A moderate route in Bishops Tachbrook. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: Bishop's Tachbrook Sports and Social Club (SP 312 610)
Terrain: Village roads, lane, field paths, kissing gates, stiles (one rickety), lane over M40, Banbury Road (busy - cross with care), woodland edge, sheep trod, unclassified roads, village roads, fields, footbridge, farm tracks, busy road crossings (Barford road on market day and Wellesbourne Road - great care and patience required at both), overgrown hedge section (alternative route promised), Oakley Wood, verge walking on Oakley Wood Road
A big, satisfying circular walk from Bishop's Tachbrook covering some of the best of the countryside south and west of the village. The outward leg south past Wiggerland Wood Farm and over the M40 is already familiar from the shorter Bishop's Tachbrook circular, but this longer version strikes out further west past Ashorne and all the way to Woozeley Bridge, where the route swings north through open fields to Seven Elms and Glebe Farm — worth having some cash in your pocket for the free range eggs on sale here. The crossing of the Barford road demands particular patience on a Saturday when market traffic is heavy, and the workaround past the farm buildings avoids the phantom field path that the OS map shows but which shows no sign of existence on the ground. The return from the Wellesbourne Road via Middle Hill Farm includes a section through overgrown hedge and brambles that can be hard going — an alternative route cutting this out is planned so keep an eye out for it. The final leg back through Ashorne and up through Oakley Wood is a fine finish to a long day out, with the freedom to pick your own line through the trees before the Banbury Road and Oakley Wood Road bring you back over the M40 and through the Bloors estate to the start. A thoroughly enjoyable walk, though not one to underestimate at over 21 kilometres.