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Cholsey to Goring via Wallingford Walk

The Thames Path to Wallingford, rolling hills and South Stoke, finishing along the Thames path

Oxfordshire

History

Club walks since April 2015, and a summary which goes back to Jan 2010.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sat, 10-Jan-26 Cholsey to Goring (or Pangbourne) via Wallingford 4 bright sunshine
Sat, 18-Feb-23 Cholsey to Goring or on to Pangbourne (via Wallingford) 6 cloudy breezy
Sat, 22-Jun-19 Cholsey to Goring via Wallingford 3 warm with a light breeze
Wed, 08-Aug-18 Cholsey to Goring (via Wallingford) or to Pangbourne 12 warm with a breeze and increasing cloud cover
Sun, 21-May-17 I wanna go to Cholsey (sorry Elvis Costello!) 7 Sunny all day
Sun, 29-May-16 1 – the Thames in south Oxfordshire 7
Sat, 22-Aug-15 Saturday Second Walk - a new Thames walk 30 very hot sun
Stargazer
SWC 242: Cholsey to Goring (or Pangbourne) via Wallingford

Train: Take the 9:37AM Didcot bound train from London Paddington, arriving Cholsey at 10:41. Return trains are roughly 15 and 45 minutes past the hour from Goring (a couple of minutes later from Pangbourne) -- check exact timings! Buy a Cholsey return.
Distance: 12.7 miles or 20.4km -- add about 4 miles or 7km to finish in Pangbourne
Difficulty: 3 out of 10

This walk starts with a stretch through the village of Cholsey to reach the riverside Thames path where you turn left and continue all the way to the s bustling market town of Wallingford . After lunch you leave the river Thames and take paths around the gently rolling Oxfordshire countryside with some fine and expansive views before visiting the attractive village of South Stoke. From South Stoke the short, last leg of the walk is along the Ridgeway and Thames Path to Goring. For more information on the walk and the walk notes/gpx, click here .

This walk can easily be extended by following the Thames Path to Pangbourne.

Lunch: Plenty of options in Wallingford , recommended is The Boat House (Greene King) (6.5 km/4.0 mi, food all day).
Tea: Perch & Pike in South Stoke (open all day), and plenty of options in Goring and in Whitchurch/Pangbourne .
  • David Colver
    Jan-26

    4 on this walk, in bright sunshine that felt warmer than the recorded 4C, on ground that was icy in places, sticky in others.

    All ate at the Boat House in Wallingford, which Greene King has done its best to give a charisma bypass: from blackboards at the entrance displaying buy one get one free offers on burgers, so long as it's a Tuesday, through Sky Sports screens and gaming machines on every wall, to menus with overcomplicated special deals on particular combinations of food and drink that the landlord felt the need to explain, all at odds with its attractive riverside position. Service was good, the food edible and the prices reasonable. Even so, we'd try some of the several other places we passed next time.

    Three took a shortcut back to Chorley via the Ridgeway and the bridge carrying the A4130 over the Thames, saving about 2.5 miles, in time for the 1613 train home. Impressively, the one who followed the prescribed route had made it to the platform in time to catch that same train as it reached Goring and Streatley, one stop down the line.

Thomas G
Length: 20.4 km (12.7 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 144/141m
Net Walking Time: ca. 4 ½ hours
Toughness: 3 out of 10
Take the 09.57 Didcot Parkway service from Paddington (Ealing B’way 10.05, Reading 10.52), arriving Cholsey 11.08. [You can also take the 10.07 to Theale and change at Reading.]
Return trains : xx.18 & xx.48 (4 mins later from Pangbourne). Change at Reading to shave off 25 mins!
Buy a Cholsey return .

Start with a 2 km stretch through the village of Cholsey to reach the riverside Thames path where you turn left and continue all the way to the bustling market town of Wallingford and your riverside lunch-time pub The Boat House. After lunch you leave the river Thames and take paths around and across fields in the gently rolling Oxfordshire countryside with some fine and expansive views before visiting the attractive village of South Stoke and some refreshments at the Perch and Pike pub. From South Stoke the short, last leg of the walk is along the Ridgeway and Thames Path to Goring where you are likely to be too late for tea and cakes at Pierreponts café. But there are some excellent pubs in the village before a short walk to the station.

Like any walk finishing in Goring, this walk can easily be extended by following the Thames Path to Pangbourne (adds about 7 km).

Lunch: Plenty of options in Wallingford, recommended is The Boat House (Greene King) (6.5 km/4.0 mi, food all day).
Tea: Perch & Pike in South Stoke (open all day), and plenty of options in Goring (a little beyond the station) and in Whitchurch/Pangbourne. For details see the pdf.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here.
  • author image
    Mr M Tiger
    Feb-23

    6 on a cloudy breezy day. 5 for Goring, 1 for Pangbourne.

    Wallingford was reached without incident. A few feathers were ruffled in the BoatHouse. Although chips were advertised with some meals, you had to know to say “is it in the deal?”, otherwise you didn’t get none. Luckily, being such a good-natured bunch, there was no chip envy. Not that any of this bothered Mr Tiger who doesn’t normally eat but had been fed a few chips and sweets by a kindly benefactor.

    Then inland for the long exposed stretch to South Stoke. Maybe it’s better in summer, but I can’t say I enjoyed these long unvaried sections.

    Poor Mr Tiger fell behind in the afternoon and, get this readers, at one point he observed those ahead cheating by continuing along the road to cut off a big corner. (Something Mr Tiger would never ever do).

    There was another stop at the Perch and Pike. Quite pleasant.Then on into Goring. No pub visit there. Just home.

PeteG
Cholsey to Goring (via Wallingford) or to Pangbourne


Length: 20.5 km (12.8m) with the option of carrying on to Pangbourne.

It starts with a 2km stretch through the village of Cholsey to reach the riverside Thames path where you turn left and continue all the way to the market town of Wallingford and your riverside lunch-time pub the Boat House.

After lunch you leave the river and take paths around and across fields in the gently rolling Oxfordshire countryside with some fine and expansive views before visiting the attractive village of South Stoke and some refreshments at the Perch and Pike pub.

From South Stoke the short, last leg of the walk is along the Ridgeway and Thames Path to Goring

Trains: Take the 0957 Didcot Parkway train from Paddington (Ealing Broadway 1005, Reading 1050) arrives 1114. If you miss that, there is a fast Reading train at 1000 & 1007.
Return from Goring are 1712, 1742, 1813, 1842 etc with a change at Reading for a faster journey.

Lunch: The Boat House (Greene King) in Wallingford on the river bank (6.5 km/4.0 mi, food all day)

Tea: On this walk, you get to the station before the various tea options in Goring
  • Mark R
    Jun-19

    Surprisingly for a day that was warm with a light breeze just 3 on this walk. Two had lunch at the Boat House where food was cheap (two meals for £12), served quickly, and of adequate quality. The third had sandwiches and then continued the walk, to be caught by the pub-lunchers at South Stoke where a visit was made to the pleasant garden of the Perch & Pike. A very flat but enjoyable walk.

Thomas G
Length: 20.5 km (12.8 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 186/183m
Net Walking Time: ca. 4 ½ hours
Toughness: 4 out of 10
Take the 10.15 Cardiff Central service from Paddington (change Reading 10.40/10.51), arriving Cholsey 11.11 . With Railcards other than Network RC: take the 09.57 Didcot Parkway service (this may show as a ‘Cholsey’ train at Paddington), stops Ealing B’way 10.05.
Return trains : xx.12 , xx.40, xx.44 (4 mins later from Pangbourne). Buy a Cholsey return.
First Wednesday outing for this walk…
It is very exposed to the sun, but does not have much ascent…
Start with a 2 km stretch through the village of Cholsey to reach the riverside Thames path where you turn left and continue all the way to the bustling market town of Wallingford and your riverside lunch-time pub The Boat House. After lunch you leave the river Thames and take paths around and across fields in the gently rolling Oxfordshire countryside with some fine and expansive views before visiting the attractive village of South Stoke and some refreshments at the Perch and Pike pub. From South Stoke the short, last leg of the walk is along the Ridgeway and Thames Path to Goring where if you arrive before 17.00, tea and cakes await you at Pierreponts café. Otherwise there are some excellent pubs in the village or you can rest by the river and enjoy the views before a short walk to the station.
Like any walk finishing in Goring, this walk can easily be extended by following the Thames Path to Pangbourne (adds about 7 km).
Lunch: The Boat House (Greene King) in Wallingford (6.5 km/4.0 mi, food all day).
Tea: Plenty of options in Goring (a little beyond the station) and in Whitchurch/Pangbourne. For details see the pdf.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here .
  • PeteB
    Aug-18

    Please note that although the Perch and Pike is a lovely pub it closes at 3pm on weekday afternoons and does not reopen until 5.30.

  • Thomas G
    Aug-18

    12 off the train on a warm with a breeze and increasing cloud cover kind of day.

    The walk needs a while to get going, what with starting along residential roads to get to the Thames and then the river not always being visible for hedges and trees, but it is pleasant enough and Wallingford is indeed a fine market town (with a worryingly high rate of empty shops, though). Most if not all lunched/popped in for a drink after picnic at the Greene King pub by the river, which was fair enough. One then went back into town to explore the streets in more detail and especially the site of Wallingford Castle (recommended).

    The afternoon had a bit of The Ridgeway and else gently rolling fields on offer, mostly arable and all but a few with good, walkable paths through it, and also some impressive clouldscapes as the darker ones kept rolling in, w/o ever raining off. The finishing stretch along the Thames suffers a wee bit from not actually being able to see the river most times for large houses' garden fences blocking the view. All in though: pleasant.

    16.40 (fast) or 16.44 (stopping) trains for all but the few that turned right in Goring to go to the Cafe first.

  • Thomas G
    Aug-18

    Oh: one of the 12 walked on to Pangbourne.

  • Peteb
    Aug-18

    Two others from the 4 of us who had tea and massive slabs of cake at Pierreponts went on to do the extension to Pangbourne.

PeteB
Download walk 242 Cholsey to Goring via Wallingford and South Stoke

Distance 20.5km (12.7m) toughness 4/10.

Trains; 09.48 London Paddington (Ealing Broadway 09.56) to Cholsey 11.04.
If you miss this train catch the 10.00 fast train to Reading and pick up the above slow train there at 10.46.

Return trains from Goring to London Paddington on the hour or 1 min past the hour. Buy a day return to Cholsey.


This is a companion walk to the Cholsey to Goring walk SWC 49 but takes a completely different route. It starts with a 2km stretch through the village of Cholsey to reach the riverside Thames path where you turn left and continue all the way to the bustling market town of Wallingford and your riverside lunch-time pub the Boat House.
After lunch you leave the river Thames and take paths around and across fields in the gently rolling Oxfordshire countryside with some fine and expansive views before visiting the attractive village of South Stoke and some refreshments at the Perch and Pike pub.(Note: this pub is open during the afternoon on Sundays but probably will not be serving meals after 2.30pm so you are advised to eat at Wallingford and have some snacks for the long afternoon leg of the walk.)
From South Stoke the short, last leg of the walk is along the Ridgeway and Thames Path to Goring where if you arrive before 5pm tea and cakes at the village cafe. (Pierreponts is closed on a Sunday.) Otherwise there are some excellent pubs in the village or you can rest by the river and enjoy the views before a short walk to the station.
You can lengthen the walk by 4.5 miles by taking the delightful Thames path from Goring to Pangbourne.
The pdf with further walk details and full instructions can be found here
  • David Colver
    May-17

    Cholsey to Goring via Wallingford and South Stoke,

    Sun 21 May

    7 on this walk, with one shooting off at the start never to be seen again. Sunny all day .

    As we entered Wallingford, there were four individuals on Vespa scooters disturbing the Sunday calm of the attractive town centre merely by driving along. Most motor mowers have sweeter sounding engines. It turned out that the quartet were heading towards The Boat House, our appointed lunch stop. When we arrived there may well have been a hundred Italian scooters, mainly Vespas but some Piaggios and other brands, neatly parked in rows. Many had fancy custom paint work. We were momentarily fearful that the place would be too packed out by rooters for scooters to house us, but got a table by the river and were served quickly enough with typical chain pub food.

    Refreshment at at the Perch and Pike pub in South Stoke consisted of tea and beer. No cake. 3 got the 1701 train back with others lingering in various watering holes within Goring.

    This walk is striking for its variety. It has flat bits besides the river; hills not beside any river; small towns; villages; fields with shoulder high rape and some poppies; other large fields with prodigious quantities of broad beans; woods; hedged-in tracks; more kites than I have seen on any other walk; and not a single stile.

Sean
Extra Walk 242 – Cholsey to Goring via Wallingford
Length: 20.5 km (12.7 miles). Toughness: 4/10

10:00 Weston-super-Mare train from Paddington, changing at Reading for the Oxford train (arr 10:34, dep 10:45), arriving Cholsey at 11:04. If you get to Paddington early you can take the same Oxford train at 09:45 (Ealing Broadway 09:53) and not need to change. Buy a day return to Cholsey .

Trains back from Goring & Streatley are hourly at 24 minutes past. You can save up to half an hour by changing at Reading for a non-stop train to Paddington.

This new walk had a well-attended début on a hot Saturday in August last year, with the feedback suggesting its wildflower meadows beside the Thames would be particularly attractive in late spring. A relatively short stretch along the Thames Path brings you to the pretty town of Wallingford and a choice of pubs for lunch. The (longer) afternoon is across gently rolling fields in the south Oxfordshire countryside and you'll probably appreciate the chance to break for refreshment in South Stoke, 3.5 km before the finish.

There are some good pubs in Goring if you have time to kill before your train, or you could even take up the walk author's suggestion of a 7 km extension along the Thames Path to Whitchurch and Pangbourne (closer to London, so a Cholsey ticket is valid). There are no written directions but the route is well-waymarked and some of it will be familiar from other club walks in the area.

For more information about the walk and a link to the Directions, OS Map, etc, go to the Extra Walk 242 page.
  • Fi
    May-16

    Lovely cafe on the way to the station past the pub on the opposite side. Open til five. Good cakes!

  • PeteB
    May-16

    I was told by someone who did this walk and also the Sandy walk check on Bank Holiday Monday that there were 7 on this walk. Some good displays of poppies on the Thames Path stretch to Wallingford.

    A word of warning: don't be tempted to miss out lunch in Wallingford. This group did and continued on to the Perch and Pike pub in South Stoke which they reached at 2.35pm, 5 mins after they had stopped serving lunch. The pub however did rustle up some chips for them.

    A strong group decided to continue walking in the lovely weather all the way to Pangbourne.

Walker
SWC walk 242 - Cholsey to Goring via Wallingford
Length: 20.5km (12.8 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10: "This walk is stile-free"

 9.27 train from Paddington (9.35 Ealing Broadway) to Cholsey, arriving 10.39

or

9.45 Swansea train from Paddington to Reading, arriving 10.10, to connect to the above train at 10.21 - But be aware that a First Great Western strike is due to start tomorrow which will affect long distance trains and the Swansea train could be very busy with people trying to travel before it starts. This should not affect the direct local train above: see ** below

 For walk directions click here.

 This is an entirely new walk - and so is not not not any previous Cholsey or Goring walk that you might have gone on. It has been sat on the website all summer without having an outing, as far as I know, so I hope its author will forgive me for giving it an airing now.

The route goes from Cholsey down to the Thames Path and follows it (a very pretty stretch) to the very attractive town of Wallingford which has lots of options for your lunch stop, relatively early in the walk. In the afternoon you cross rolling countryside with extensive views, passing through the village of South Stoke which has a pub as a refreshment stop.

The walk finishes along the Thames Path to Goring, though only faster walkers are likely to get to Pierrepoints, the tea room there, before it closes at 5pm. However, I have put up a slightly earlier train thant the author suggests to give you a fighting chance of making it in time.

Trains back from Goring are at 12 and 42 past till 21.12, and then at 22.16. Changing at Reading may save you 20 minutes off a 1hr 12 minute journey, but you may find the fast trains from Reading into London very very crowded due to the imminent strike, so personally I would not bother.

** Looking at the details of this strike, it does not look as if local services into London from the Thames Valley will be much affected in any case: The First Great Western website says that London Thames Valley trains will operate as normal with minor alternations to Gatwick services: so I conclude that it is safe to post a walk there today, which is the day before the strike starts anyway.


  • Anonymous
    Aug-15

    Thanks for posting this Walker. As the author I'll be going along to check the directions and take on any comments from fellow walkers. The Perch and Pike Pub in South Stoke about 3.5km from Goring station and which we pass en route is open all day Saturday and offers " real ales, craft lagers and some delicious new wines". Hopefully it might do some sweets as part of its pub food menu so slower walkers do not have to bust a gut to reach Pierreponts.

    Pete B

  • Walker
    Aug-15

    30 on this new walk, very hot sun but with some cloud and a cooling breeze later which was very welcome as a relief from the heat.

    The highlight for me was definitely the lovely four mile stretch along the Thames into Walingford in the morning. (I wish I had taken the opportunity to have a swim then!). This section would be lovely in late spring when its meadows would be full of flowers. Walingford is a very pretty town and the specified pub had a fine terrace overlooking the river, which it rather spoiled by playing loud music. Half of us ate inside as a result (which was also a bit cooler), though the other half did eventually prevail on the friendly pub stuff to turn the noise down.

    The core of this walk is a six mile walk across undulating arable fields and hills with minimal shade, which in the blazing heat caused some to flag. (At one point we took refuge on shady grass by the road like hobos). But the reward, particularly in the bit before South Stoke, was very panoramic views. What these vast fields would be like in winter is another story….

    The South Stoke pub provided much needed refreshments to all. One or two took a bus from here to Goring and think the walk directions should point out this amenity. But the rest of the walk was in fact a short and pleasant stroll, with glimpses down to the river, though disappointedly always separated from it by rich people's houses. By this time it was cloudy and sultry but a few of us sat beside the river for a bit before training home.

  • Anonymous
    Aug-15

    Great new walk Peter, and yes the Perch and Pike is a welcome stop in the afternoon section - nice garden to sit out in too.

    Interesting aircraft activities at the private airfield beforehand.

    We briefly intermingled with some charity walkers who apparently had set off from Chinnor - I do hope they raised lots of money,

    I met two SWC stalwarts on the journey home who had continued to Pangbourne (bravo!)

    All in all a great day out.

    AD

  • Karen
    Aug-15

    3 of us continued on to Pangbourne (may have been others?). Much needed refreshments were taken at The Pike and Perch in Stoke. This section of the Thames Path was very pleasant with lots of shade as you are mostly walking between rows of trees - a nice contrast to the open fields earlier in the day, especially on such a warm one. You walk right by the river for a while after leaving Goring, but for the most part there are properties between the path and the river.

    We arrived in Pangbourne at about 17:30, where one of our party took the next available train and the remaining two enjoyed a couple of beverages at The Swan by the river. Changing trains later in Reading, we were treated to the sight of the Mayflower 61306 passing through the station on its journey between Southend and Stratford-Upon-Avon.

  • PeteB
    Aug-15

    Thanks for the comments everyone. Amended pdf walk file now on walk's page. If anyone took any photos it would be good to have them uploaded to the pages too.