Wolvercote Circular

Start at the public car park in Wolvercote (payment by card or app, and is reasonably priced). If you intend to visit the Trout Inn, you can use their car park, but remember to follow the instructions to avoid a fine.

(S/E) Turn left out of the car park onto the road, and walk as far as the Trout Inn, being careful on the narrow pedestrian areas.

(1) Continue past the Trout Inn, and cross the river (carefully) on the very narrow road bridge. At the far side turn immediately right through a gate onto the Thames Path. After about 200 m the path passes underneath the ring road.

(2) We will arrive back here later. For now, continue following the Thames Path.

(3) and (4) Here you can either follow the easy made road, or dive off to the right to follow the river more closely on the footpaths. Crossing by a cattle grid, we arrive at King's Lock, which has an interesting construction.

(5) Continue along the Thames Path, crossing two bridges at weirs carrying excess water off the main channel. Eventually, you arrive in a narrow area between the Thames on your right and Wytham Wood on your left. Continue ahead through a metal gate, still on the Thames Path, under light tree cover. After another 500 m, arrive at a wide metal gate, with a wide 5 bar metal gate on its left.

(6) Don't go through the gate, but turn 90 degrees left here, following the fence for about 15m to another metal gate on your right. Turn 90 degrees left again, following the path now parallel to the river and in the opposite direction and further away than before.
This bit is a little boggy, but you can avoid it by detouring off the path to the left in places. To your right (through fences) is Wytham Woods, that Oxford University uses for nature research. You would need a permit to visit, and there is no entrance on this side.
Emerging from the trees through a gate, keep to the right of the grassy area with the woods on your right.

(7) Just after the end of the woods, turn right through a gate, and follow the footpath keeping the hedge on your right. After 600 m, the path turns 90 degrees left in front of a wide gate, becoming a lane, and after 50 m go through the gate on the right of the lane. The path goes through gates to pass through the next hedge, and at the end of the field, the path bends round to the left. Technically you should keep to the left of this hedge, but many people cross through the small gap (8) and walk down the left. It makes no difference. In about 150 m at a larger gap, the paths combine and continue ahead until you meet a road.

(9) Cross over the road, continue ahead along the lane and enter Wytham Mill Farm. Cross over the stream on the bridge and turn half right to follow the path across fields with more gates, heading towards the large road bridge. Eventually, you arrive back at (2). Go under the bridge and retrace your steps, turning left onto the narrow road and bridges leading to the Trout Inn and car park beyond (S/E).