to go to Wolverhampton, which was part of the GWR empire in those days. 🚴 Scan the QR code to see this route and download the GPX file for it. #goringgapcycling #gromils #firstgreatwestern #Oxfordshire #Westberkshire #Hampshire
🚲 Perfect weather for the Sunday morning Gromil 🚲 Perfect weather for the Sunday morning Gromils ride, this time to @pantryyattendon. With the High Street closed, it was obviously (?) a perfect opportunity to tackle Streatley Hill while things were quiet. Thanks to @beealing for the 🎥 - ebikes do have their advantages. 🔧How many parish councillors does it take to fix a puncture? In this case, two. Having it while we were at the cafe turned it into a spectator sport. #goringgapcycling #gromils
🚲 Lovely to ride along a (mostly) well-maintain 🚲 Lovely to ride along a (mostly) well-maintained cycle path from Hermitage to Hampstead Norreys on this week's Monday Gromil ride… 🚧 …even though we did have to do a bit of clearance ourselves. 📷 Thanks to @stuntbutt for the selfie.   #roadmaintenance #Westberkshire #goringgapcycling #gromils
🚲 In January 2024 Oxfordshire County Council bu 🚲 In January 2024 Oxfordshire County Council built a nice new wide cycle/horse path from Henley Fairmile to Bix. Seven months later it's barely passable. We were lucky to be going up (=slowly). Some of the brambles were dangling across at eye height.  🚧 What's the maintenance plan? Without maintenance the capital investment is a waste of money. #FixMyStreet  #roadmaintenance #Oxfordshire  #goringgapcycling
🚲 🔧 If your bike needs some TLC, bring it do 🚲 🔧 If your bike needs some TLC, bring it down to the Repair Cafe in Goring Village Hall Saturday morning.  If it doesn't,  drop by for a coffee and say Hi. #goringgapcycling #gromils
😎Classic summer weather at last for a classic s 😎Classic summer weather at last for a classic summer ride to Hambleden (the one in the Chilterns, obs). We were happy to welcome Mark from @ctc_wallingford on his first Gromil ride. 💦Saving a few yards and a hill bypassing Fingest on the old road turned out not to be such a great idea. First the frequent sound of “Ow”, “Ouch” etc as we made our way through the overheating nettles, then walking our bikes down a veritable river with no tarmac left on the old road surface.  There’s a reason why it's called Watery Lane. #goringgapcycling #gromils
Great show by @mikrontheatre at Goring Lock last n Great show by @mikrontheatre at Goring Lock last night. Huge fun and a very serious point about finding Common Ground when half the land in England is owned by less than 1% of its population. Does cycling need its own Kinder Scout moment? #Sustrans #NationalCycleNetwork
🦈🦈🦈🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦🚧 Dodging sharks, joggers, tourists and construction sites along the Regent's Canal on a trip from Stratford to Ealing Broadway.
🚴‍♂️ A ride of two thirds (not two halves 🚴‍♂️ A ride of two thirds (not two halves) for The Gromils this week - the first two-thirds almost flat, the last not nearly so.  🌄 Flat, but not smooth, as much was off-road. Even the smooth bits weren't smooth,  as we had to dodge and divert around road works. Could also be known as the Three Valleys (Thames, Pang, Kennet) which sounds a bit better than the Off-road tour of Reading.  ☕️ Excellent coffee at @parkkitchenuk in Thames Valley Park. 👏 Kudos to Rory for doing it all on a fixie. 📷 Thanks to @stuntbutt for some of the pix. #kingalfredsway #goringgapcycling #gromils
Therapeutic mountain biking for your mental health Therapeutic mountain biking for your mental health - on the NHS* (*If you live in Badenoch or Stratspey)
☕️ Our first visit to the very friendly and we ☕️ Our first visit to the very friendly and welcoming The Snaffle Cafe, at the equestrian centre at the top of Sulham hill - not that we went up the hill to get there 🍔 Ideal venue for cyclists who prefer savoury to cakes and want to take on the Ultimate Breakfast Bap (or sourdough alternative). 🐎 All that and entertainment too - well, horses walking around in circles. Watch out for future Olympians. #goringgapcycling #gromils
🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️ Record turnout for a Sunday Gromils ride, taking the Tour of the Pang to the wonderful @hampsteadnorreysshop18. Scan the QR code to download the route. ☕️ ☕️ ☕️ ☕️  The brilliant volunteer staff had their work cut out when we were the third large group of cyclists 🚴‍♂️ to arrive in 10 min. 🌊 The flood in Hackney Bottom is finally subsiding, but it has taken a heavy toll on the road surface.  #goringgapcycling #gromils #roadmaintenance
Great to be at the unveiling of the new orientatio Great to be at the unveiling of the new orientation plaque at Goring & Streatley station, which has two main aims: 👩‍🦼🚅 To encourage visitors, especially people with mobility impairments, to travel by train to Goring and Streatley, taking advantage of a fully accessible station and a wide range of local facilities; 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🌳 To help local people and visitors alike identify accessible pedestrian routes from the station to places of interest, including the Chilterns and North Wessex Downs National Landscapes and the Ridgeway and Thames Path National Trails. 🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️ Cyclists are included too, as the plaque has a QR code that links to the goringgapcycling.co.uk website, with details of over 50 great cycling routes in the Goring Gap area. Goring & Streatley station is right on the @wearecyclinguk King Alfred Way long-distance trail, which joins the Ridgeway in Goring. It makes a great base for tackling either of these trails, with bike-friendly train access via First Great Western. #goringgapcycling #theridgeway #kingalfredsway #wearecyclinguk #firstgreatwestern
🌞🚴‍♂️ Our epic Midsummer Monday Gromil 🌞🚴‍♂️ Our epic Midsummer Monday Gromils ride was even more epic than we expected. Five intrepid Gromils set out by train from Goring and Streatley station, to be met at Didcot by Chris sans bike “Only along for the [train] ride”. Our second train of the day whizzed us through Oxford and up the Cherwell Valley to Heyford, from where we had to cycle all of 200 m to Kizzie’s Waterside Bar and Bistro - superb location with garden right next to the canal basin. It was set to be a 45 mi ride back to Goring with no hills of any consequence, taking in the periphery of Otmoor on a perfect cycling day. When we reached Murcott we were attracted by the lovely @nuttreein🍺. We were made very welcome, with no condescension whatever shown to five cyclists stopping for a drink and a bite at what turned out to be a Michelin-starrred Country Pub. Maybe some of us will return one day for the 7 course tasting menu… Not daunted by the 30 miles still to go after lunch, we made a little foray into Buckinghamshire through Oakley, Worminghall (“Sounds like a room in a Victorian hospital” said Andrew and Shabbington and along the bridleway from Moreton to Testworth, with a break at The Old Red Lion for tea/cold drinks/ice cream.🍦 🚳 Turning off the old A40 at Tetsworth with around 15 mi to go, we passed a Road Closed sign, as cyclists usually do. When we came to the construction crew a mile further on, a very polite foreman explained that it really was closed as they were tearing up the road between there and Cuxham. No fancying the alternative of the B4009 from the M40 junction to Watlington, we bit the bullet and took the A40 up Aston Hill towards Stokenchurch and then the familiar homeward route via Christmas Common, Park Corner and Checkendon. Aston Hill must be one of the friendliest climbs in The Chilterns (since the M40 opened). It is much preferable to the nearby Kingston Hill, which is on a par with Streatley Hill and much used as a rat-run. So the 45 mi saunter with no significant hills turned into a 50+ mi epic, but was still much enjoyed by all. #goringgapcycling #gromils
🌞🚴‍♂️ Perfect solstice weather for a n 🌞🚴‍♂️ Perfect solstice weather for a non-Gromil Brompton bummel from Staines to Mortlake via Richmond Park. Is this the only part of Sustrans NCN Route 4 that has a bike ferry? #goringgapcycling #Sustrans #NationalCycleNetwork
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