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Bike touring routes & trails

Goring-on-Thames village – Ipsden Wood loop from Goring & Streatley

Routes

Bike touring routes & trails

Goring-on-Thames village – Ipsden Wood loop from Goring & Streatley

Hard

riders

Goring-on-Thames village – Ipsden Wood loop from Goring & Streatley

03:02

47.8km

490m

Cycling

Hard bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 8, 2026

Tips

Includes segments that go up or down a series of steps

You may need to carry your bike.

After 18 m for 16 m

After 47.8 km for 16 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

301 m

Goring-on-Thames village

Highlight • Trail

Goring-on-Thames is a large, unspoilt village in the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is on the Thames' eastern side, with the village of Streatley occupying the other. They are linked by the Goring and Streatley Bridge.

There is fantastic walking on the Goring Gap outcrop, with some lovely, colourful woodland trails. The Ridgeway National Trail passes through the village, whilst the Swan's Way ends here on its journey from Salcey Forest in Northamptonshire.

Tip by

7.49 km

Tidmore Pool

Lake

11.1 km

Ipsden Wood

Highlight • Forest

The road here is hugged by beautiful woodland. You'll ride through ancient forests such as Ipsden Heath and Rumerhedge Woods. The trees offer great shade in summer and you'll spot flashes of blue in spring when the bluebells bloom.

Tip by

12.0 km

Basset Wood

Forest

13.0 km

St John the Evangelist Church, Stoke Row

Highlight • Historical Site

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Stoke Row, was consecrated on the 19th October 1848.

The building is a beautiful example of simple Victorian architecture. The rectangular floor space accommodates a nave seating about 90 people and a spacious chancel area.

There is a tower at the north-east corner which houses the vestry, clock and bell.
The exterior of the building is a fine example of flintwork in a variety of styles and the roof is slate, with cedar shingles on the bell tower.

A delightful rose window was designed and made by Barbara Batt. The clock is a rare example from the 1920’s which is still in working order. It has recently been restored.

Cit. langtreechurches.org/locations/st-john-the-evangelist-church-stoke-row

Tip by

13.1 km

Maharajah's Well

Highlight • Monument

Historic well donated by the Maharajah of Benares (modern day Varanasi). Well worth a visit

Tip by

13.2 km

Maharajah's Well and the Golden Elephant Statue

Highlight • Monument

A gilded elephant stands on top of the cast iron machinery of this unique Victorian well at Stoke Row, Oxfordshire, an amazing gift from an Indian prince.

The 368-foot deep well, under its domed canopy (made by a foundry in Wallingford), was paid for by the Maharajah of Benares (now Varanasi). He had met the young Edward Reade, the local squire, who spent many years in India where among other work he helped to sink a well for a village in Benares. He told the Maharajah that drought conditions also occurred on parts of the Chilterns.

Moved by Reade's stories of water shortage in Ipsden (the parish which then included the settlement of Stoke Row) – the water had to be fetched by hand from miles away – the Maharajah paid for a well to be dug in Stoke Row, at a cost of around £400, as well as a small well-keeper's cottage and a cherry orchard. The cherries from the orchard provided an income to help pay for the well’s upkeep.

The well is 4 feet in diameter, dug by hand mostly through chalk, and is deeper that the height of two Nelson's columns. It took a year to complete and was opened on the Queen’s birthday in 1864. The well was in use for over 70 years and was a huge benefit to Stoke Row as a community.
Prince Philip's visit to mark the well's centenary in 1964 is still remembered in the hand-coloured red helicopter on every copy of the village newsletter, the Stoke Row News.

In 2008 the canopy was re-painted to restore it to its original Victorian glory.

Tip by

13.3 km

Stoke Row Store & Coffee Shop

Highlight • Cafe

Great local Community shop. Great for coffee, cakes & a stop.

Tip by

23.9 km

Henley-on-Thames: Riverside and Bridge

Highlight • Viewpoint

Henley on Thames is a classy Oxfordshire town on the Thames, famous for its long rowing history, the famous Henley regatta and the equally excellent Henley Festival-all part of the English summer season. Well worth a visit, stylish walks, lovely pubs and countless cafes and restaurants. Very busy and difficult to access during the Regatta weeks, it can be good to get there by train with frequent trains from London/Reading via Twyford.

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