Echoes of Roundheads and Cavaliers
In Oxfordshire's tranquil Cherwell Valley
History played out some dramatic events beside the pretty River Cherwell, the unhurried highway which carries punts through Oxford in such carefree, placid style. Charles I chose Oxford as his capital in the Civil War and echoes of those turbulent times stir the imagination today. The River Cherwell turns its back on the dreaming spires to meander through villages of ironstone thatched cottages to Banbury, where an excellent new museum and shops beside the Oxford Canal have opened up a new perspective on this ancient town. River and canal keep company though much of North Oxfordshire, passing through lovely, rolling countryside and visiting picture-postcard villages with their historic churches and welcoming pubs.
The canal itself is now a haven for wildlife and a peaceful, unhurried route for pleasure boats and walkers, stretching all 83-miles from Oxford to Coventry. Our chosen walk explores a lovely spot where river and canal come together at picturesque Cropredy, in the heart of the Cherwell Valley. It was here in 1644 that Charles I and his Cavaliers beat off the Parliamentarians who swept across the Cherwell at Cropredy Bridge - a defeat which prompted the formation of the Roundhead's New Model Army the following year. There are echoes of the Civil War in North Oxfordshire's historic houses too, such as moated Broughton Castle whose idyllic Elizabethan beauty has provided a stunning setting for such famous films as Shakespeare in Love. For echoes of an entirely different kind come to Cropredy in August, when the village plays host to three rousing days of the Fairport folk-rock festival.
Your country escape
The Cropredy Battlefield Walk, way-marked from the free car park in Cropredy Sports Ground. Follow it first over Cropredy Bridge to the canal bridge, turning left through the gate onto the towpath. Double back under the bridge where the canal narrows at what was once the Old Toll House and pause at the next bridge to read the poem inscribed on mileposts beside the lock. Beyond the next lock at Broadmoor Bridge, turn down Appletree Road, right on to the bridleway and over a field with panoramic views. Walk on down the hill, crossing the farm road and the river, and on through woods and fields to the road. Turn left and follow the verge through the hamlet of Williamscot, where Charles I slept "in a very poor man's house" on the night after the battle. Turning right just before the speed limit sign, go straight ahead then up the drive and through the farmyard of Poplar's Farm and on across fields, keeping the small stone barn to your left. Regaining the river, bear right to pass through double gates at the concrete bridge at Slat Mill Ford. Cross the field to the canal towpath and turn right to regain the car park or a rewarding visit to the Red Lion Inn or Brasenose Arms.
Fact file
Circular walk; distance 4.5 miles; time 2½ hours; way-marked throughout "Cropredy Battlefield Walk". This is one of 11 walks in the North Oxfordshire Circular Walks pack, available from Banbury Tourist Information Centre, price £5.50 (+ £1.00 p&p). Full details and updates can also be downloaded free via www.visit-northoxfordshire.co.uk.
To complete your break you might also visit:
Banbury Museum;
Tooleys Boatyard, Banbury;
Bygones Museum, Claydon;
Hook Norton Brewery;
Hook Norton Pottery;
National Herb Centre, Warmington;
Brook Cottage Gardens, Alkerton;
Upton House, Edgehill (NT).
Visitor Information Centre
Banbury:
Banbury Museum,
Castle Quay,
Banbury
OX16 2PQ
Tel: 01295 259855
Email: Banbury.tic@cherwell-dc.gov.uk.
Website: www.visit-northoxfordshire.co.uk
Travel by train to: Banbury (5 miles).
Chastleton House (National Trust)
Nr Moreton-in-Marsh,
Oxfordshire
GL56 OSU
Tel: 01494 755560 (Infoline); 01494 755585 (Box office)
Fax: 01608 674355;
E-mail: chastleton@nationaltrust.org.uk
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk
One of England's finest and most complete Jacobean houses, in an idyllic Cotswold setting. A family home for 400 years, the house retains its fine collection of portraits and personal belongings. Grounds include classic Elizabethan topiary gardens and lawns where the rules of modern croquet were laid down. Open: March to end of Oct. Admission by timed ticket.
