Wallingford — Watlington (South Oxfordshire)
Walwat one
Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Walwat here.

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Walwat here.
By a Slow Ways Volunteer on 07 Apr 2021
Description
This is a Slow Ways route connecting Wallingford and Watlington (South Oxfordshire).
Know of a better route? Share it here.
This is a Slow Ways route connecting Wallingford and Watlington (South Oxfordshire).
Know of a better route? Share it here.
Status
This route has been reviewed by 3 people.
This route has been flagged (1 time) for reasons relating to safety.
Photos for Walwat one
Photos of this route will appear when they are added to a review. You can review this route here.
Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 3
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (2) No (1)
Problems reported - Safety (1)
Downloads - 4
Surveys
What is this route like?
Surveys are submitted by fellow users of this website and show what you might expect from this Slow Ways route. Scroll down the page to read more detailed surveys.
Grade 3X based on 1 surveys | Sign up or log in to survey this route. | ||
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Description | Note | ||
Grade 3: Route includes rough surfaces that may include small boulders, potholes, shallow ruts, loose gravel, short muddy sections. Access grade X: At least one stile, flight of steps or other obstacle that is highly likely to block access for wheelchair and scooter users. |
Grading is based on average scores by surveyors. This slow way has 1 surveys. | ||
Full grading description |
Only people who have completed our training can become Slow Ways surveyors and submit a survey. We do not vet contributors, so we cannot guarantee the quality or completeness of the surveys they complete. If you are dependent on the information being correct we recommend reading and comparing surveys before setting off.
Survey Photos
Facilities
Facilities in the middle third of this route.
Challenges
Potential challenges reported on this route. Some challenges are seasonal.
Obstacles
Obstacles on this route.
Accessibility
Is this route step and stile free?
Measurements
Surveyors were asked to measure the narrowest and steepest parts of paths.
The narrowest part of the path is 90.0cm (1)
The steepest uphill gradient East: no data
The steepest uphill gradient West: no data
The steepest camber: no data
How clear is the waymarking on the route: Clear (1)
Successfully completed
We asked route surveyors "Have you successfully completed this route with any of the following? If so, would you recommend it to someone with the same requirements?". Here is how they replied.
Recommended by an expert
We asked route surveyors "Are you a trained access professional, officer or expert? If so, is this route suitable for someone travelling with any of the following?" Here is how they replied.
Terrain
We asked route surveyors to estimate how much of the route goes through different kinds of terrain.
50.0% of the route is on roads (1)
10.0% of the route is lit at night (1)
50.0% of the route is paved (1)
10.0% of the route is muddy (1)
There is no data on rough ground
There is no data on long grass
Report a problem with this data
1 surveys
Information from verified surveys.
Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Wallingford
Grid Ref
SU6072189371
Lat / Lon
51.59992° / -1.12469°
Easting / Northing
460,721E / 189,371N
What3Words
cried.lyricist.recline
Watlington (South Oxfordshire)
Grid Ref
SU6896994483
Lat / Lon
51.64493° / -1.00462°
Easting / Northing
468,969E / 194,483N
What3Words
officers.motored.unrealistic
Walwat One's land is
Wallingford | |
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Grid Ref | SU6072189371 |
Lat / Lon | 51.59992° / -1.12469° |
Easting / Northing | 460,721E / 189,371N |
What3Words | cried.lyricist.recline |
Watlington (South Oxfordshire) | |
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Grid Ref | SU6896994483 |
Lat / Lon | 51.64493° / -1.00462° |
Easting / Northing | 468,969E / 194,483N |
What3Words | officers.motored.unrealistic |
Arable | 76.5% |
Pasture | 7.1% |
Urban | 16.3% |
Data: Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2018
reviews
Johngriff9
28 Aug 2024Too much of this route is on roads. Clacks Lane in particular is very busy with cars and lorries. Although it's longer, a better walking way is via Benson, Ewelme (path follows road) and onto the Ridgeway to Lys Farm. The best cycling route is via Benson, Ewelme, Brightwell Baldwin and Cuxham.
Martin Ellis
14 Jul 2022Wallingford to Watlington (Walwat 1) review.
A Slow Way across the northern edge of the Chiltern Hills AONB.
From Wallingford, it’s a short urban walk over the Thames bridge and through Crowmarsh Gifford (passing a Blue Plaque to agriculturist Jethro Tull). A footpath (Photo 1) leads east.
Unfortunately, there is then a long section along Clack’s Lane (Photo 2), which lacks a verge in places. This could raise safety concerns, but on balance I would say the straight road has good visibility. The traffic was light for my walk (8am).
The Slow Way joins The Chiltern Way along a quieter lane. There is an error (SU65960) where the route actually has to go south of a triangular piece of woodland (Photo 3).
The route finally leaves tarmacked lanes for a footpath. It passes a new Chiltern Society gate and bench (Photo 4). A break point is provided at The Red Lion (Photo 5) in Britwell Salome.
There’s a road walk along the Grove Lane B-road. It has a narrow verge and a sharp bend (Photo 6). There is then a pleasant walk south along Shakespeare’s Way (Photo 7). This joins The Ridgeway National Trail.
The Slow Way leaves The Ridgeway to take footpaths into Watlington.
I enjoyed this Slow Way, but traffic on Clack’s Lane and Grove Lane are an issue. Clack’s Lane can’t really be avoided. A route further south, perhaps even The Ridgeway, would add a couple of miles to the distance. The break point in Britwell Salome is on a loop that could be skipped via Swan’s Way (SU664913) and The Ridgeway.
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Martin McGovern
12 Feb 2022About fifty percent of this route is on roads, and a significant proportion of that is without the benefit of paths, or in some cases, usable verges. This isn't quite as bad at it sounds - most Slow Ways that start or end in even moderately sized villages will have tarmac at each end. The most challenging section was Clack's Lane, but it isn't easy to see how the route could be adapted to avoid it, without adding a significant southward loop. If I get around to amending the route, I'd also consider avoiding Britwell Salome, because of the road section there - but the only shop and pub along the route is in that village.
On the plus side, if you're OK with the road sections, the terrain is pretty easy, and there are no significant obstacles - steps, stiles and kissing gates - that can impede progress.
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