Cycling

Open countryside with sweeping views, hidden valleys with shaded lanes, woods, stone walls and wildflowers: varied cycling, perfect cycling! The terrain is best described as gentle and rolling, so that any hills are rewarded with a freewheel afterwards. Quaint villages and old stone inns offer frequent and welcome opportunities to take a well-earned (or unearned!) break.

Maps and guides

So many quiet country lanes and secluded bridleways mean that the relevant Landranger OS map is all you need to devise your own route. For those who prefer a guide book and a route to follow, like the collection of circular rides from Kingham railway station, there is a range available to purchase in the local Visitor Information Centres. Many are also available in our online shop.

Downloadable cycle rides

Gloucestershire Rural Community Council have produced a free Cotswold cycling routes booklet, containing 5 cycle rides. These include a 10mile cycle ride starting from Kingham railway station (download the Kingham route pdf 443k)

The Windrush Valley Cycle Route (pdf 1.64Mb), Sustrans Regional Route 47, is a waymarked 17 mile ride from Witney to Northleach passing through Burford. The route consists of cycle paths and country lanes along the Windrush Valley. The route is undulating but never steep - with one exception approaching Farmington. There are several pubs along the way.

The Cherwell Valley Ride (pdf 332k) is a leisure ride on quiet roads, cycleways and tracks. Upto 18 miles long, this circular route passes through Woodstock and is accessible by train from Tackley railway station.

The Carterton and Villages (pdf 2.26Mb) is a circular ride (with various options ranging from about 5 to 12 miles) around the edge of Carterton and surrounding villages including Shilton, Kencot, Broadwell and Alvescott. (Please note that this is a copy of an old publication and sections may be outdated).

Cycle Touring Routes of West Oxfordshire is an old series of circular, on road touring routes published by West Oxfordshire District Council but long out of print (and occasionally out of date!):

• Witney-Northleach-Witney (pdf 213k): 42 miles
• Witney-Kingham-Witney (pdf 158k): 27 miles
• Witney-Bourton on the Water-Witney (pdf 209k): 41 miles
• Chipping Norton-Witney-Chipping Norton (pdf 206k): 30 miles
• Chipping Norton-Shenington-Chipping Norton (pdf 189k): 35 miles
• Chipping Norton- Moreton in Marsh-Chipping Norton (pdf 174k): 29 miles
• Burford-Bibury-Burford (pdf 159k): 34 miles
• Burford-Stow on the Wold-Burford (pdf 159k): 38 miles
• Burford-Southrop-Burford (pdf 190k): 34 miles
• Burford-Northleach-Burford (pdf 135k): 21 miles

Guided rides

Informally led, leisurely day rides are organised by Easyriders from Chipping Norton with a rolling programme operating through the year.

Cycling holidays

There is no better way to see the Oxfordshire Cotswolds than by bike and Capital Sport offer gentle cycling holidays and bike tours through the area. Most tours are self guided with hand picked, quality accommodation.