Walks near Banbury by train
Northamptonshire · East Midlands
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Banbury and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Banbury.
Hanborough Circular via Blenheim Palace (Oxfordshire)
30 minutes from Banbury, with one change.
Beginner-friendly: A gigantic well-signposted park. It’s completely fine to deviate from the route — explore as you like! Plenty of options for lunch — no need to reserve a table. It's an easy walk from the station to the beautiful, vast (and free) grounds of the finest example of English baroque architecture. For a somewhat extortionate fee you can also visit the house, but you'd probably want a whole day for that.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Blenheim Palace (1h in)
Woodstock (1h30 in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: Woodstock (1h30 in) — the Crown, the Back Lane Tavern, or the Star Inn
1 end-of-walk reward: the George and Dragon
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Saunderton Circular via Bledlow (Buckinghamshire)
45 minutes from Banbury, with one change.
Highly recommended: Rolling Chiltern Hills, open ridge, secluded valleys, gentle gradients with one or two steep hills and fine valley views.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: the Lions Of Bledlow (2h in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Golden Cross
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 2.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Princes Risborough to Wendover (Buckinghamshire)
30 minutes direct from Banbury.
Highly recommended: Beech woods, chalk downlands, high ridgeline, nature reserves, escarpments with wide views and a pleasant old market town.
Hilly: two fifths on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
Chilterns Countryside (National Trust; 4h15 in)
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: the Swan (2h in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Shoulder of Mutton
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Henley-on-Thames to Pangbourne (Oxfordshire)
1 hour from Banbury, with one change.
Highly recommended: Thames riverside, ancient streets, broad valleys, beech woods, fields, small villages, alpaca farm and toll bridge.
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: the Red Lion (1h45 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Greyhound
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Pangbourne to Goring & Streatley (Berkshire)
1 hour from Banbury, with one change.
Highly recommended: Woods, hilly, river and quaint village.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: Streatley (2h in) — Pierreponts, or the Swan at Streatley and the Coppa Club; plus the Bull (2h in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Miller of Mansfield, or the Catherine Wheel
Warnings: Relatively busy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Princes Risborough Circular via Ninn Wood (Buckinghamshire)
30 minutes direct from Banbury.
Recommended
Hilly: a quarter on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: the Black Horse (1h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: Wheat Field, or the Bird in Hand
Source: Trains2Green.
Moreton-in-Marsh Circular via Longborough (Gloucestershire)
1 hour from Banbury, with one change.
Gentle Cotswold hills, open fields, ridge with fine views and honey-coloured villages.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Pangbourne Circular via Goring (Berkshire)
1 hour from Banbury, with one change.
Part-wooded ridges, open pastures, wildflower nature reserve, Thames river meadows, beech woods and Thames-side villages.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Goring & Streatley Circular via Aldworth (Oxfordshire)
1 hour from Banbury, with one change.
Undulating downs, Thames-side views, Ridgeway path, chalk hills and quaint villages.
Time: 7h (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Steep descents.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Princes Risborough to Great Missenden (Buckinghamshire)
30 minutes direct from Banbury.
Sloping fields, beech woods, hamlets, upmarket farms, cottages and two short steep hills with fine views.
Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reading to Henley-on-Thames (Berkshire)
45 minutes direct from Banbury.
Flat Thames towpath, riverside parks, wooded sections, pasture fields, meadows and riverside gardens.
Waterway: four fifths along the River Thames.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Flood risk sections.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reading to Shiplake (Berkshire)
45 minutes direct from Banbury.
Flat Thames Path riverside countryside, the Horseshoe Bridge and the historic Bull Inn at Sonning (of Three Men in a Boat).
The River Thames: England's best-known river, whose towpath (the Thames Path National Trail) carries long stretches of nearly every walk in this set.
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Shared with cyclists between Reading and Sonning; walkers only beyond.
Walk details: Reading to Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership (turn-by-turn directions).