Walks – in and around Thame

There is an abundance of excellent walking trails in and around Thame, including historic town trails and the newly created Thame Outer Circuit and Thame Inner Circuit.

The Thame Outer Circuit

New in 2021, the ‘Thame Outer Circuit’ is a 20-mile (approx) circular walk through the Oxfordshire countryside surrounding Thame.

> Download PDF of the walk

> Download mobile friendly version of the walk from here

The circular route takes in the villages of Long Crendon, Shabbington, Tetsworth, Sydenham, Emmington, Towersey, Kingsey and Haddenham, as well as passing through the Rycote Estate and the Oxfordshire Golf Course. The terrain is generally flat and the walk is mainly on public rights of way with a few linking sections on fairly quiet roads. [It should be noted that this area is fairly low-lying and, after periods of heavy rain, some fields may be flooded – particularly those adjacent to the River Thame.

The walk has been divided into three separate sections, with the start and finish of each accessible by bus from the centre of the town. The Thame Outer Circuit is described in an anti-clockwise direction, starting and finishing at Haddenham and Thame Parkway, but may be joined at any point. There are also linking routes provided to facilitate shorter walks from Thame, which link in with parts of the Outer Circuit.

The Thame Inner Circuit

The Thame Inner Circuit is a 4 mile walking route, making use of existing paths, pavements, tracks and trails.

> Download PDF of the walk

> Download GPX of this route from Plotaroute

There are many alternatives to the particular route detailed here and the choice of any preferred route is down to the individual. The route is described in a clockwise direction but could, of course, be done in the opposite direction.

The intention is that for anybody living in Thame, some part of the route will be close by, so that the whole circuit can be enjoyed from anywhere in town. Of course, shorter walks can be carried out by simply taking in just part of the Circuit. Many of the paths are close to houses – please respect the privacy of the occupants. Walkers are also asked to leave things as they find them, to take litter home, and to clean up after their dogs. The Circuit crosses both major and minor roads so please cross these with great care and use pelican crossings if available.

There is no specific starting point but this guide starts at St. Mary’s Church.

CORONAVIRUS CAVEAT – several of the footpaths are along quite narrow, but generally short, fenced areas. If applicable, please observe any social distancing rules that may be in place by waiting for anyone coming into these narrow areas from the opposite direction.

You can find further walking guides on the Town Trails page on the Thame Town Council website.