Waddesdon

So, with so many most important afternoon tea ingredients to be found, where is the perfect place to enjoy one? Christopher Fisher says Waddesdon is the creme de le creme of afternoon tea walks in the Round&About area, and here is why...  

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The Old Teahouse, Beaconsfield

Did you know that taking breaks for tea is a tradition that goes back 200 years? With this in mind, Christopher Fisher enjoys tea in historical surroundings at The Old Teahouse, Beaconsfield...

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Henley Tea Rooms

Henry James said: “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the
hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
Christopher Fisher takes note and heads for the Henley Tearooms for a
perfect afternoon tea that Henry James would be proud of...

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Old Barn Tea Rooms

Did you know that the concept of a tea break originated when staff started at work at five or six in the morning meaning bosses needed to provide breaks by mid-morning and mid-afternoon? So, seeking similar relaxation, this month Christopher Fisher goes in search of tea in Wantage...

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The George Hotel, Wallingford

So, what makes number five special? Christopher Fisher says the George Hotel provides traditional elegance...

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Fresh as a Daisy

Walking towards Number 06, Christopher Fisher finds Sonning Common’s best kept secret…

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The Old Parsonage Hotel

Another pot of tea at the ready, Christopher Fisher heads to Oxford where a treat is waiting for you...

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The Lamb Inn, Burford

Christopher Fisher continues his series of features looking at the area’s important teawalks with a cuppa in Burford. This Inn has a secret garden...

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Hartwell House, Aylesbury

As our tea walk series continues, Christopher Fisher explains why Hartwell
House is a great place for a cuppa: it’s a Jacobean and Georgian treat…

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Rectory Farm, Stanton St John

Christopher Fisher begins to run down the area’s top walks and afternoon tea locations. At Number Ten is Rectory Farm: It’s Simply Fun for all The Family!...

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Ewelme -

Glorious Chiltern Views

The historic village of Ewelme is a delight to explore. The longer walk gives you some lovely country air and great Chiltern views, passing fields edged with poppies and thistles, but it is one of the more strenuous walks in this book and not for the faint-hearted. The short walk gives you all the delights of the village and more besides, including the lovely Cow Common

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Cookham -
In the footsteps of Ratty and Mole

Home of Kenneth Grahame and therefore also the birthplace of all the Wind in the Willows characters, Cookham is a wonderful place to explore with small children. On this walk, you will head out to the well-heeled Cookham Dean, uphill past allotments to get some fabulous views, through a golf course and then either across the moor or down a bridleway back to the village shops

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Christmas Common -
Lets go fly a kite

The walk starts from the National Trust car park at Watlington Hill and explores the rabbitgrazed hillside above Watlington where you can enjoy fantastic views over the Oxfordshire Vale. The route then descends beside the chalk-cut steeple called White Mark, to reach the Ridgeway. Children can look out for the white arrows showing the way on the return journey. You may also enjoy close-up encounters with the local red kites and deer in this area.

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Donnington Castle -
Treading in the Soldiers' Footsteps

This is a ramble packed with interest. Children will love playing in the ruins of medieval Donnington Castle, where this walk starts and finishes. From this vantage point, you also get stunning views across the Lambourn Valley. The walk follows the Lambourn Valley Way through Castle Wood to the picturesque village of Bagnor, before heading along a shady tunnel of native woodland to the edge of Snelsmore Common Country Park. The common is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and is packed with wildlife and the woodland trees are home to the great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch and tawny owl, while wild ponies graze on the heathland

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Hungerford Marsh -
Who's for a Game of Pooh Sticks?

This peaceful ramble takes you through two beautiful nature reserves. As you are always by water, it is an ideal walk for a hot summer’s day, although the wonderful variety of birds that live here gives this pretty circuit year-round interest. Children will love following the shallow river round the nature reserve, with little bridges along the way that are perfect for Pooh sticks. St Lawrence’s church tower is always visible on the horizon and the marsh is a picturesque mix of water meadows and reedbeds, with yellow iris and southern marsh-orchids in the summer, marsh-marigold and ragged-robin in the spring.

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Rotherfield Greys -
A manor with Royal connections

This delightful walk starts from the tiny village of Rotherfield Greys, with a population of around 350, and follows country bridleways and footpaths past the 16th-century manor of Greys Court. There are lots of butterflies along the way in the summer. See if you can work out how the dog stiles operate for any canine
companions who accompany walkers. There are plenty of opportunities to see red kites circling above the fields, particularly in the valley, before you return to the village.

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Sonning Common to Ipsden
(8 miles)

This stretch will take you through classic Chilterns scenery dominated by beech woodlands and narrow sunken lanes with high-sided banks. As one nears Ipsden views over the Oxfordshire vale are breathtaking 

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Wantage and the Ridgeway
(10 miles)

 There are spectacular views on this ride, which starts by the statue of King Alfred in the Market Square in Wantage and goes south to the attractive village of Letcombe Regis, which lies along the lovely Letcombe Brook. It then heads to the Ridgeway, some 360ft above the village. The effort is worth it because you will emerge in the middle of the Iron Age hill fort of Segsbury. Cross the far ring ditch and you will reach the Ridgeway itself. On a clear day the views back into the Vale of the White Horse and beyond are fantastic. The route then heads west along the Ridgeway before descending into the picturesque village of Letcombe Bassett. A short climb out of the village is followed by a descent into Childrey, where we pick up a track to East Challow and then return on-road to Wantage. 

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Abingdon and the Distant dreaming spires
(10 miles)

This figure-of-eight circuit starts and finishes in Abingdon’s Market Square and winds its way around Albert Park before heading north to the village of Sunningwell. For the more energetic, a short but sharp climb up to Boars Hill awaits. The rewards are splendid views over the ‘dreaming spires’ of Oxford and the chance to explore Jarn Mound, with its garden and viewpoint designed by the well-known archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans and its literary connections to Matthew Arnold. The route continues downhill to Wootton and Dry Sandford. Why not take some time to explore the nature reserve of Dry Sandford Pit which has much to offer of geological and wildlife interest? This part of Oxfordshire is well known for its calcareous fens which are home to much rare wildlife. We then skirt the edge of Abingdon airfield before joining up with the 10-mile route back in Sunningwell and Abingdon.

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Secret Oxford, Streams, Islands and Fishes
(10 or 8 miles)

This route starts and finishes in the heart of Oxford and explores many of the less well-known faces of the city.

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The Windrush and Evenlode Valleys
(15 1/2 miles) 

This quiet circuit gives a taste of the countryside around the rivers Windrush and Evenlode. You'll notice that the gentle, pastoral countryside has many typical Cotswold features; golden stone cottages with slate roofs, cottage gardens and dry stone walling with its associated flora (moss, ferns and lichen) to admire. The  oute leaves Witney heading parallel to the River Windrush before climbing out of the valley at Crawley. It then heads through the quiet villages of Delly End, Ramsden and Finstock before descending to the River Evenlode. The wooded climb out of the valley gives interesting views of the river snaking below, especially in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees. The route then continues through East End and on to North Leigh before a gentle descent back to Witney.  

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