Buy the OS Route Map and instructions for this route

The Thames Path Bridleway may not have the same ring to it as the Gwyder Forest, or Afan Argoed, but after a great start, this little beauty that runs from Whitchurch to Goring is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any self-respecting mtb’er. If the steps don’t do it for you, up or down, then the drop through Hartslock Wood certainly will. If only all bridleways were as good as this one.
Better still is the location; Pangbourne is less than an hour by rail from London Paddington, and only minutes off the M4 by car. There’s really no excuse for not having a crack at it.
While the opening leg is undoubtedly the highlight of the outing, there’s still plenty to smile about on the way round, especially when you consider just where you are. The climbs are steep and testing, even if they are relatively short, and the descents throw up all kinds of surprises with rocks and roots in abundance almost everywhere.
Typical Chilterns woodland links the gradients, with some top-notch singletrack dispersed among the more sedate forest trails. There are plenty of logs to hop and puddles to dodge, and a careful eye might pick out the odd excellent berm too.
We’ve graded it medium for the distance covered, but the ride can easily be made shorter by cutting out any of the loops, or added to by introducing a couple of extra ones of your own. There’s even more to go at if you head east of the A4074.