Compared to a number of other nearby Slow Ways, I got the feeling of remoteness - the more overgrown, but still passable, sections along the canal path were a haven for blue-black dragonflies when I walked it, and I heard a number of cuckoos. Tricky turns - from Deddington, at Somerton go under the rail bridge -there is a footpath sign off to your right, , but it's well hidden - look for the steps, and you'll spot the signpost. As you cross the railway and then the canal at Somerton Crossing, you are (unsurprisingly) on a bridge - you can look down to the canal path away to your left but there's no obvious way down....

Martin McGovern

Only tricky but was crossing the A4095 between Woodstock and Shipton....

Mr James Slattery

A mixture of Courtney and town with some road walking and very uneven and boggy sections crossing fields....

Mr James Slattery

I haven't flagged this route for safety, but please heed the warning above, and don't try this route in winter, or when the Cherwell is running high. One other point: I explored another route, which goes under the A34 where it crosses the Cherwell. Having got the route explanations out of the way, nearly all of this route is the same as Kidbri Two, so I've simply repeated the body of the text from that....

Martin McGovern

Most of it is fine, but it takes you directly across the Wendlebury Interchange - the roundabout where the M40 and A34 meet. There's no bridge or underpass, so it's extremely dangerous. I'm uploading an alternative route....

Martin McGovern

After a short section through the old market town, the route passes the Bicester Village shopping complex....

Martin McGovern

The initial stretch between the station and canal route can be tricky to keep track of as there are many turns, but once on the canal path it's fairly easy to follow (and there are several signs to help get to the towpath, even if it's not strictly the way this route suggests.) As previous reviewers have mentioned, the stretch along the canal from Wolvercote has been recently resurfaced, making it nice and smooth for going by wheel. The views are plentiful and ever-changing, both with season and distance - it starts off with many houses on the banks, passes a school, under a dual carriageway and then meanders past some greener pastures and a pond that was just teeming with birds when we passed! All ascents and descents are fairly minimal and unnoticeable, too, which is great for those not a fan of big hills....

fliss.harper

One obstacle - the ditch near Sermin's Copse doesn't have a bridge - it isn't very wide but the bushes along it are quite dense, which makes crossing it by jumping a little challenging....

Martin McGovern

I tried cycling it: the section from Kidlington to the A44 was OK on a hybrid bike (half-way between a mountain mike and a more traditional road machine), but was muddy and uneven - I wouldn't ride it on anything less rugged, and don't recommend this section for wheelchairs or buggies. At the time of writing (May 2021), the section from the A44 to Godstow Road is being resurfaced, which should bring it up to the standard of the southern section, which is suitable for wheels....

Martin McGovern

But it wasn't as I feared: once you take into account that Cassington Road leaving Eynsham is gated, and consequently access only, and that Yarnton Lane isn't suitable for motor vehicles, the balance in favour of quieter walking is restored, with the additional benefit that a significant amount of the route is paved....

Martin McGovern

I walked first Wookid two from Kidlington to Woodstock, and then Wookid one back to Kidlington, so I'm putting the same text in both routes. Wookid One starts with a significant on-road section (A44), going south from Woodstock, and after a short path through a meadow, continues on the A4095 into Bladon, and then onto a side-road. I wouldn't recommend Wookid Two for wheels - it has stiles, kissing gates, and three flights of stairs (one by Thrupp church, and the other two on the Old Woodstock Line railway section.....

Martin McGovern

I walked first Wookid two from Kidlington to Woodstock, and then Wookid one back to Kidlington, so I'm putting the same text in both routes. Wookid One starts with a significant on-road section (A44), going south from Woodstock, and after a short path through a meadow, continues on the A4095 into Bladon, and then onto a side-road. I wouldn't recommend Wookid Two for wheels - it has stiles, kissing gates, and three flights of stairs (one by Thrupp church, and the other two on the Old Woodstock Line railway section.....

Martin McGovern

We walked this route from Kidlington to Woodstock. The only muddy section was under the railway bridge at Thrupp, and I know this section can be almost impassable due to flooding in very wet weather....

RCS

Vehicle traffic is largely avoided except for the crossing of the A44 at Begbroke; the A4095 in Bladon and the A44 approach into Woodstock. The route also uses a railway level crossing on the edge of Kidlington....

Ian Warren

The lovely Port Meadow runs parallel to the towpath after Wolvercote so you may want to detour ever so slightly from the towpath to amble through the meadow; The Perch Inn makes for a good spot to fill your boots before finishing off the last couple of miles into Oxford...

PeteDouglas