The Oxford Green Belt Way

The Oxford Green Belt Way was created in 2007 by the CPRE (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England) as a circular 50 mile walk around Oxford accessible by public transport for each of the sections and it celebrated 75 years of the CPRE in Oxfordshire. Members of OFS helped with the original waymarking and in the summer of 2008 it was walked by members of OFS led on the various sections by John Eyre, Sue Crisp and Michael Payton.

I thought that it was time to re-walk the route and had planned to do so in 2020 but Covid intervened and all walking in groups was cancelled. So second time lucky but the weather in February got in the way, as the walk starting from Thornhill Park and Ride in February was washed out – Sandhills and Risinghurst playing field was a swamp and a stream coming down the path from Shotover. By March it was passable and with varying numbers of members on each section have reached Cumnor. We have inspected the gates funded by OFS around Garsington and admired views from Shotover and Garsington, walked through the lovely estate at Nuneham Courtney and along the fast-flowing Thames to Abingdon as the floods receded. So far this has been possible using public transport, and juggling bus timetables, we have not had to wait a long time at the end of each leg to return to Oxford.

By September and the end of this summer programme we will have reached Wolvercote. The final three legs from Wolvercote via Shipton-on-Cherwell, Elsfield, Beckley and Forest Hill to get back to Thornhill will necessitate car sharing and shuffling as there are no or very infrequent buses to the remaining villages, so it will require at least two of us with cars to be able to have one at each end for those sections and will need a bit of forward planning.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, having in 2008 only walked some of the sections, and just hope that as the pressure to build more houses the green belt around Oxford does not disappear and is there for future generations to enjoy.

Liz Adams from 2024 Newsletter