The Astons and Somerton
Route facts
Waterways:
Oxford Canal »
Distance: 11.25 miles / 18km
Duration: Five and a half hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Starts at: Heyford Station
Ends at: Heyford Station
This is one of a series of walks devised by the Cherwell (Banbury) Group of the Ramblers’ Association. They cover the middle and lower reaches of the relatively narrow Cherwell Valley, through which canal and railway interweave their way between Oxford and Banbury.
The walks start and finish at the local stations on this line, and although most include a section of the Oxford Canal, they also explore the attractive villages in this part of north Oxfordshire and west Northamptonshire.
Getting there
Parking: Parking is available at Heyford Station
Waypoints
1. Heyford Station to Freehold Street
From Heyford Station take the steps/slope up to the road and turn left. Very soon, immediately past Manor Church House take the footpath left, leading to a small meadow and with the canal and boat basin down on your left. At the end of the gardens on the right, turn right into a narrow passage between the house and neighbouring garden. This emerges on to a road, which is followed through the village, with the church on your left, to the diminutive Market Square. Turn left at 'The Bell' public house into Freehold Street and follow this as it winds past stone cottages until it joins Mill Lane, forking left slightly downhill past a converted old chapel.
2. Upper Heyford Church
Just before you reach the swing bridge over the canal, turn off right into the playing field. Follow the left-hand hedge, which is just above the canal. At the far end continue through gap in hedge to head for sewage works in the distance. Follow the perimeter fence around the sewage works until you come out onto the works service track, where you turn right. Follow it through a small spinney. A few hundred yards after a metal gate the concrete road meets a farm access track. Turn left and almost immediately right, to go through a kissing-gate and straight across a meadow towards the left-hand side of a wall to another kissing-gate. This emerges onto a lane with the churchyard opposite. Here there are many graves of USAF airmen from the nearby former airbase. Head left down towards Upper Heyford church and then right along Church Walk.
3. Allen’s Lock and Bridge 204
Go left at junction with Rising Hill and straight ahead down Allens Lane at the next junction. Follow lane as it bends left to reach Allen’s Lock and bridge 204. Cross over the bridge and turn right onto the towpath for a short distance, until Bridge 203. A short distance after this, Bridge 203 is approached, where you leave the canal by turning left over an adjacent bridge. Cross the meadow with the river on your right, and bear half left to another small bridge. There is a small weir over to the right. Bear diagonally right towards the railway arch, and having passed under it the village of Middle Aston appears on the skyline ahead.
4. Along Cow Lane
bear slightly left, heading for the middle of the woodland to a footbridge. Having crossed this bridge pass through a narrow wooded strip to go up the slope of a field towards the left edge of another stand of trees. This takes you through a hedge; turn diagonally right, following the edge of the field with the hedge on the right. The Rousham ‘eyecatcher’ is prominent on the left. With fhe path still gently rising, Steeple Aston comes into view ahead. Continue along the perimeter of the field to a gate and track (Cow Lane) and turn right. (Within a few yards there is a stile on the right which crosses into a small paddock and this footpath parallels Cow Lane for a hundred yards or so before regaining Cow Lane. However, the local populace ignores this and uses Cow Lane itself). At the top of Cow Lane you have arrived at the village of Steeple Aston, at Paines Hill. Turn right, passing the church on the left; this road is now Fir Lane, with schools on both sides.
5. Through Middle Aston
On the slight left-hand bend, just before the delimit speed signs, turn left on to the footpath, which proceeds through a copse for half a mile. This path emerges onto open fields, where you turn right on to a track, keeping the hedge to the right. After a quarter of a mile another small wood (Three Corner Clump) is threaded, emerging on to a minor road. Turn right and follow this road through Middle Aston village. At the end of the village, opposite the entrance to Middle Aston House, turn left through a gate. Almost immediately afterwards ignore the temptation of following the Cherwell Valley Walk sign which veers off downhill and slightly to the right, keeping straight ahead. After fifty yards keep to right of the gate, over the field straight ahead, over a footbridge and across another field through another hedge. Follow the edge of this field, keeping the hedge to the right.
6. Through North Aston
At the metalled track turn left and after a quarter of a mile or so turn right at the crossroads, signposted North Aston. After a couple of hundred yards turn right onto a track immediately before the first house, and after a similar distance Hendon Farm is straight ahead. Turn left immediately before the farm, over a stile across a field to another stile, where you turn diagonally right. Follow this track down and then up to a gate. Through the gate keep to the fence on the right, i.e. ignore the track to the left and that which goes off diagonally left. Passing through a second gate and with the hedgerow on your right, you are now heading towards North Aston church. Two-thirds of the way along this hedge pass through a gate and continue towards the church. At the track turn left towards North Aston village, stopping to admire the stately North Aston Hall. At the road turn right through North Aston, and after a half a mile, at a right-hand bend, turn left through a double gate, bearing slightly uphill. Looking left, Deddington church sits prominently on the ridge in the distance, and this part of the walk gives a fine prospect of the Cherwell valley.
7. Through kissing gates to the canal
At the copse straight ahead proceed through another double gate and head downhill towards yet another gate. Do not pass through this third gate, but turn right just before it, keeping the hedge on your left. After almost a mile rejoin the road at Mill Cottage. Turn left, and admire the magnificent Mill House immediately to the right. After quarter of a mile, pass over the canal bridge (Bridge 196), under the railway bridge and very soon steps indicated by a finger-post on the right-hand side lead up to a gap between houses. Follow the path through two gates between gardens until a small meadow is reached, over a stile. At the top left-hand side there is access via a kissing-gate to a lane, which goes uphill past the church. Just after the church, on the right-hand side, go down a narrow backway to the rear of gardens. At the end turn right into a grassy way through a gate. Another gate at the end leads into a small meadow. Cross this to a stile and go half left to a footbridge with two gates in the left-hand hedge. Head for another stile in the fence on the right-hand side. Follow this fence, with the railway, and beyond that the canal, in the valley on your right-hand side.
8. Back to Heyford Station
Keeping to the field edge head down to the bottom left-hand corner of the field to emerge through a gate by a small garage. Turn right onto a lane which crosses the railway and then passes over Bridge 199 at Somerton Crossing. Go over the bridge and through a gate immediately on the right-hand side, to emerge into a meadow with the canal towpath running through it. Turn right on the towpath to go under Bridge 199. It is now a simple matter of following the canal for three miles back to Heyford Wharf, passing successively bridges 200 (Heyford Common Lock), under the railway (201), 202 (near sheep wash on the map), 203 and 204 (Allen’s Lock). Upper Heyford village is now on your left and after another mile you will arrive at Lower Heyford, station and wharf.
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