Vale of White Horse villages on the River Thames
There are many attractive villages on or very near the River Thames and those on the river often have riverside amenities. If they are a little way from the river it is usually only a short stroll by footpath to the river bank and this usually gives the opportunity for a pleasant riverside walk. Then what better than to enjoy a pleasant lunch or drink in one of the village pubs or tea rooms?
Villages numbered 1,3, 5 and 7 on the map below are in the Vale of White Horse and these are described below. All the other villages (except Kelmscott) are in South Oxfordshire and they are described here. Kelmscott is in West Oxfordshire, and information and pictures of Kelmscott can be found here.
1 Buscot
There is a village shop and tea room, although this can be very busy on summer weekends. The tea room at Buscot Park is not far away and can be used without entering the park. |
3 Wytham
There is a small village shop with a tea garden and a pub in the centre of the village. A little further along the road, on the other side of the Thames, is The Trout Inn in Lower Wolvercot. |
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Although the River Thames is not visible from the road, footpaths lead to the river which actually is only yards from the road. Make use of the Ordnance Survey map option from Bing maps. Sutton Courtenay is fortunate in still having a selection of pubs for a meal or just a drink. |
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Appleford was once a key crossing point along the river and there was once a bridge over the Thames here. As well as the present parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul it is known that there used to be a church (dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene) at the south side of the bridge. This area of Oxfordshire was, until the middle of the last century, part of Berkshire and historically Appleford was a place where apples from the Harwell orchards were carried across the Thames into Oxfordshire. In the centre of the village is the start of Church Street which leads to Manor Farm and the parish church, and from the church a footpath starts which is the only public access to the River Thames. The river is about 1 km to the east along this path. |
Buscot is an attractive little village on the A417 Faringdon
to Lechlade road about 2 miles from Lechlade, and is
the last village along this road before you cross into
Gloucestershire. Buscot village belongs to the National Trust and is a must-see if you are visiting the nearby National Trust property at Buscot Park. Stroll through the village to Buscot lock and maybe walk along the footpath to the parish church which is about a quarter of a mile from the lock.
Wytham
is an attractive little village just to the west of Oxford's
Western Bypass Road, the A34, on the banks of the Seacourt
Stream. Much of the village
is owned by Oxford University and is beautifully kept
and no building is allowed that is not compatible with
the rest of the village. On
the other side of the A34 towards Wolvercote, and across
the bridge over the Seacourt Stream, is the site of Godstow
Nunnery on the banks of the River Thames. The nunnery
is now a ruin but once there was a magnificent church,
courts, cloisters and a chapter house. Close to Godstow Nunnery is
Godstow Lock.
Sutton
Courtenay is a largish straggling village on the south
side of the River Thames about 3 miles north east of Didcot. In the centre of the village is the Manor House which, together with the house now known as
Norman Hall, is on the site of a former Royal palace. On the other side of the road is a building now known as 'The Abbey'. This was the Rectory
House and was built in the 13th century incorporating
some of an earlier dilapidated Parsonage that had been
used as a Grange for Abingdon Abbey.
Although Appleford-on-Thames is close to the River Thames, and its name implies it is on the river, like several of the Thames-side villages the big mystery for a visitor is just where is the river? For there is no obvious sign of it! In fact the river is less than 500 metres to the north of the village centre, but there is no direct access to it from this part of the village.