Another wet day on the Ridgeway beckoned. It was going to be one of those Type Two days that requires a little internal discipline.

Letcombe Regis to Goring. 15 miles/24km:

I slept well, very well in fact, but Mrs Three Points of the Compass complained that she was kept awake by someone snoring for much of the night. Well I never heard them. I rose to make us teas and gazed out of the little bedroom window at the gently falling rain. It looked like another day we would be setting off in waterproofs. We had requested a fairly early breakfast but they don’t really ‘do’ early breakfasts in any of these overnighters. That said, it was excellent.

Today was going to be our longest day so far on this trail, with a bit of added mileage expected for both prior to rejoining the Ridgeway and leaving it this afternoon for our overnight accommodation. Richard and Louise at Quince Cottage really have been the most pleasant and helpful of hosts and we were very fortunate that Richard offered to drive us up the steep hill and return us to the Hill Fort at the top, almost back on trail. We passed the other four Ridgeway walkers on the drive up. So not only were the two of us denied the climb up, but we were also now leading the charge. Within a minute of waving off the car as it accelerated back down the hill, we were back on the Ridgeway. The soft rain persisted for the next hour or so, but it wasn’t anything onerous. At least not to start. It began to get heavier which meant I took few photos today. There wasn’t really much to see for most of the day. More quiet lanes, increasing numbers of trees, mostly beech and a lot of mixed hedgerows, more easy pleasant walking. But that rain. It just kept falling.

The two of us kept as positive an outlook as we could in the rain, our chatting interspersed by those long periods where you just march along, deep in your own thoughts. There were many flooded parts that had not had time to drain away, and our progress was occasional slowed by the need to circumnavigate these.

We took a few minutes out to view the Wantage monument. This was actually built on top of a neolithic long barrow. The stone steps to the column were wet and greasy and care was required not to go clattering down them. At times it bucketed down, at other times I uttered the much repeated words “it’s clearing up” as the sky brightened for half an hour before becoming an angry grey again. Occasionally we caught sight of the other four, at first far behind, but inevitably, given our slower gait, they caught up and passed while we were taking one of our periodic pauses, having found what seems to be uncommon on much of the trail, i.e. something to sit on. In this instance a few logs at one of the car parks occasionally found at infrequent road crossings. Two of the four hikers were having a hard time of it, feet hurting.

Onward. We had already been following the Downland Villages Riding Route, but there was now also the Gallops off to our side, another lone rider thundering up and down despite the soft ground. Our lunch was nothing to get excited about. We paused beneath the A34T in a dripping underpass, but out of the rain, to consume yesterdays lunch. Mrs Three Points’ spirits were flagging but once again underway we were over the half point for the day, and at least we had occasional hares and the perennial Red Kites to entertain us.

On a clear day, we would have enjoyed extensive views, especially to the north. The guidebook informed me that beyond Abingdon, Oxford could be seen. But not today. Onward. More rain, more wet grass, more tumuli, but we now paused less frequently, the end was (almost) in sight.

The end came slowly, but we eventually began the long descent to Streatley, positioned on the near bank of the River Thames. Not far from the town we passed a sign that informed us that Ivinghoe Beacon was 44 miles away. We were almost at the half way point of the entire trail. I had stayed at the Youth Hostel in Streatley the last time I walked the Ridgeway but we were both looking forward to something a bit more comfortable for tonight. The rain kept falling and it was rush hour, the cars and vans almost at a halt as they struggled to pass through wet town.

We crossed the Thames to the far bank, into the beautifully situated Goring-on-Thames. This is an age old crossing of a now quite wide river. Having crossed the bridge we then left the trail and carried on up the hill for the 500m walk to tonight’s halt. We are staying at Melrose Cottage. The two of us have actually stayed here before, when we walked the Thames Path National Trail, that also passes through Goring.

• The Thames Path

We arrived at 17.00 and our host Rose welcomed us in. We had a ground floor room at the back of her house, quite near her large kitchen. She offered to put our sopping wet trail shoes on top of the Aga, the gentle heat would see them dry by morning. As before, the remainder of our clothes were washed or rinsed as necessary, wrung out and draped around our room to dry.

Showered and changed into dry ‘town clothes’ from our suitcases, we were back out two hours later to walk back in to Goring to the Indian restaurant Masooms. We had eaten here before and had thought it good enough to return. Many reviews report that it is the best Indian food in the district, but I would call if more ‘OK’, than ‘the best’. That said, the two of us enjoyed our meal (and Cobra beer) and waddled back to our accommodation having eaten far too much. It had been a fairly long and pretty wet day, but spirits are again high, feet and muscles are good, and we are looking forward to getting back on trail tomorrow, despite it being another 15+ miler.

• The Ridgeway- National Trail
  • Short film- Grims Ditch
  • 2016- Planning
  • 2016- Food 
  • 2016- Water sources on the Ridgeway
  • 2025- day zero- Arriving at Avebury
  • 2025- day one- East Kennett to Ogbourne St George
  • 2025- day two- Ogbourne St George to Woolstone
  • 2025- day three- Woolstone to Letcombe Regis
  • 2025- day five- Goring to Watlington
  • 2025- day six- Watlington to Princes Risborough
  • 2025- day seven- Princes Risborough to Aldbury
  • 2025- day eight- Aldbury to Ivinghoe Beacon and the Bridgewater Monument