Oxfordshire
84 km / 52 miles
(click to enlarge)
A route developed by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Oxfordshire branch to to celebrate its 75th anniversary and 50 years of Oxford's Green Belt and mark the significance of the Green Belt in protecting the open countryside surrounding England's cities. The route has one mile for each year since the designation of Green Belts in 1956. Collaborators on the project are the Oxfordshire Field Paths Society and Oxfordshire County Council's Countryside Service.
It is a 50 mile circular walk through some of Oxfordshire's most picturesque countryside and historic villages, and alongside delightful stretches of the River Thames near Abingdon and the Oxford Canal north of Oxford.
The Green Belt Way links four of Oxford's Park & Ride sites and is crossed by major bus routes, making it easy for city and village dwellers to access the route, and to travel back to their starting point. The route provides excellent views of Oxford's Dreaming Spires, as well as Otmoor, Foxcombe Hill and Wytham Woods.
Route maps and descriptions may be downloaded from the website below. The route is divided into nine stages and includes described links to the Park and Rides.
The 50-year history of Green Belts started in 1955, when councils were invited to establish their own Green Belts and in 1956, Oxford councillors had the foresight to suggest they designate the fields surrounding their city as Green Belt, following a campaign by CPRE and the Oxford Preservation Trust.
Green Belts now protect 13% of England. As designated open space surrounding many towns and cities, they play a critical role in creating a high quality of life for people in both town and country. They protect the open character of the countryside next to urban areas and stop sprawl, thereby encouraging urban regeneration. Green Belts face multiple threats, nowhere more so than in Oxfordshire.
UPDATE September 2023: route amended to follow the OS map line south of Woodeaton.
UPDATE September 2023: The route of this LDP along the south side of the River Thames is closed between the railway line and Abingdon Lock, with a diversion along Thame Lane and the A415 to Abingdon Bridge. The route is rejoined at Abingdon Lock, crossing the Thames via the weir. The diversion, due to repairs to Nunham railway Viaduct, is scheduled to continue until December 2023.
Details:
| Path Type: |
Other Paths |
| Waymark: |
Green edged disc with name and yellow arrow |
| Attributes: |
Easy
River
|
| Start and Finish: |
SP565074 -
Thornhill Park & Ride, Oxfordshire
|
| Open Date: |
2007 |
| Web Sites: |
CPRE Oxfordshire - Oxford Green Belt Way
|
