Peregrinating the North West and Beyond

Tag: Walking UK

  • A stroll by the Thames and lunch in Oxfordshire with an extra pub

    The White Hart at Fyfield is a 15th century pub and restaurant.
    The food is exceptional. Enjoy a lunch and burn some calories afterward by going for a stroll along the river Thames to Appleton. Another pub in Appleton offers real ales and classic pub food.

    This is a gentle stroll of under 7 miles along the river Thames in picturesque Oxfordshire. With a Gastro pub at the end or start of the walk and a country pub in the middle (or the reverse way if you start the walk from a different village)
    Click on the picture to see the full slideshow and route video

    Stats
    DifficultyEasy
    Length6.72 mi – 10.8 km
    Total elevation200 ft – 61m
    Highest point294 ft – 90m
    Walking time2h50
    TerrainPaths, roads and footpaths
    EquipmentSufficient water to keep You going for 7 miles / nearly 3 hours
    View route (Click on menu to reveal the image)
    This is a gentle stroll of under 7 miles along the river Thames in picturesque Oxfordshire. With a Gastro pub at the end or start of the walk and a country pub in the middle (or the reverse way if you start the walk from a different village)
    Send me a message by email or on Instagram to request the GPX file, AllTrails or Komoot link all files can be customized with your chosen departure points and/or to include sights along the trail.

    Getting there
    • Driving: You should be able to park near the pub
    • Public transport:
    • From London: Train from Paddington to Oxford then bus to Digging Lane (c. 1h50)
    • From Birmingham: Train from New Street to Oxford then bus to Digging Lane (c. 1h50)
    • From Reading: Train to Oxford then bus to Digging Lane (c. 1h50)
    • Contact me for other routes

    Watering Holes
    • The The White Hart – Fyfield – at the start or end of the walk
      Multi-award winning family-run gastro pub in beautiful 15th Century building.
      There is outdoors seating in the summer and open-fire in the winter.
      Food is served from 12:00-14:15 and 17:45-21:00 on Tue-Sat and 12:00-16:00 on Sun. Everything is home-made and source locally, including their own kitchen garden and local foraging. It has 2 AA rosettes. Yet the lunch menu is very reasonably priced.
    • The Plough Inn – Appleton – at 3.75 mi. (c. 1h30 into the walk)
      In a 17th Century coaching inn. With a beer garden for the summer and a roaring fire in winter.
      Serves real ale and home-cooked food. Expect pub classics.
      I have not tried the food personally but reviews are excellent.
      Definitely the place to have lunch if you fancy traditional pub food rather than gastro pub.

    Make a week-end of it

    The walk is reachable by direct local bus from Oxford. The city is not short of options for accommodation, food, drink and entertainment to make a full week-end of.

    But if you prefer to camp; the Barefoot Campsite is on the route.
    It offers grass pitches for tents, log-cabin and bell-tents for glamping, as well as pitches for camper-vans.
    But beware, this is an off-grid campsite: no wifi, no electric hook-up and no artificial light and composting toilets.
    But it has plenty to offer: spacious pitches, campfires and BBQ are permitted, canoe-rental. It also boasts 7 pubs within walking distance !