A Romantic Walk Along the River Thames at Goring

Jemma Boynton, 24, tells us about her walk along the River Thames at Goring.

Your reason for going to the river?

I wanted to enjoy a relaxing walk along the River Thames and chose a circular walk around Goring from the Visit Thames website. The leaflet was titled Circular walks along the River Thames around Goring and Streatley and included both a map and directions which was very useful.  

What did you do on your trip to the river?

From the two walks on the leaflet we decided on the Chilterns walk, as we wanted to enjoy a flatter and generally easier walk. We drove to Goring and parked very easily in the village car park, but there is also a train station should you not have a car. We decided to start the circular walk in the direction of the village and then finish up at the Thames on the way back.

We followed the walk from the description on the leaflet which was well written and easy to follow. The walk took us up through the village and passed the train station before heading out into a rural area, then up a short hill where we had the most spectacular view of the Thames. There was a very conveniently placed bench at the top of the hill which gave us a fantastic view while we enjoyed a picnic lunch. We were lucky to enjoy one of the few summer days and were able to relax and enjoy the sun during our lunch.

The walk then sloped back down quite steeply towards the river, but then there was a very pleasant flat walk along the riverbank back to the lock at Goring. The walk along the River was fabulous; there were lots of people out enjoying the sun, both dog walkers on the footpath and a large number of boats on the River. There were also a huge number of Canada geese on this stretch of the Thames, as well as some ducks, swans and grebes.   

What time of year did you take the trip?

Summertime

What did you like best about it, did everything go to plan? Especially include anything that was really memorable or quirky.

I just love the tranquillity of the river. I spend all week working in a busy office in the centre of town and it is just great to get away from it all. The river is so close to my home in Reading and yet it is a completely different world. I really felt refreshed after a lovely relaxing walk in the sunshine.

What did you like least, did anything go wrong or was not as you'd expected?

The walk was slightly steeper in places than I had expected to be, which was not problem for us but might be a bit too much for an older couple.