Ridgeway East 5 Days
This itinerary takes you from Goring to Ivinghoe Beacon in a leisurely 5 days. The 57 mile walk (including walks to and from accommodation) averages 11.5 miles with the longest day being 13.4 miles.
5 walking days
6 nights accommodation
Walking distance 57.5 miles
Average daily distance 11.5 miles
Longest day 13.4 miles
Total ascent 4,250 feet
Most ascent in one day 1,290 feet
The path is well-signposted but can be hilly, particularly towards the end.
Although shown below as west to east, it can be reversed and walked east to west.
Itinerary
Day 0 Arrive at Goring
Goring is a ten minute train ride from Reading, so an easy place to get to. Check in at the Miller of Mansfield, a popular hotel for walkers with quirky rooms and food served all day.
Hopefully you will have time to walk down to the lock and enjoy a short walk down the river. George Michael’s former house can be seen from the riverside path.
Day 1 Goring to Nettlebed 12.5 miles (890 feet of ascent)
The Journey: The first half of the walk follows the River Thames and you might find yourself wondering why it’s called The Ridgeway. You will look down on Cleeve Lock where Pete Townshend wrote much of Quadrophenia whilst renting the lock-keeper’s cottage. You pass through the lovely villages of South and North Stoke before reaching Mongewell where a short detour will take you to the abandoned riverside church of St John the Baptist.
At Mongewell the route turns sharply eastward (you’ve been heading north since Goring) along the intriguing Grim’s Ditch.
The Destination: Grim’s Ditch ends at Nuffield. Here you will leave The Ridgeway and follow a well-marked trail through woods and fields to the lovely village of Nettlebed, deep in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The White Hart is a four star hotel: a traditional 14th Century coaching house with a blend of modernity in the style of a boutique hotel with a warm and cosy atmosphere. The menu is described as British with an emphasis on quality of the ingredients. Each bedroom has been stylishly modernised and individually designed with no two rooms the same.
Day 2 Nettlebed to Lewknor 11.1 miles (860 feet of ascent)
The Journey: We return to The Ridgeway via a different route, some of which follows the Chiltern Way. We rejoin The Ridgeway in time to pass Ewelme Park, Swyncombe House and the lovely St Botolph’s Church.
The trail passes through undulating meadows and arable fields, reaching an almost perfectly straight and level path that you will follow for the rest of the day and into tomorrow – save for diverting to your accommodation. The town and villages are a mile and one hundred feet of descent below you.
The Destination: The Thame Lambert Hotel lies 0.7 miles beyond the village of Lewknor, It’s just 0.4 miles off the Trail. The most direct route is to walk down the A40, which, although lacking a pavement, is not as busy as it sounds.
A quieter road leaves the Trail 0.7 miles earlier taking you to the village of Lewknor which has a pub and a church but not much else. You can then walk, again on quiet roads, the same distance to the hotel.
The hotel is far busier than what you will be accustomed to as it sits close to a junction of the M40 which you will have walked under to get here.
Day 3 Lewknor to Cadsden 10.6 miles (1020 feet of ascent)
The Journey: This is your hilliest day spent walking the Ridgeway. The Trail starts by continuing up the straight and level track at the foot of the Chilterns passing Chinnor to your left. If lucky you might catch a glimpse of the steam train that runs to and from Princes Risborough.
It then takes quite a southerly loop over Lodge Hill and over the railway line close by Saunderton Tunnel to skirt the edge of Princes Risborough. Whiteleaf Cross, home to another chalk carving, is your next hill. Down the other side you will hopefully be at The Plough, your home for the night.
The Destination: You won’t find accommodation much closer to the Trail than The Plough at Cadsden. Its website describes itself as “The Pub of Prime Ministers”. Why? Because their country seat, Chequers, is nearby. In fact, you will walk through the grounds tomorrow. But don’t let that put you off. It’s a jolly nice inn.
Day 4 Cadsden to Wigginton 11.4 miles (1290 feet of ascent)
The Journey: Suitably rested you must tackle another hill. This time it’s Pulpit Hill, home to Grangelands Nature Reserve. Look out for orchids and butterflies.
You exit Pulpit Wood through the grounds of Chequers, the country seat of the Prime Minister. Make sure you heed the warnings and stay on the Path!
Past Chequers is another series of wooded hills which will take you to the Crimean War Monument before descending to Wendover, an attractive market town with plenty of shops and restaurants.
Beyond Wendover, the path passes through woods and fields until you enter Tring Park and the glorious King Charles Ride.
The Destination: Wigginton is a small hill-top village with a single pub, the Greyhound. Although the pub doesn’t offer breakfast, the village shop and cafe is just next door and offers breakfast from 8.30am. We’ll give you a voucher to compensate. As Wigginton is on the outskirts of Tring, the pub is sometimes referred to as the Greyhound, Tring. It should not to be confused with tomorrow’s Greyhound which is at Aldbury and sometimes called the Greyhound, Tring.
Day 5 Wigginton to Ivinghoe Beacon 9.0 miles (600 feet)
The Journey: Although only a 5.5 mile walk to the end of The Ridgeway, provision must be made for returning to the nearest accommodation which is in Aldbury.
After a sharp descent from Wigginton through fields you cross the A40 via a footbridge and then the Grand Union Canal and arrive at Tring Station (some distance from Tring!).
The Ridgeway recaptures the high ground towards the end of the walk climbing through Aldbury Nowers, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, emerging from the woodlands to open ground leading to the terminus of Ivinghoe Beacon.
The Destination: As Ivinghoe Beacon is some distance from any accommodation, you will need to partly retrace your steps to cover the 3.5 miles to the Greyhound at Aldbury, a charming village inn. We say “partly” because only a mile is on The Ridgeway, the rest being on public footpaths through woods. We’ll provide you with directions.
The inn lies in the heart of the village which is set in a conservation area. It’s a popular film location and was featured in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Tring Station is just under a mile away. There’s a footpath running alongside the road so it’s quite safe to walk. But, with luggage, you might want to book a taxi.
Prices
Prices inclusive of bed and breakfast plus baggage transfer between hotels. A map and guide book is also included. You will have unlimited access to our local team in the event of difficulties.
Price per person assuming shared occupancy: £660
Price per person assuming single occupancy: £1,065
Rest days can be purchased but prices vary depending on category of hotel.
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