Who doesn’t love a country walk? When the weather is warm and sunny it’s the perfect time to head out for one of the many beautiful walks in England. That being said, the English countryside can look just as pretty (or even more so) in Spring, Autumn or Winter (if it snows!). But a hot summers day and blue sky is what greeted me when I visited Dorchester on Thames with my Mum and sister.
Dorchester on Thames Village
A small roman village situated nine miles from Oxford and fairly close to the Chiltern Hills, area of outstanding natural beauty. It is close to where the river Thames and Thyme meet.
This attractive village has it all, chocolate box thatched cottages, stunning green English countryside, cute little tea shops, old fashioned English pubs, an impressive Abbey and even classic cars!
The small Oxfordshire village just happened to be the stopover for a group of classic car enthusiasts on their way to an event. This allowed tourists and locals alike to gather along the main street, taking photos while the owners posed with their much-prized vintage cars.
First stop was to have a good old cuppa tea in Lily’s Tea Room, a very welcoming family-run tearoom serving a classic full English breakfast, sandwiches and afternoon tea- how delightful! Next stop was to explore the quaint village.
The village is small, with a couple of pubs, a hotel and a few shops. Some of the side streets are lovely and worth checking out for the picturesque cottages. There’s also a war memorial situated in front of a very cute thatched cottage.
Some of the buildings, such as The George, an old coaching inn, date back to 1495 and still look just as quaint as I imagine they did back then. Dorchester on Thames also has a small claim to fame being the set of several episodes of ‘Midsummer Murders’.
Dorchester Abbey dates back to the 12th century and is one of the earliest Christian buildings in Great Britain. It’s seriously impressive and has a museum and tearoom for tourists to find out more about the history of the abbey.
Food & Drink in Dorchester on Thames
There are several places to eat in the village from Lily’s Tearoom and the Dorchester Abbey tearoom. There are two old pubs, the Fleur de Lys, which has a lovely beer garden and the George Hotel, dating back to the 15th century. The pubs were closed on my visit, so we ate at the White Hart Hotel and grabbed a cosy seat by the window, perfect for people watching.
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Dorchester on Thames country walk
There are many pretty walks around here- we did a circular walk covering quite a lot, which made for a lot of variety along the way. This must be one of the best walks in England I have done- it was just so pretty!
After getting a tiny bit lost down some country lanes, due to a very poor hand drawn map- we headed out of the village and across to Hurst Water Meadow. Set across 25 acres, these historical flood meadows (when not flooded) are very picturesque and green, filled with delicate yellow and purple flowers.
After passing a few more idyllic country cottages, we walked alongside the river, as well as seeing a man swimming in the glistening water (and slightly murky looking water). With the river on one side and lush green fields on the other, it was so nice to soak up the British sunshine.
The path (which links up to the Thames path) winds its way around to a little church where a wedding was taking place- all the guests were gathered outside. The church, named St Peter’s, sits opposite Wittenham Clumps, a pretty but steep hill overlooking Dorchester on Thames and surrounding countryside.
After a quick sit down, we walked up the hill to be greeted with beautiful views over the English countryside. The views were stunning, and everyone was out on the warm Sunday afternoon, enjoying some downtime. After some family photo time we walked over to an adjoining hill which was once an iron age fort.
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Down the hill is Little Wittenham Wood, a delightful woodland, covered by trees and smells of flowers. A nice break from the warm sun. I love how much variety there is on this walk.
We wandered through the woodland and came out by Days Lock, built in 1789 and the setting of the annual Poohsticks championships. We watched the gates open as a family on kayaks and an older couple went through on their boat. Such a nice setting with the sun our and blue water sparkling.
The walk back to the village took us on a different a path, alongside fields on one side and small hills on the other, where some sheep friends were out to say hello. This pretty walk back lead us into the heart of the village where the walk ended.
Hope you enjoyed this post on one of the best walks in England– it really did have everything from river, ponds, streams, woodland, meadows, rolling hills and a quaint village to go with it.
How to get to Dorchester on Thames (from London)
By Car: It’s about a 90-minute drive from London, depending on traffic. From the A40, follow the M40 West, at junction 6, change to the B4009 (Watlington/P. Risborough exit) and follow that down to the A4074 (Henley Rd), which will lead to the village.
By public transport: Taking almost 2 hours, take a train to Reading and change onto the X38 or X39 bus to the village.
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