There’s North Stoke, Little Stoke and South Stoke, all of which can be found midway between Oxford and Reading.

We chose South Stoke for no particular reason except that it appeared to offer us a glorious river walk and a great pub lunch.

It did — and had it not been for the cows we encountered quite unexpectedly, it would have proved to be the most perfect of perfect days out. The cows? Well, suddenly there they were, gazing at us and daring us to walk in between them as we ventured forth along the river path.

Yes, I was scared, and poor Barnaby my border collie was not just scared, but terrified. It was only thanks to Uncle John’s tenacity that we got through, leaving the bovine creatures continuing to stare after us as we strode towards open country.

The 17th-century Perch and Pike pub is in the centre of South Stoke and is run by the Dorsett family.

Like so many of the houses in the village, it is an attractive flint and red brick building. It has a beer garden at the rear and a patio at the front.

One of the fascinating things about this pub is that the Ridgeway trail passes the front door. Indeed, it is said to be the only hostelry on this ancient route. This means a large percentage of the pub’s customers are walkers.

And what a lovely place it is to stop when you are following the Ridgeway path or, like us, enjoying a river walk. It is a Brakspear pub so we drank Oxford Gold, the perfect ale for a warm summer’s day. Barnaby was allowed in the bar, but we chose to sit outside, even though the interior with its homely little dining room and bar with its pretty floral curtains and fishy pictures appeared really comfortable.

Barnaby’s tea (£1.85), served by Neil the landlord, arrived in a tea pot, along with a plastic tub in which to serve it. Had Barnaby wished to be greedy, the pot would have served him at least two tubs of tea, but one was enough.

The food was excellent. Uncle John chose a traditional Ploughman’s Lunch (£8.25) which was served with warm bread and a very tasty Cheddar cheese. I chose a Cajun chicken salad (£8.75) which proved the right choice, as its flavours were perfectly balanced and the salad vegetables freshly prepared.

We were eating from the lunch menu. Apparently the dinner menu changes daily and offers some very delectable choices not available during the day.