Old Well at the Crossroads – Peppard Hill (North) loop from Tilehurst
Old Well at the Crossroads – Peppard Hill (North) loop from Tilehurst
54
riders
Old Well at the Crossroads – Peppard Hill (North) loop from Tilehurst
02:19
51.2km
430m
Road cycling
Moderate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: June 28, 2026
Tips
The surface for a segment of your route may not be suitable
Some segments of your route comprise a surface that may not be suitable for your chosen sport.
After 21.5 km for 82 m
Waypoints
Start point
Train Station
Get Directions
10.3 km
Old Well at the Crossroads
Highlight • Structure
14.4 km
Peppard Hill (North)
Highlight (Segment) • Trail
Tip by
18.6 km
Sheep Sculptures at Stoke Row
Highlight • Monument
19.1 km
Maharajah's Well and the Golden Elephant Statue
Highlight • Monument
The 368-foot deep well, under its domed canopy (made by a foundry in Wallingford), was paid for by the Maharajah of Benares (now Varanasi). He had met the young Edward Reade, the local squire, who spent many years in India where among other work he helped to sink a well for a village in Benares. He told the Maharajah that drought conditions also occurred on parts of the Chilterns.
Moved by Reade's stories of water shortage in Ipsden (the parish which then included the settlement of Stoke Row) – the water had to be fetched by hand from miles away – the Maharajah paid for a well to be dug in Stoke Row, at a cost of around £400, as well as a small well-keeper's cottage and a cherry orchard. The cherries from the orchard provided an income to help pay for the well’s upkeep.
The well is 4 feet in diameter, dug by hand mostly through chalk, and is deeper that the height of two Nelson's columns. It took a year to complete and was opened on the Queen’s birthday in 1864. The well was in use for over 70 years and was a huge benefit to Stoke Row as a community.
Prince Philip's visit to mark the well's centenary in 1964 is still remembered in the hand-coloured red helicopter on every copy of the village newsletter, the Stoke Row News.
In 2008 the canopy was re-painted to restore it to its original Victorian glory.
Tip by
21.4 km
Checkendon Village Sign
Highlight • Monument
Like a painting in appearance it reflects its surroundings admirably. The format is a tribute to two local artists, one, Peggy Beeton, a distant relative of Mrs Beeton of cookery book fame, and Robert Lobley.
The tiny dated golden crown that tops the sign marks the Golden Jubilee.
Cit. oxfordmail.co.uk/news/3742783.rural-pride-display
Tip by
21.5 km
St Peter and St Paul Church, Cleeckendon
Highlight • Religious Site
Tip by
23.0 km
Three Cornered Wood
Forest
51.2 km
End point
Train Station
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
42.9 km
4.48 km
3.28 km
263 m
198 m
123 m
Surfaces
45.3 km
5.54 km
344 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
Highest point (180 m)
Lowest point (40 m)
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Weather
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Thursday 13 August
33°C
16°C
0 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 16.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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