This interesting 8 mile circular walk starts at Nuffield about 4 miles east of Wallingford. Points of interest include:
- Grim's Ditch - ancient Iron Age earthworks built around 300 BC by digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank alongside it.
- The Maharajah's Well - the Maharajah of Benares (now Varanasi) funded this well when told of the water shortage in the parish of Ipsden (including the settlement of Stoke Row) requiring water to be fetched by hand from miles away.
Parking
It should be possible to park the car off the road in one of various spots along Nuffield Hill. I parked just after the entrance to the golf course on the right (map reference SU 6697 8728). There are a couple of other possibilities along the road including just past the footpath (see description photo P1). Also, the church car park is a possibility if the church is not going to be used during your walk.
Map
Walk Description
The photo points are shown on the map above.
Car to Point 1 on map
From the car, walk along past the church and take a footpath to your left marked Ridgeway (photo P1).
You walk along the escarpment of the Chilterns with fine views of the Oxfordshire plain to your right. But beware, this can also mean that you suffer some winds!
Keep going basically straight and you will reach Grim's Ditch to your right (Photo P2).
Unless you wish to detour you should keep straight on along the Ridgeway. Ignore a footpath going off left and continue straight on until you bend slightly right in woodland. The path then turns 90 degrees to the right and crosses a road (don't be tempted to take this road) to a stile opposite. This goes across a field before turning 90 degrees left but this is very obvious. Keep straight on until you reach a lane which is point 1 on the map.
Point 1 to Point 2 on map
Go straight across to a footpath opposite and continue walking straight ahead. Shortly after walking through a small piece of woodland you will be come into a property which you need to navigate (Photo P3). Don't take the lane to the right, turn left and follow good sign posting.
When you reach the lane, don't be tempted to take the footpath opposite, turn right and walk along the lane. Continue along here for about 200m before taking a footpath on your left. Continue fairly straight on and into woodland where you will first see a huge white house which looks more like an office block to me. You then come down to Urquhart Lane which is more like a track when you join it at point 2 on the map and turn right (Photo P4).
Point 2 to Point 3 on map
Walk along Urquhart Lane passing the white entrance gatehouse to the white house estate. Then 100m further on take a footpath to the left adjoining a stables where you start a climb. If you look back, the white house is still clearly in view (Photo P5).
The walk is reasonably steep at this point. As you climb into woods there is a helpful map pinned to a tree as it seems walkers do get lost at this point (Photo P6).
Turn right and walk above a ditch and you will emerge at a lane (Berins Lane). I couldn't see any sign post for the footpath almost opposite so I went a few metres up a farm track but then quickly went through a gap on the right into the field adjutant walking parallel to the track. You will see a stile at the end of the field and turn slightly left up towards woods and just as you enter from the climb, there are good views looking back (Photo P7).
Climbing through the woods, the path slightly curves to the left and down turning more sharply right then straight on until you reach Garsons Lane, point 3 on the map where you turn left.
Point 3 to Point 4 on the map
After about 50m along the lane, take a footpath on the right into woodland. The path soon goes quite steeply downhill to the bottom of a valley with a footpath crossing which you ignore and climb up a path opposite. After 100m or so, avoid a path to the right and keep on the bigger track bending left. Continue pretty straight through the woods until you reach civilisation and cross a road to a track opposite by a barn (Photo P8). You soon need to take a footpath to the left through the woods.
Continue fairly straight through the woods and you will reach a cottage. Follow the track down to the road which is point 4 on the map. Before continuing your walk you may be able to take refreshments at the historic but well hidden Black Horse pub known as the "pub in the woods" up a track from the road (but it can also be approached from the path you have been on before you get to the cottage and on your left).
Point 4 to Point 5 on the map
After coming to point 4 you need to walk a few paces to your left on the road before the footpath continuing the walk is evident. Avoid the path to the right and take the path to the left into the woods (Photo P9).
Continue fairly straight through the woods for about 0.5km and you will emerge at the junction of two roads, Kit Lane and Uxmore Road. Turn right along the continuation of Kit Lane signposted for Stoke Row and the Maharajah's Well.
Please walk on the right hand side of the road for the parts where there is no pavement. You will pass the Victorian St John the Evangelist Church on your right. Just after a school you will reach the Maharajah's Well on your left, point 5 on the map (Photo P10).
The well resulted from local squire Edward Reade telling the Maharajah of Benares about the miserable conditions of the poor in this area of the Chilterns with lack of clean water which had to be carried several miles (e.g. in the dry season, water used for cooking in one cottage was passed onto the next). The Maharajah provided funds for the well and work started in 1863 and was finished in 1864 with the shaft dug by hand one man at a time down 368 feet (deeper than St Paul's Cathedral is high). The well keeper's cottage can be seen in the photo amongst a cherry orchard used to provide funds for upkeep.
Point 5 to Point 6 on the map
When you have finished looking at the well, take a footpath almost immediately past the site which goes downhill to Cox's Lane. Turn left along this lane which eventually becomes a track. As you travel a couple of kilometres along the lane, the danger is that you will miss the footpath to the right so please keep an eye out (Photo P11).
This footpath continues straight until you reach a track at point 6 on the map and you turn left.
Point 6 to Point 7 on the map
You soon pass the Oakingham House estate which looks very old but originates from the 1980s (Photo P12).
Continue along this lane and once again, you should keep your eyes open for a footpath coming from the left and continuing to the right which you take (Photo P13).
You should soon seen a tennis court which you pass alongside before reaching the roadway to the house. Turn left and continue on the road for 30m and when the roadway turns left towards the house continue straight on along a footpath. The path continues straight until you reach English lane and the English Farm estate.
Turn right down the lane, avoid a track going to the left alongside the buildings which is not the official path. This comes 10m afterwards and actually joins the track with a fine view of the barn containing a blacksmiths and the house (Photo P14).
The track skirts around the estate but when the track splits by an old garage, take the right hand track. After about 50m, leave the track via a footpath to the left (Photo P15).
English Farm is famous for organic, English Longhorn Beef and you may be lucky enough to see some cattle, luckily there was an electric fence protecting me! (Photo P16).
Continue straight along this footpath until you reach a track which is point 7 on the map.
Point 7 to car on the map
Turn left on the track and then immediately take a footpath to the left (Photo P17).
Keep basically straight on this track through a little woodland until you reach the community of Nuffield and by some buildings take the left fork which brings you out on the main road. Turn left and right along Nuffield Hill and walk along this until you reach your car.
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