Waterbased Activities

Nature has gifted the Oxfordshire Cotswolds one of the most beautiful and peaceful stretches of the River Thames, along with lesser known but equally charming tributaries like the Windrush, the Evenlode and the Glyme. Man has made additions like the lakes along the Lower Windrush Valley or the Great Lake at Blenheim Palace. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy all this water! Riverside walks, fishing, boating, sailing, water skiing...

Riverside Walks

The ultimate riverside walk is the Thames Path National Trail, which follows the river all the way from source to sea. Alternatively you could try a new walk along the River Glyme (PDF file 545k) or the Windrush Path (PDF 2.45Mb) giving access to the lakes of the Lower Windrush Valley. There are a number of other waterside walks on the downloadable walks page.

Fishing

The many rivers and lakes offer course and fly fishing opportunities in abundance - you can even hire a boat and fish on the Great Lake at Blenheim Palace. The Environment Agency publish a downloadable fishing on the locks and weirs guide (PDF 1.24M) and their Visit Thames website is a good starting point for more information on fishing in the region.

Boating & River Trips

Along the Oxfordshire Cotswolds section of the Thames there are a number of places offering boat day hire in different forms: electric punts, day cruisers, narrowboats. During the summer months The Inglesham runs 30 min public trips on the Thames from Lechlade on behalf of the Cotswolds Canal Trust. Oxfordshire Narrowboats offer holidays afloat (as well as day hire). Again the Environment Agency produce a downloadable Get Afloat on the Thames guide - (PDF 1.08M) 

Watersports

Some of the lakes along the Lower Windrush Valley are set aside for watersports and Hardwick Parks and Linch Hill Leisure Park offer a variety of water based activities.

Swimming

For those that want to swim, there are outdoor pools at Chipping Norton and Woodstock, as well as indoor pools at Carterton, Chipping Norton and Witney