Has anyone ridden the towpath of the Oxford Canal, specifically lets say, the last 10 - 20KM or so into Oxford? Have to be present in the Oxford office for two days next month and am considering cycling there and back, with a couple of nights out in each direction. Was trying to think of nice ways to get into Oxford near the station, and the canal seems to offer an "easy" way in, but then towpaths can be in any old condition, or just a dog walker conflict zone.

I'm also open to suggestions on somewhere to the North, or North East, of Oxford to bivvy the night before, probably up to a 2 hour ride away, so about 40KM or so. The first day doesn't start till 11 o'clock, so I figure pitching up at 09:00 gives me plenty of time for a shower and to go off and find coffee and breakfast.

Thinking of coming back through The Chiltern's, maybe on a route other than the Icknield Way, but will ask about that another time.

Just take some shears with you so you can cut your way through the vegetation. If it’s anything like the grand union in places you find you will loose the path to the brambles and plant life. Other than this I love riding the canals , gets you off the roads and passes through the cities without any hassle. As for camp spots choose wisely and you will be fine. Two yr ago few of us rode south on the canals and we just stopped at the edge of farmers fields with no bother.

Thanks Mike. Turns out there's some limited coverage of bits of it on Google Street View and it looks narrow in places... Given that it would deposit me around 150m from the office near the station, it seems like a no brainer to avoid the city centre morning rush hour traffic. I initially considered Otmoor nature reserve as somewhere to kip for the night, but I fear it's far too close, and would mean I'm at the office way earlier than I need to be.

A quick look on OS maps and the Oxford Canal Path north of Oxford all seems to be Public Footpath, so a No-No for cycling unless I have got something wrong ?

javatime wrote: ↑Tue May 13, 2025 11:55 pm A quick look on OS maps and the Oxford Canal Path north of Oxford all seems to be Public Footpath, so a No-No for cycling unless I have got something wrong ?

Looking at this https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-t ... cling-faqs

Towpaths "are not public rights of way. Instead, the majority of our towpaths are ‘permissive paths' as we allow members of the public to use them."

Perhaps in some cases, when PROW were being mapped and designated in the 1940s in England (see https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/ ... script.pdf), some sections of canal towpath were designated as a PROW.

It would perhaps mean, in the Oxford Canal case, that if 'permissive' use was withdrawn from towpaths then this section would still remain accessible (on foot) as a designated public footpath, in which case then yes riding a bike on it would not be permitted.

However, as it is, with all canal towpaths deemed 'permissive', then cycling is allowed.

cheers,

Keith

Thank you for the clarification.

However when walking on tow paths I have come across stiles and swing gates designed to stop off road motorbikes, so smooth progress on a bicycle may be difficult in places

javatime wrote: ↑Wed May 14, 2025 9:34 am Thank you for the clarification.

However when walking on tow paths I have come across stiles and swing gates designed to stop off road motorbikes, so smooth progress on a bicycle may be difficult in places

I offer the above more as a possible explanation than anything definitive! at least, it's what I would argue if challenged using the towpath there on a bike

yes you're right about the motorbike 'traps' there's one on the Ridgeway on the bridleway that goes down to Avebury, it'd be a hazard on a bike espccially at night...

cheers,

Keith

javatime wrote: ↑Tue May 13, 2025 11:55 pm A quick look on OS maps and the Oxford Canal Path north of Oxford all seems to be Public Footpath, so a No-No for cycling unless I have got something wrong ?

If you look at the start of the path next to Hythe Bridge with Google Street View, there's a large sign that says:

Take a walk, hop on a bike or simply find a quiet spot to watch the boats pass by.

When we lived on the boat, we took it on the Oxford canal up to somewhere between Kirtlington and Heyford. It was probably 12 years ago now, but I remember the further north it went, the canal and towpath was narrow and nadgery. Partly because it's a true 'narrow' canal, only allowing boats up to 7 feet wide. So it's less busy than other major canals, and the general scale of towpath and bridges etc. is a bit smaller. I wouldn't worry about riding it, as the attitude for most towpaths is that its a shared space, it just might be hard to share if its tiny and overgrown, or very bumpy hard soil. But, we spent a fair bit of time in Thrupp quite close to Oxford, and the towpath was fine and I rode it a fair bit, plus it's basically a corridor into Oxford so good for riding.

TLDR: fine riding closer to Oxford, may want to skip bits further north!