# 🥾 Walk 539 - Streatley, Aldworth and Ashampstead

On Saturday 1st October, ten of us (a mix of regulars, not so regulars and newcomers) met up at the car park on Streatley Hill. Ian, our leader, appeared minutes before the start time for the walk, having yomped up the hill on foot from Goring & Streatley railway station. Luckily the trains from Reading were still running, despite a major rail strike covering most of the country.

We started the walk by crossing Goring and Streatley golf course and joining The Ridgeway on Rectory Road. We followed this for a short distance before turning off and heading south-west towards Westridge Green.

![On our way from the Ridgeway to Aldworth.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume42/images/westridge_green.jpg)

Three miles into the walk, we arrived at the village of Aldworth. A short distance south of the village is St Mary's Church, where Ian gave us a tour of the churchyard, pointing out where poets had been buried. Inside the church were the "Aldworth Giants" - larger than life stone effigies of medieval knights of the De La Beche family. Many of the giants were damaged by Parliamentarian iconoclasts during the English Civil War of the 17th century. Ian's walks are often educational.

A mile further on, we reached Portobello Wood and a section of Grim's Ditch. From there it was mostly woodland paths that took us to Ashampstead Green and then to Cassy's Field Farm Shop, where we purchased tea and cake to augment our packed lunches, which we consumed in an adjacent picnic area.

![Inside St Mary's Church, Aldworth.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume42/images/st_marys_aldworth.jpg)

After lunch we visited St Clemet's Church in Ashampstead village. Ian told us about the mediaeval wall paintings that can be seen in the church. These had been hidden by plaster since the 16th century but were rediscovered in 1886 after a great storm when the plaster began to fall from the walls, revealing the hidden treasures.

Leaving the village, we followed paths through woodland and fields, passing by Hartidge Lye Wood and crossing through Bowler's Copse and Broom Wood. Then a section of road walking on quiet lanes took us to Tombhill Row.

![On our way to Ashampstead Green.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume42/images/ashampstead_green.jpg)

Some more road walking brought us to Stitchens Green, which was followed by a long slog up the south side of Streatley Hill. After getting our breath back, we began to cross Common Wood. Ian offered an option to take a short detour to a good view-point that overlooked Goring and Streatley. We took up the offer and the view was indeed worth it.

At the view point, we were joined by a spaniel-type dog who seemed to be lost and in some distress. It kept running up to each of us and yelping. We waited for an owner to come along the path, but no one appeared. The dog followed us back up to Common Wood and once we'd gone through a swing gate, the dog seemed to know where it was. It ran off with much determination along the main path. This was the same path we took and along the way we met some other walkers saying they'd seen someone further up with a lead and no dog.

![Walking through Bowler's Copse.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume42/images/bowlers_copse.jpg)

A woodland path brought us back to the car park on Streatley Hill. See our route on Google Maps. Our route covered 11 miles with 662m (2,170ft) of ascent in total.

![A view of Goring and Streatley from Common Wood.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume42/images/goring_streatley.jpg)

*Thank you to Ian for leading this walk.*

## 📸 Back to Volume 42

Return to volume index