Chipping Norton Walks
This popular Oxfordshire market town is a great base for exploring the Cotswold Hills.
This long circular walk makes use of three long distance waymarked trails which run through the area surrounding the town. You will follow sections of the Wychwood Way, the Shakespeare's Way and the D'arcy Dalton Way to visit a series of pretty villages including Cornwell, Churchill, Shipton Under Wychwood, Ascott-under-Wychwood and Chadlington.
Other Walks around Chipping Norton
- Wychwood Way - A long circular walk exploring the Wychwood Forest area of the Cotswolds. The walk starts in Woodstock and visits Stonesfield, Chadlington, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Leafield, Ramsden, North Leigh, East End and Combe. Highlights on the route include the magnifcent Blenheim Park at Woodstock.
- Claude Duval Bridleroute - This shared walking and cycle path runs from Quainton, near Aylesbury in Oxfordshire to Great Barrington in the Cotswolds.
- Shakespeare's Way - This walk follows a route that Shakespeare may have taken when travelling between Stratford-upon-Avon and London. The path passes through the Chilterns, Oxford, Blenheim Park, the Cotswolds, the valley of the River Stour and the Thames Valley making for a beautiful and varied walk. There are lovely waterside stretches along the Oxford Canal and the River Thames into London.
- Rollright Stones - This walk follows the Shakespeare's Way long distance footpath from Chipping Norton to the Rollright Stones on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border. This fascinating group of Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monuments consists of three groups: the King's Men stone circle, the Whispering Knights burial chamber and the single King Stone. It is said that the stones are a representation of a king and his knights who had been turned to stone by a witch.
- Macmillan Way - This long distance path links Boston in Lincolnshire to Abbotsbury in Dorset. It is promoted to raise money for the charity Macmillan Cancer Relief.
- Kingham - The delightful Cotswolds village of Kingham was voted 'England's Favourite Village' in 2006. It's rows of limestone cottages and pretty village greens make it a must see if you are visiting the area. It's located just a few miles from Chipping Norton and just off this route at Churchill. Our walk takes you through the Kingham streets before visiting the nearby village of Bledington and Foxholes Nature Reserve.
Chipping Norton Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Chipping Norton Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Chipping Norton OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Chipping Norton Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
Chipping Norton has a fine selection of old pubs for some refreshments after your walk. The Cheqeurs is a great choice with its cosy atmosphere, traditional decor and open fire. There's also a lovely bright conservatory area. The pub is in fact the oldest building in town - built more than 500 years ago. You can find it right at the old entrance to the town’s famous market place on Goddard Lane with a postcode of OX7 5NP.
Also of note is the Blue Boar. A listed building that dates back to 1641, this old coach house is located right at the end of the high street. Original wooden beams line the pub lacing it with character and giving it that warm country feel. You can find the pub at postcode OX7 5NP.
Dog Walking
With woodland, hills and fine countryside the area around Chipping Norton is excellent for dog walking. The Cheqeurs pub mentioned above is also dog friendly.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
The Heythrop Zoologicial Gardens are located just to the east of the town and a fine place to visit. You can interact with and feed the animals which include monkey, lemur, tigers and kangaroo. You can find it at a postcode of OX7 5TU for your sat navs.
Near here there's also Heythrop Park to explore. The 18th century hotel is surrounded by some beautiful parkland and gardens with miles of walking and cycling trails to try.
Just a few miles north east of the town you will find the neighbouring village of Hook Norton. Here you can try the circular Hook Norton Walk which visits the Rollright Stones, Whichford Wood, Ascott, and the village of Great Rollright. The pretty village also includes a well known local brewery where you can enjoy a tour and visit the associated museum which details the history of the area.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Oxfordshire Walks and Cotswolds Walks pages.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Market Place Chipping Norton
Cows in Chipping Norton
A pretty row of Almshouses, Church Street. An inscription on the almshouses records that they were founded in 1640 as "The work and gift of Henry Cornish, gent".
The Leys, Chipping Norton. A residential road leading downhill to the Bliss Mill.
The Guildhall. Part of it is now the Visitor Information Centre.
View across Chipping Norton Common with Biss Mill in the background. The mill used to manufacture tweed and is now a Grade II listed building. The impressive structure was built in 1872 for cloth manufacturer William Bliss, to make fine tweed cloth from locally produced wool. It was designed by the architect George Woodhouse of Bolton, who also designed mills in Lancashire, including Victoria Mill in Miles Platting; Woodhouse was also involved in the construction of Bolton Town Hall. The mill closed in 1980 and was converted into residential apartments in around 1988.
Parish church
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The Town Hall