The best walks near Oxford, UK

Getting outside and enjoying nature can be really beneficial for our mental health, and it’s something I’m definitely trying to do more. There’s so much beautiful countryside in the UK just waiting to be explored. Here are my top 15 walks near Oxford.

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One of the top things I find beneficial to my mental health is exploring my local area for walks in the countryside. I love travelling abroad, but finding some beautiful new walks near home can be great fun as well. The Covid-19 lockdowns have really helped me to appreciate the scenery in my local area. The countryside around Oxford is stunning, and I’ve come to appreciate the Chilterns as one of my favourite places to be. I’ve loved seeing it changing with the seasons, from the first daffodils and bluebells in spring, warm summer picnics, then bold autumn colours and cold misty winter walks. Here’s my list of the best walks near Oxford, UK.

1. Watlington Hill

The stunning views from the top of Watlington Hill make this one of my favourite places to visit in clear weather. There’s a reasonably large National Trust car park at the top which usually has plenty of spaces.

There’s a well marked 1.5 mile walk which takes in some of the best views, and there are plenty of places to extend your walk if you’d like to go further. If you continue down the hill you can join up with the Ridgeway, an ancient long distance footpath that cuts through the Chilterns.

The real highlight of Watlington Hill for me is the Red Kites. Once nearly extinct in the UK, the Chilterns is now one of the best places in the UK to see these amazing birds of prey close up due to a fantastically successful reintroduction programme. They fly so low and you’re able to see the amazing detail on their feathers and get some great photos. Please remember to not try to feed the Red Kites, but just enjoy being near such an awesome bird of prey.

2. Wittenham Clumps

Another great destination for stunning countryside views, Wittenham Clumps has the benefit of being close to the River Thames so you get gorgeous river views as well.

There’s an Earth Trust car park with plenty of space – just make sure you get the right car park and don’t end up in the Earth Trust offices car park that’s very nearby as that has limited opening times.

The hill up to the clumps is steep, but the views are worth it when you get to the top. There’s the chance to see some fantastic wildlife, included Red Kites and Kestrels (pictured below).

After taking some photos, I then walked down the other side towards the village of Little Wittenham, where you can walk along the River Thames towards Dorchester and enjoy the river walks. There’s so much variety on this walk, it’s a definite favourite of mine for a lockdown walk near Oxford.

3. Culham Lock

For a peaceful riverside walk, Culham Lock is a great choice. The car park here is huge and right next to the river, so there’s no chance of you getting lost. The autumn colours here were lovely.

Once you get to the river at the lock, you can just choose to walk left or right along the Thames path, then walk as far as you’d like before turning back. I went to Culham Lock on a cold, misty winter’s day which gave some really atmospheric views, but I imagine it can be lovely in the summer sunshine as well.

4. Shotover Country Park

It’s hard to believe you’re so close to the centre of Oxford when you’re deep in this dense forest. Just to the East of the Oxford ring road, Shotover Country Park is up a steep hill – the road is narrow but there are plenty of passing places if you meet another car, and there’s plenty of free parking at the top.

There are several marked paths through the Shotover woods, and you can follow the colour coded posts so you don’t get lost. The Red walk is a short 20 minute stroll, the Yellow walk takes maybe 40-50 minutes and the Green walk follows the perimeter of the forest and takes 50-60 minutes. Or you can do what I usually do and just go wherever the mood takes you on one of the many paths and then just follow a colour coded posts when you want to go back to the car park.

I’ve visited Shotover at multiple times during the last year, and my favourite was visiting in May when it was full of bluebells.

The autumn colours are lovely here as well. I love how the trees change so much with every season.

5. Buscot Lock and Weir

Slightly further away from Oxford, this is one of my favourite sections of the Thames path. The small village of Buscot is really cute and has a lovely tea and ice cream shop (open for takeaways during lockdown).

I really enjoyed walking along the Thames Path towards St John’s Lock at Lechlade, just taking in the fresh air and open views.