Moulsford

Moulsford is not a village of big hotels, but its position on the Thames between Wallingford and Streatley makes it an easy base for exploring some of the prettiest stretches of the river valley. The Springs Hotel, set in its own grounds beside the water on the edge of the village, is the main option actually within Moulsford, and it suits visitors who want a country-house feel with the river on the doorstep. Beyond the village boundary, Wallingford and Streatley both offer a broader spread of accommodation, from traditional coaching inns to smaller bed and breakfasts, many of them also within sight or sound of the Thames.

Staying in or around Moulsford puts you within easy reach of the Thames Path in both directions, so a stay here works well for walkers planning a linear route between Oxford and Reading, or for anyone wanting a quiet, unhurried base rather than a busier tourist town. Wallingford, just over two miles away, has the wider range of everyday services - shops, a market, banks and a choice of places to eat - while Streatley and Goring add their own pubs and riverside charm a little further south. Given how few beds Moulsford has directly, it is worth booking ahead in summer, particularly around regatta weekends and school-holiday periods when the whole reach of the river gets busy with boats and walkers.

For those who prefer a self-catering cottage or a short countryside break rather than a hotel room, the villages and small towns around Moulsford - Wallingford, Cholsey, Streatley and the Goring Gap - offer a good spread of options within a few minutes' drive, all sharing the same appeal of the river, the chalk downland and the Chilterns close at hand.

Moulsford rewards a slow visit more than a long list of sights, but there is plenty within a short walk or drive to fill a day or two.

• Beetle and Wedge Boathouse - a historic riverside inn on Ferry Lane, occupying the site of the old Moulsford ferry crossing; the building dates from before 1860 and takes its name from traditional timber-splitting tools, a beetle mallet and a wedge.
• Moulsford Railway Bridge - known locally as the "Four Arches", this Grade II* listed Brunel bridge of 1839 carries the Great Western main line across the Thames on four low, sharply skewed brick arches; it is one of Brunel's best-preserved Thames crossings and a striking sight from the towpath.
• Thames Path walking - the national trail runs straight through the village, with an easy, level stretch linking Moulsford to Streatley and Goring in one direction and Wallingford in the other.
• Wallingford - a handsome Saxon market town just over two miles upstream, with a Norman castle site, independent shops, a Tuesday market and its own many-arched medieval bridge over the Thames.
• Streatley and Goring - twin riverside villages a short drive or towpath walk south, where the Thames cuts through the Goring Gap between the Chilterns and the Berkshire Downs; good for pubs, boat hire and the start of longer Chiltern walks.
• Wittenham Clumps - a pair of chalk hilltops crowned with beech trees a few miles north near Little Wittenham, giving wide views back across the Thames Valley and popular with walkers of all abilities.
• St John the Baptist Church - Moulsford's parish church, rebuilt in 1846 to a design associated with Gilbert Scott around the surviving west wall and a 13th-century lancet window of the original medieval chapel.

The village's best-known address is the Beetle and Wedge Boathouse on Ferry Lane, a riverside restaurant and bar built into the old boathouse on the former ferry site, with tables looking straight out over the water. A little further along the A329, the Springs Hotel and its grounds sit beside the Thames on the edge of the village, while Wallingford and Streatley add a wider choice of pubs, cafes and restaurants for anyone happy to travel a mile or two for dinner.

Moulsford sits on flat, low-lying Thames-side ground rising gently into the chalk of the Berkshire Downs, giving campers a choice between gentle riverside pitches and slightly higher, drier ground a short distance inland. As with anywhere in England, wild camping without the landowner's explicit permission is illegal, so plan on a licensed campsite or a farm-stay pitch rather than pitching up on the riverbank or open downland; the Thames towpath and surrounding farmland are private land outside of public rights of way, and access is at the landowner's discretion. The good news is that the wider Thames Valley and Chilterns around Wallingford, Goring and the Downs have a reasonable spread of small, well-run campsites and caravan parks, several of them within easy cycling distance of Moulsford itself.

The terrain here is gentle rather than dramatic - water meadows, arable fields and beech-topped chalk hills rather than anything mountainous - which makes it forgiving ground for tents and easy walking straight from the pitch. Being so close to the river, low-lying riverside sites can be prone to damp ground or flooding after heavy rain, so it is worth checking conditions if camping outside the drier summer months, and choosing a site with some elevation if wet weather is forecast. The Thames itself sets a natural rhythm to a camping trip here: mornings on the towpath, afternoons paddling or exploring Wallingford and Streatley, evenings back at the pitch with the sound of the weir or the water meadows nearby.

Late spring to early autumn, roughly May to September, is by far the best window, when the ground is driest, the days are long enough for river walks in both directions, and pub gardens along the Thames are in full swing. For anyone who wants the setting without the tent-pitching, glamping options in the surrounding Chilterns and Thames Valley countryside - shepherd's huts, safari tents and small camping pods - offer a comfortable alternative that still puts you close to the river, the Downs and villages like Moulsford, Streatley and Goring.