Short Cafe Routes. Short(ish) routes to cafes in the Chiltern Hills near Goring. These are all circular routes, so in some cases could be made even shorter by returning back along the outward route.
Blue Tin
Farm produce and wonderful views
A climb through the woods to the Blue Tin farm shop near Ipsden. There is an option to take a bridleway for a short cut on the return journey.
Highlights
The view across the Thames Valley from Blue Tin. Bluebell woods in the spring.
Hazards
Loose gravel and potholes on the minor roads, particularly at the bottom of the hill below Blue Tin (Garsons Hill). There is a sharp bend where gravel collects. Parts of the bridleway alternative can be muddy after rain.
Crossings of the busy A4074. Both locations have good visibility.
Hospitality
The Blue Tin farm shop. Check the opening hours, as it’s not open every day.
Ewelme and Benson
Along the foothills of the Chilterns to two historic villages
An introduction to the Chilterns without the need to tackle its steepest climbs.
Highlights
Ewelme is an ancient village nestling on the spring line below the Chiltern Escarpment, with historic connections going back to Geoffrey Chaucer. Its primary school is said to be the oldest school building in the UK still in use as a local authority school. Next to the school and church are cloistered almhouses dating back to the 15th century. The village cafe and shop overlooks the spring-fed village pond. Jerome K Jerome, the author of Three Men in a Boat, is buried in the churchyard.
Benson is a larger village, located adjacent to one of the locks on the River Thames. It owes a lot of its growth to the presence of RAF Benson, which is a major helicopter support and training base. It often records the lowest night-time temperatures in the UK, thanks to being in a frost pocket and having RAF facilities to do the recording.
Hazards
The Ipsden Dip, a steep little valley in the village of Ipsden, where the gradient changes from steep down to steep up in a short distance, with loose gravel at the bottom of the dip.
Crossings of the busy A4074 and A4130. Visibility is good at both locations.
Hospitality
Ewelme Village Store
No. 25 Cafe in Benson
Hints
Benson Waterfront gets very busy on sunny days. Ewelme is much more chilled-out.
The Maharajah’s Well
From Goring to the Maharajah’s Well in the village of Stoke Row and back.
The Maharajah’s Well was a gift to the village of Stoke Row from the Maharajah of Benares. It was completed in 1864, at a time when many of the villages in the Chilterns did not have a reliable source of safe drinking water.
Highlights
The unique Maharajah’s Well with its gilded elephant.
The long descent through the woods down Busgrove Lane – very relaxing and good for one’s mental health.
Hazards
The A4074 is often busy with high-speed traffic, but visibility at the junction with this route is good.
Dirt, loose gravel and potholes on the narrow lanes, particularly on the second half of the route.
Hospitality
The Village Store in Stoke Row is almost opposite the well, includes a cafe, and is open Monday to Saturday.
The Cherry Tree pub in Stoke Row is 500m to the east of the well, along the route.
The Black and Red Lion pubs in Woodcote – one on each alternative route
Village shops in Stoke Row and Woodcote
Hints
There are two routes through Woodcote – along the “main” roads, which pass the shops, and round the back, which involves a little more climbing.
Maker Space (on-road)
Up along and down the Chiltern escarpment
A steady climb through Woodcote and Checkendon to Nuffield and the Maker Space cafe, then a fast whizz down Brixton Hill. Watch out for the “evil dip” at Ipsden on the way back.
Highlights
Lovely views from where the route crosses the Ridgeway Long Distance Path in Nuffield, and on the return through Ispden. Over a mile of freewheeling from Nuffield down Brixton Hill.
Hazards
Brixton Hill is one of the fastest descents in the area, so watch out for other traffic. However the visibility is generally good.
There is a very steep dip into and out of the valley at Ipsden village, with a bend in the road and a junction at the bottom.
Narrow lanes with loose gravel and potholes, particularly between the bottom of Brixton Hill and the crossing of the A4074.
Hospitality
Shops and pubs in Woodcote.
The Black Horse pub is 400m north-west of the route just beyond Checkendon.
Maker Space @ The Crown cafe (in the former Crown pub) is 800 m beyond the junction at Nuffield, and can be accessed via a track across the golf course. The first few metres of the track seem muddy sometimes, but the base is firm. Unlike some golf courses, the golfers are generally very friendly and used to cyclists. To carry on with the route after a stop at the cafe, return to the junction in Nuffield and turn right.
The King William IV pub is 400m east of the route at Hailey, just north of Ipsden, and is signposted from the route. It has a lovely view across to the Berkshire Downs.
The village shop in Ipsden is a few metres off the route at the bottom of the Ipsden dip.
Hints
The Brixton Hill descent comes in two parts, with a flatter section between the two. You can probably freewheel all the way, providing there is not a strong westerly headwind. If you can’t, check your brakes and/or wheel bearings.
This route can be turned into a good training ride by missing out the Maker Space cafe. Taken in a clockwise direction, the climb up Brixton Hill provides a good workout.
There is also an 22.2 mi off-road route that visits the same cafe. See Maker Space Off-Road
The Cheese Shed
Mainly off-road to a cafe in a barn at the home of Nettlebed Creamery
At just on 20 mi this route is on the limit of what counts as a Short Cafe Ride, with significant sections of it off-road.
Highlights
Bluebells in the woods in early spring.
The views from near the King William IV pub on the return journey.
Hazards
Two crossings of the A4074. The first, outside Woodcote is by road and has good visibility both ways. The crossing on the return journey has bridleway both sides, neither of which has a dropped kerb.
The first part of the Beech Lane bridleway as it enters the woods, is notoriously muddy. An alternative would be to turn right at the bottom of Cleeve Down and take Elvendon Road up to Woodcote.
Hospitality
The Cheese Shed. Wrap up during colder seasons of the year.
The return route comes right past the The King William IV pub, which is the subject of one of the Local Pub Rides.
Hints
This route would be quite challenging for beginners. Although not technically difficult, most of the climbing is done off-road, so it is harder than a road route of the same length.