This dog walk starts in Swinford and journeys down the Thames Path to Farmoor, for a beautiful and easy afternoon walk in the Oxfordshire countryside.

This is a lovely walk. It’s mostly flat, with easy terrain across fields and paths. I love the serenity that comes with walking by the river, and Buddy had a great time too.

Here I’ve listed the route we took for a big afternoon walk, but you could also just do a smaller section off the Thames Path or choose to begin and end in Farmoor.

Start in Swinford

Buddy and I got the S1 bus from Oxford to the Swinford bridge. It was a very quick journey, but we could also have driven to the car park by the lock in Swinford.

We joined the Thames Path by the lock and followed it round, under the Swinford Bridge and through the adjoining fields. There were no cattle on the route when we where there on a Sunday lunchtime, but it looks as if there could be cattle in the field at other times – so I would recommend being cautious with dogs.

A small diversion

After a couple of fields you will come across a small boatyard. Unfortunately, the Thames Path doesn’t go through this private property and you need to head back up to the main road for a short section. This doesn’t take long and you can soon see signs to turn right and head back to the river.

When you are back by the river you can follow the Thames Path all the way to Farmoor. Parts of the route venture through wildlife and nature reserves, so you can be sure to see some beautiful wildflowers and maybe even some birds (if the dogs don’t scare them away)!

For a lot of this section of the walk there was a fence to the left of us and the river to the right, so I felt very comfortable having Buddy off the lead.

Finish in Farmoor

Dogs aren’t allowed into the Farmoor Reservoir, so be sure to stick to the path that runs around the outside of the boundary. This will bring you to Filchampstead and from there you can walk along the main road to the village of Farmoor.

Once in Farmoor we got the bus back to Oxford, but you could also get the bus back to your car in Swinford or walk (it will take around 25 minutes along the main road).

Happy dog walking!