Oxon local knowledge please! Bridleway Dorchester-Cowley

[ed_b]

Can anyone near Oxford advise on cyclability of the bridleway/Roman road that runs Dorchester-Toot Baldon-Cowley motor works? It looks a great way to get into Oxford from the south if it's a good track, otherwise traffic-free or even traffic-light options look rather limited.

Thanks for any help! I'll be on my tourer, used enough to roughish paths but not fond of sticky mud for miles.

Ed

EDITS:
Google map of the bridleway here - http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=277223
A segment on an OS map here - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=45 ... &A=Y&Z=120

[al_yrpal]

Have not travelled that one. I see it skirts Blackbird Leas! Take care. The road route from Dorchester to Oxford is awful, fast dangerous traffic and no cy le paths. Thanks for pointing it out, I will give it a go on my next trip that direction.

Al

[iviehoff]

I'm sure I did it, or parts of it, in the dim and distant past, and on a tourer, but precisely which nettle-befouled, hard and lumpy, or sticky mud track it was I can no longer remember. It will be Oxfordshire clay, and good tracks are pretty rare running over Oxfordshire clay, lumpy when dry, sticky when wet.

I liked to visit Nuneham Courtney arboretum when I lived in Oxford, but I have no recollection of finding a good off-road route to get there.

[andrew_s]

Looking at the googlemaps satellite/aerial view, it looks like it's possibly OK between Dorchester and Toot Baldon, but not between Toot Baldon and Blackbird Leys

[ed_b]

Ha, good tip andrew_s. Toot Baldon will do - I can wiggle through Garsington from there.

[jochta]

Do you have to go through or from Dorchester?

The bridleway is fine north from Berinsfield for a bit. I don't know it beyond there. I'm pretty sure it gets to the Baldons OK.

My road route from Dorchester to Oxford would be Drayton St Leonard to the A329 and Stadhampton (short stretch of A-road is through Stadhampton and 30mph limit, not busy outside of rush hour). Then B480 into Oxford. The busiest bit will be from Stadhampton to B4015 at Chislehampton. This is a popular cut to the M40 from the west. North of Chislehampton is OK, not the quietest road ever but I've cycled it several times. Garsington is on top of a hill and there are steep climbs up to it whichever road you take.

The A4074 is busy and not a road I would choose to cycle although I have done short stretches of it. The bit north from Nuneham Courtenay to Sandford-on-Thames is particularly horrid.

John

[bigphil]

I'm sure I did it, or parts of it, in the dim and distant past, and on a tourer, but precisely which nettle-befouled, hard and lumpy, or sticky mud track it was I can no longer remember. It will be Oxfordshire clay, and good tracks are pretty rare running over Oxfordshire clay, lumpy when dry, sticky when wet.

I liked to visit Nuneham Courtney arboretum when I lived in Oxford, but I have no recollection of finding a good off-road route to get there.

There's a really nice off road route which passes Nuneham manor, which is behind Nuneham Courtnay arboretum. It brings you out on the B4015 so you can cycle from Oxford, through the Baldons and towards Abingdon while avoiding having to cycle the A4074.

It's a bit of a long way around, but it's beautiful and worth exploring. You can actually route your way off road from Nuneham Courtnay to the Culham Science park - but it's not all bridleways, in fact I think you may need to go down private roads to do it. However it makes for a good exploration.

[jochta]

I'm sure I did it, or parts of it, in the dim and distant past, and on a tourer, but precisely which nettle-befouled, hard and lumpy, or sticky mud track it was I can no longer remember. It will be Oxfordshire clay, and good tracks are pretty rare running over Oxfordshire clay, lumpy when dry, sticky when wet.

I liked to visit Nuneham Courtney arboretum when I lived in Oxford, but I have no recollection of finding a good off-road route to get there.

There's a really nice off road route which passes Nuneham manor, which is behind Nuneham Courtnay arboretum. It brings you out on the B4015 so you can cycle from Oxford, through the Baldons and towards Abingdon while avoiding having to cycle the A4074.

It's a bit of a long way around, but it's beautiful and worth exploring. You can actually route your way off road from Nuneham Courtnay to the Culham Science park - but it's not all bridleways, in fact I think you may need to go down private roads to do it. However it makes for a good exploration.

Yes there are lots of routes there. Some of them aren't public rights of way or are public foothpaths only. I have cycled the routes shown in blue on this map though.



The bit behind the European School and Culham Science Centre to Clifton Hampden is fine on a bike. Concrete roads mainly. The bit north is less certain, it's a long time since I did it and IIRC there was a gate or fence north of Furze Brake. The restricted byway/RUPP (Thame Lane) which runs through The Coppice and Clifton Heath to the B4015 was very heavily overgrown and impassable last time i was there (a long time ago). The track marked heading east through Roundhill Wood and joining the B4015 SW of Golden Balls is a decent track AFAIK but don't know about access rights.

John

[ed_b]

Thank you all very much for all this info - really useful. I'm actually cycling from Reading, through Wallingford following NCN5, and Dorchester looked a good bet. With the Culham/Nuneham manor route it looks like I might be able to avoid the bridleway altogether.

I'll report back here once I've made the trip - since it's there and back, I can try most of these suggestions!

Thanks again everyone.

Ed

[jochta]

Thank you all very much for all this info - really useful. I'm actually cycling from Reading, through Wallingford following NCN5, and Dorchester looked a good bet. With the Culham/Nuneham manor route it looks like I might be able to avoid the bridleway altogether.

I'll report back here once I've made the trip - since it's there and back, I can try most of these suggestions!

Thanks again everyone.

Ed

The NCN5 from Wallingford to Abingdon is fine. If you want to avoid the loop over Wittenham Clumps go straight over Sires Hill. If you do go over the clumps use NCN5 from Long Wittenham and then turn right to Appleford. You can go over Sutton Bridge to Culham and along A415 (cycle path on causeway) into Abingdon or go through Sutton Courtenay and follow NCN5 along Peep-o-Day Lane (offroad) into Abingdon. From Abingdon just follow NCN5 to Oxford, nice and mostly offroad route on old railway and alongside Thames.

This would be my preferred route to Oxford from Wallingford if I wanted a quick and mostly offroad route

http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=280462

John