The last weekend of the summer was disappointingly overcast, but that didn’t deter us in the least – we set out for the countryside, taking along two friends and our ever-stroppy puppy. Having found an eight-kilometre circular trek approximately an hour and a half away from London, we were up for an adventure.
Our choice didn’t disappoint. Situated between the Chiltern Hills and the North Wessex Downs, the village of Goring in Oxfordshire faces neighbouring Streatley of Berkshire across the River Thames. The area’s affluence can be seen in house prices displayed in estate agents’ windows – not to mention the Michelin-starred gastropub and supercar showrooms in the near vicinity.
It’s not hard to see why the country’s wealthy elites would choose to live here. As we stated multiple times on our expedition, there’s nothing boring about Goring.
The route we took was called Goring and Hartslock Nature Reserve Circular. It first took us along the river into some meadows, where we saw quail running in their eternally surprised fashion. We then headed up a hill and into the Great Chalk Wood, which was a serene deciduous woodland with large patches of blue sky visible above the tops of trees, magnificent red kites soaring overhead.
As we made our way back down, we passed through wheatfields and, naturally, were unable to resist endless Theresa May jokes. Finally, we returned to the village, each of us eager for a hearty pub meal. Unfortunately, none of the Goring pubs were serving food before 17:00, so we ventured across the bridge to Streatley and found a massive riverside restaurant.
Despite its three halls and what looked to be hundreds of tables, it was packed. Luckily, the place was dog friendly, so Chip settled in for his nap on daddy’s lap. The food was delicious, probably even more so following our physical exertion.
The drive home passed in a sleepy haze for the majority of us – our driver, of course, needed to keep his eyes on the road. All in all, it was a fantastic day trip out of London – beautiful, relaxing, and in the good company of friends. Even Chip behaved.
It’s very unlike me, but I don’t have any photos from yesterday’s New Balance Big Relay, which was an event running (pun very much intended) in parallel to the Vitality Big Half. Luckily, my colleagues took one, so I can still show off our victory.
While the organisation left much to be desired (missing packs, no start information, no confirmation emails), the run itself was a long-awaited return to normal. Thousands of people running through the streets of London, music blasting, crowds cheering – the joy is indescribable.
Our two teams were each down one participant, so our distances were fairly equal: 4.7 miles for the first and second legs, 4 miles for the third leg, and 4.4 miles for the fourth. I did the 4.7 alongside another colleague, who absolutely smashed it by choosing not to stop and finishing the full 13.1!
It’s reminded me of why I love running – and, most importantly, the value of a well-deserved break. It was the perfect culmination of a two-week-long holiday, where I finally, finally, managed to switch off for just a bit.
Let’s see how long the effect lasts, but right now I feel full of energy, ready to take on the world!
Each time I try to write anything, I end up reading countless Wikipedia articles. First, I thoroughly researched the exact definition of a mountain, a fell, and a Marilyn. I studied the Wainwrights, the Outlying Fells, and the family tree of the owners of Muncaster Castle.
When I finally got around to “we set off early on a Wednesday morning”, I looked up one of our rest stops – Banbury – and ended up learning about the English Civil Wars (because apparently, Oliver Cromwell planned one of the key battles in the backroom of a Banbury pub).
Anyway.
We did set off on a Wednesday morning, making our way from London into the Lake District. It was raining heavily by the time we reached Windermere, but given that we were travelling with a puppy, we were forced to stop for a walk.
Having stocked up on food, we traversed heavy fog on a treacherous, winding, single lane mountain road into Muncaster. Knowing now what I didn’t know then – it’s to our great advantage that we didn’t see where we were going. Beginner’s luck, as they say.
At Muncaster Castle, we settled into our home for the next three nights – the Coachman’s Quarters. I can’t say the accommodation itself was spectacular, but the garden access more than made up for it. We were treated with stunning views of the surrounding fells.
On the first day, the weather hadn’t improved, so we decided to check our eyesight at Barnard’s Castle, but ended up in a little village called Kirkby Stephen. The volunteers at the tourism office recommended a walk via Stenkrith Park to the Millennium Bridge, so we set off along the River Eden.
We finished the day with a beautiful walk through the Muncaster Castle gardens, including the Sino Himalayan path, which showcased trees from the Himalayan region. Apparently, the climate in Muncaster is similar to a certain height in the Himalayas, hence transplanted trees thrive.
On the second day, our first walk took us through the fields to Ravenglass, overlooking the shoreline in the distance. When we came to Ravenglass railway station, there was a steam train about to depart. We managed to get a seat onboard and we were off into the unknown.
The unknown turned out to be Dalegarth. We spoke to a local volunteer, who recommended a short hike to the Stanley Ghyll Force and Dalegarth Falls. I’m not sure which one we ended up seeing, as part of the path was closed, but we enjoyed the walk and the well-deserved (half) pint afterwards.
Returning to Muncaster, we still had a few hours of sunlight remaining, so we opted for an evening visit to Muncaster Fell. Since returning to London, I’ve discovered that Muncaster Fell is listed as a Marilyn (peak with prominence of 150m or more) and an Outlying Wainwright.
This finally felt like proper mountaineering, except the fact that we had to carry the dog the entire way up. Still, 231 metres later we were enjoying a beautiful sunset at the top, overlooking the sea and – perhaps more surprisingly – the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site.
After a morning walk along the Georgian Terrace, we set off for York. When we stopped for a coffee at Ambleside, we booked ourselves a hotel near Leeds and decided to change our itinerary – Whitby first, then York. But as they say, the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley.
Or rather, they get distracted by mountains. As we were passing through Kirkstone Pass, my partner pulled into the carpark. “We’re walking up that mountain,” he announced. And so walk up the Red Screes mountain we did – dog in the rucksack, whining as we went.
On the way down, we encountered a woman hiking with her grandchildren. She told us all about the Wainwrights and how she intended to finish them all. And that’s how I learned that I’ve climbed a few already. Back in 2017, I summitted Hellwelyn and, according to my notes, The Knott as well.
As soon as we had signal, we learned that our hotel was oversubscribed and our booking was invalid. We found a last-minute stay in York instead, and set out to explore. It was beautiful, but as it was a Saturday, the city was bustling. Lots of noise, lots of drunks – not great for a four-month-old puppy.
Our final day was spent along the North Sea, first in Whitby and then in Robin Hood’s Bay. We hadn’t prepared in advance for what we’d do once we were there, but we luckily had the foresight to take along our English Heritage membership cards, which granted us free entrance to Whitby Abbey.
We spent the night at home in London, but the travels weren’t finished just yet. After all, it was my partner’s birthday, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have yet another adventure. Brecon Beacons – more precisely, Pen y Fan, the tallest mountain in south UK – was our destination.
Because we’d be driving, I booked us two nights in Wales, with the expectation that we’d have an easy hike the first day, the difficult hike on the second day, and then perhaps a stopover in Cardiff on our way back.
But as we’d learned in the Lake District, things don’t go to plan. In this case, it was for the better – we had a wonderful stroll up Sugar Loaf mountain on the first day, stayed in the charming Clytha Arms, hiked a very foggy Pen y Fan and Corn Du on the second day, and headed back to London.
And best of all – we have a few days left to enjoy our holiday. We’ve got BBC Proms tickets for Saturday, and the New Balance Big Relay on Sunday, so lots of excitement ahead. But honestly, there’s nothing like the mountains to help you disconnect and recharge.
Swordfoosh 