The Goring Gap, the geological name given to the distinct valley area carved by the river Thames through chalk uplands, is roughly midway between the source of the Thames and the sea and forms the boundary between Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The villages of Goring-on-Thames and Streatley face one another across the river here, with the gentle slopes of the Chilterns on the Goring side and the steeper North Wessex Downs, with elevations of over 170m above sea level in some places on the Streatley side. The river here is c.43m above sea level.
It is a special place geologically, geographically and historically, with Goring and Streatley having been in two opposing Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms (Mercia and Wessex) and situated at the only intersection of three ancient routes, the Icknield Way, the Ridgeway and the Thames, the latter two now designated National Trails.
Of England’s 34 National Landscapes, only 2 are geographically joined, albeit separated by the river. The Goring Gap is the gateway to both of them. Goring-on-Thames is within the Chilterns National Landscape, whilst Streatley, with the county boundary along its river bank, falls within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape
Covering about 20 square kilometres of beautiful open countryside and woodland walks, with many stunning river views, the Goring Gap is a popular recreation destination for green tourists, with good rail and river access. The natural beauty of the Goring Gap makes it a very special location and has been described as a 'Jewel in the Crown' of the Chilterns National Landscape. Residents, therefore, have a very strong sense of place and pride in their villages and are very protective about their beautiful environment. So, the natural environment here deserves as much protection and support as can be provided.
The character of the area is complex, but can broadly be described as the chalk landscapes of the two National Landscapes, rising up from wet meadows along the relatively confined floodplain of the Thames.
To the north of Goring and Streatley, the landscape is dominated by arable farmland, to the south and east are more extensive areas of woodland, including Ancient Woodland, on the slopes of the hills. Both sides of the Goring Gap are rich in the biodiversity associated with thin soils over chalk. The area is considered to be particularly rich for vascular plants and is known for the presence of a number of very rare species including Monkey Orchid, Lady Orchid and Pasqueflower.
There are four Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in or close to the Gap, all of which have been designated wholly or in part, for their unimproved chalk grassland habitat. There are three riverside Nature Reserves on the Chilterns side of the Thames, Hartslock NR, and Little Meadow NR in the south of Goring and Withymead NR to the north, all with their own particular habitats and features.
Along the narrow river floodplain, the wet habitats bring further diversity to the area’s flora and fauna. Priority habitats in and around the Gap include Lowland Calcareous Grassland, Grazing Marsh, Lowland Fen, Reedbed, Good Quality Semi-improved Grassland and Deciduous Woodland. There is an area of Wood pasture and Parkland at Basildon Park (NT), where a more enclosed character is created by the Parkland landscape.
The ‘Gap’ through which the River Thames flows between the Chilterns to the east and the Berkshire Downs to the west is one of the most impressive natural landforms in southern England. Some say one of the main geomorphological features of the River Thames and arguably the most impressive fluvial landform in Britain, containing various terrace remnants.
There are various theories of how this feature was formed over time and one is It is the direct result of over 3 million years of continuous river erosion. The bedrock is the chalk, a relatively soft limestone formed in the deep warm seas some 85 million years ago in the Cretaceous period. Within the chalk are bands of flint.
The form of the present landscape was created during the ‘Ice Ages’ which set in some 3 million years ago. These are characterised by numerous alternations of temperate and cold climates, with at least 50 cycles being known world-wide. Generally, the last half a million years have witnessed the coldest of the cold phases but glacial ice has never been present in any of them in the Goring area. Today we are living in the most recent Ice Age temperate period (interglacial) and this commenced just over ten thousand years ago.
Against this backdrop of alternating climates, the River Thames has continued to flow NW-SE through the Goring area. However, since the North Sea basin to the east has been progressively sinking, in compensation the land to the west has been subject to slow uplift. Over several million years this has caused the Thames to cut ever deeper into the chalk and the present day ‘gorge’ or ‘gap’ is the result. During the cold periods the main river had multiple channels which became choked with gravel. Also, there were active streams draining the subsidiary river valleys when the ground was deeply frozen but these are currently dry as we are in an interglacial. During each interglacial, the river flowed in a single channel cut into the gravels. Because of the uplift, spreads of gravel form terraces on either side of the main valley at various heights, forming a staircase pattern which rises above the modern floodplain. The highest terrace is found on the top of Streatley Hill (c.150m above sea level) and shows that that the Thames was flowing at this level some 2 million years ago. The well-drained terraces provide the main settlement sites which include those of Goring and Streatley. The Thames, near Goring bridge is currently at c.45m above sea level, some 100m below the highest point in the chalk escarpment of Streatley Hill. These well-drained terraces now provide the main settlement sites which include those currently known as Goring and Streatley, the central part of the Goring Gap.
[Based on information from Peter Worsley, Emeritus Professor of Quaternary Geology, University of Reading and other sources].
For a geological map of the Goring Gap, click here.
Then enter postcode RG8 9AT (top right search icon), then open layers (top left icon)
See the example screenshot centred on the Goring Gap below:
More about the geology of Oxfordshire
For a topographic map of the Goring Gap, click here.
See example screenshot centred on the Goring Gap below:
