Walks in Oxfordshire by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations in Oxfordshire and plan your next day of green.
Hanborough Circular via Blenheim Palace
8 minutes direct from Oxford.
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.
Time: 3h30–7h
3 lunch spots: Woodstock (1h30–3h 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).
Henley-on-Thames to Pangbourne
30 minutes from Oxford, 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: 5h–10h30
1 lunch spot: the Red Lion (1h30–3h30 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.
Kingham to Moreton-in-Marsh
30 minutes direct from Oxford.
Fields near river Evenlode, quiet tarmac lanes, flower-filled meadows, gentle hills and picturesque Cotswolds villages and churches.
Time: 5h
Warnings: Can be boggy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Hanborough to Charlbury
15 minutes direct from Oxford.
Rolling Oxfordshire farmland, landscaped parkland, lakeside paths, open fields, ancient hedgerows, Roman road, Cotswold stone villages and deer park.
Time: 6h
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Oxford Circular via Port Meadow
Flat riverside towpaths, water meadows, canal towpath, Oxford city streets, college lanes and historic squares.
Time: 4h–8h
4 lunch spots: Wolvercote (1h–2h30 in) — the Trout Inn, Godstow, or the Jacob's Inn; plus the Perch (30m–1h in), or the Anchor (2h–4h in)
8 end-of-walk rewards: the Lamb & Flag, Oxford, the Red Lion, the Turf Tavern, the Bear, the Crown, the Royal Blenheim, the Castle Pub, or the Jolly Farmers
Warnings: Two fifths urban. Can be flooded.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Islip Circular via Otmoor RSPB Reserve
9 minutes direct from Oxford.
Rolling countryside, fields, woods, rivers, wetland nature reserve, quiet villages and old churches.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Shipton to Charlbury
30 minutes from Oxford, with one change.
Recommended: The views are excellent. Mostly off-road through pastoral fields and bridleways and with stretches of quiet country lane and one metalled section. Undulating Cotswold country with sharp inclines in places; can get very muddy when wet and one short section near Shipton station was overgrown. Little opportunity for refreshment along the way, though Ascott-under-Wychwood has a village shop. At roughly 6 miles it is a short walk.
Time: 2h30–5h30
Lunch: No real refreshment stops on the route, though Ascott-under-Wychwood has a village shop.
Warnings: A rural level crossing between Shipton and Ascott needs care. One short section near Shipton station can be overgrown and scratchy. Some sharp inclines, and the ground gets very muddy in winter.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Henley-on-Thames to Twyford
30 minutes from Oxford, with one change.
A mostly flat route following the Thames Path from Henley via Shiplake to Sonning and then looping back on the opposite bank along a narrow grassy path to Charvil and a pavement walk into Twyford. The Thames Path is a rough track in places and can get quite muddy and rutted. Some steps and narrow gates. Follows the Thames Path National Trail for much of its length. To enjoy the 2020 loop of the Thames Path through Shiplake, turn left off Mill Road soon after the pub and duck under the railway. Many private-property signs line the Thameside section.
Waterway: three fifths along the River Thames.
Time: 4h–7h30
Lunch: A choice of amenities in Sonning.
Warnings: Crossing a really busy roundabout with no pedestrian crossing on the approach to Twyford. The Thames Path can get muddy and rutted. Steps and narrow gates.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Islip to Oxford Parkway
5 minutes direct from Oxford.
Rolling countryside, fields, woods, rivers, wetland nature reserve, quiet villages and old churches.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Source: A variant of Islip Circular – the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).