Walks near Oxford by train
Oxfordshire · South East England
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Oxford and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Oxford.
Hanborough Circular via Blenheim Palace (Oxfordshire)
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).
Saunderton Circular via Bledlow (Buckinghamshire)
45 minutes from Oxford, 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: 5h–10h
1 lunch spot: the Lions Of Bledlow (2h–4h 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)
45 minutes direct from Oxford.
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.
Time: 4h–8h
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.
Mortimer to Bramley (Berkshire)
45 minutes from Oxford, with one change.
Highly recommended: Little known but quietly wonderful. Beautiful rather than spectacular, in a humble English village pathways sort of manner. Mostly secluded.
Remnants of Calleva Atrebatum: includes ruins ofthe original walls, and a large amphitheatre where gladiatorial combats entertained up to 7,000 people at a time.
St Mary the Virgin Church: on the site of a Roman temple.
Time: 3h30–6h30
1 lunch spot: the Calleva Arms (1h30–3h30 in; excellent)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Bramley Inn
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: Reading to Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership.
Henley-on-Thames to Pangbourne (Oxfordshire)
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.
Farnham to Blackwater (Surrey)
45 minutes from Oxford, with one change.
Highly recommended: Deer park, heathland, MOD training area, Iron Age hillfort, reservoirs, stream valleys, woodland, nature reserve, wet meadows, lakeside sandy shores and common.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Time: 5h30–11h
1 lunch spot: the Foresters (2h30–4h30 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Crown and Cushion
Warnings: MOD closures apply.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Pangbourne to Goring & Streatley (Berkshire)
30 minutes from Oxford, with one change.
Highly recommended: Woods, hilly, river and quaint village.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Time: 3h30–7h
3 lunch spots: Streatley (2h–4h in) — Pierreponts, or the Swan at Streatley and the Coppa Club; plus the Bull (2h–4h in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Miller of Mansfield, or the Catherine Wheel
Warnings: Relatively busy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Moreton-in-Marsh Circular via Longborough (Gloucestershire)
30 minutes direct from Oxford.
Gentle Cotswold hills, open fields, ridge with fine views and honey-coloured villages.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Bath Spa Circular via Dundas Aqueduct (Somerset)
1 hour direct from Oxford.
Disused railway path, tunnels, viaducts, canal towpath, river and historic city centre.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Goring & Streatley Circular via Aldworth (Oxfordshire)
30 minutes from Oxford, with one change.
Undulating downs, Thames-side views, Ridgeway path, chalk hills and quaint villages.
Time: 5h30
Warnings: Steep descents.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Pangbourne Circular via Goring (Berkshire)
30 minutes from Oxford, with one change.
Part-wooded ridges, open pastures, wildflower nature reserve, Thames river meadows, beech woods and Thames-side villages.
Time: 4h
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Mortimer Circular via Remnants of Calleva Atrebatum (Berkshire)
45 minutes from Oxford, with one change.
Long, mostly flat circular: the Calleva Atrebatum Roman amphitheatre and walls, Pamber Forest Reserve and farmland around Mortimer, Silchester and Bramley.
Remnants of Calleva Atrebatum: includes ruins ofthe original walls, and a large amphitheatre where gladiatorial combats entertained up to 7,000 people at a time.
Calleva Atrebatum: The remains of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, with substantial surviving flint walls and an amphitheatre.
Time: 5h30
Walk details: Reading to Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership (turn-by-turn directions).