The nights may be drawing in but there’s still plenty of time for an outdoor adventure this October.
Whether you are heading out with your children this half-term or are looking to take a tranquil walk and experience the changing of the seasons, we are spoiled for choice in Oxfordshire.
Keep reading for seven local autumn walks to enjoy this month.
1. Badbury Woods, near Coleshill, Oxfordshire
Badbury Woods is situated between Coleshill and Farringdon and boasts an Iron age Hill fort at nearby Badbury Hill. Now a wooded area, known as “Badbury Clump”, the fort is believed to be the site of a late 5th- or early 6th-century battle at which King Arthur defeated the Anglo-Saxons.
More recently it has become home to walkers, families, and mountainboarders (an adventure sport based on snowboarding).
The woods themselves are looked after by the National Trust and are perfect for a family day out this autumn, taking in the beautiful colours of the changing leaves. Home to many native species of trees and birds, National Trust “Spotter’s Guides” are available to give you a sense of purpose and accomplishment as you walk, ticking off the flora and fauna you see.
Equally, simply relax and enjoy the tranquillity of this beautiful woodland.
2. Buscot Park, Farringdon, Oxfordshire
You’ll need to be quick if you want to take in the splendour of Buscot Park’s house and gardens. It closes for the season on 31 October.
Administered and looked after by Lord Farringdon, on behalf of the National Trust, the house itself is home to the Farringdon Collection. The artworks accumulated by the Lords Farringdon include works by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck. But there are extensive grounds to visit too.
Take some time to explore the red-brick walls of the original kitchen garden, enjoy a woodland walk to one of Britain’s finest water gardens, or take in the lakeside paths and views over the Thames plain.
3. Nightingale Wood, near Swindon, Wiltshire
Nightingale Wood near Swindon offers short and fully accessible trails perfect for buggies and wheelchairs.
Planted in the 1990s, Nightingale Wood is now a beautiful community woodland home to many species of birds, with numerous picnic spots and play equipment sure to keep kids entertained.
There are three main circular walking trails, the longest being the 2.5-kilometre Heron Walk. Keep an eye out for redwings and fieldfares, as well as roe deer and foxes.
4. Greys Court, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
Greys Court is a National Trust-owned estate within the Chilterns.
A former family home, the 16th-century mansion and beautiful gardens have made numerous television appearances in episodes of Downton Abbey and Midsomer Murders among others.
The walled gardens contain a kitchen garden with its roots in the second world war’s “Dig for Victory” campaign. Elsewhere, wisteria walk and blossom season provide attractions for spring and summer, but the gardens retain their charm through the autumn. Then you can set off to explore the grounds of the estate.
Follow Sir Felix’s Gentle Walk through wooded parkland or enjoy the slightly longer Greys estate walk. The 3-kilometre walk through farmland and beech woods might be muddy at this time of year, but it is stile-free and great for a family walk.
5. Cowleaze Wood, Lewknor, Oxfordshire
Just 20 minutes north of Henley-on-Thames is the village of Lewknor, home to Cowleaze Wood.
Planted by the Forestry Commission between 1957 and 1966, it is home to bluebells in the spring and also attracts red kites, with beautiful views out across the valley all year round.
You’ll also find a memorial to the crew of Halifax bomber LW579, which crashed into the hill in March 1944 on its return from a raid over Nuremberg. The monument itself is a stone plinth from Lincoln Cathedral.
6. Bernwood Forest, Aylesbury, Oxfordshire
This former royal hunting forest received royal protection for over 700 years and now contains part of the Shabbington Woods Complex Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
This tranquil stretch of woodland is rich in insects and home to a butterfly trail visited by up to 40 different species of butterflies.
The Bernwood Jubilee Way also runs through the wood on its 61-mile journey within the Ancient Forest Boundary.
7. Stowe, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire
Surrounding the Grade-I listed Stowe House is Stowe Landscape Gardens and parkland. From the early 1700s, the best garden designers and architects in the country – including Charles Bridgeman and “Capability” Brown – set to work creating an English landscape garden on the grandest of scales.
The gardens and part of the park are now owned by the National Trust and much of it is Grade-I listed, separately from the house.
Among the sites to catch as you wander among the flame-coloured leaves this autumn are, the Octagon Lake, the Palladian Bridge, the Gothic Temple, Shell Bridge, and the Temple of Concord and Victory.