Combine a walk through the peaceful Evenlode Valley near the Oxfordshire village of Kingham with a visit to the popular organic farm shop at Daylesford on this 5.9-mile/9.4km circular Kingham to Daylesford walk in the Cotswolds. And as Kingham has a train station, you don’t need a car.
The route starts in the centre of Kingham, crossing the railway line on its way to the small village of Bledington. From Bledington you loop northwards, following the River Evenlode across farmland and past woodland to the Daylesford estate, before returning to Kingham along farm tracks.
You’re spoilt for choice for places to eat on the route, with country pubs in Bledington and Kingham – including The Wild Rabbit, owned by the Daylesford estate. There are also restaurants on the Daylesford farm, and fruit, vegetables, cheeses, meats and more for sale in their farm shop.
The Kingham to Daylesford walk takes 2.5–3 hours to complete. The route is fairly flat and easy, following dirt paths and farm tracks. It’s best done in summer though as it can get boggy and muddy if it’s been raining – it’s a good idea to wear waterproof shoes at any time of year.
Kingham to Daylesford walk details and map
- Distance: 5.9 miles/9.4km.
- Time: 2.5–3 hours.
- Elevation: 69 feet elevation gain.
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Paths: Grass and dirt paths, some quiet farm tracks and sections of pavement.
- Accessibility: Several stiles (some of them quite tall), kissing gates and a level crossing over the train line. Beware the route can be very wet and muddy in winter or if it’s been raining.
- Map: OL45 The Cotswolds*
- Toilets: Customer toilets at Daylesford Organic and in pubs, but no public toilets on the route.
- Facilities: The Kings Head Inn in Bledington is a short diversion off the route. There are restaurants and a farm shop at Daylesford. And Kingham has two pubs – The Wild Rabbit right on the route and The Kingham Plough a few minutes’ walk away – plus a village shop.
Click on the map above to be taken to Wikiloc, a free app where you can download a map and GPS directions for the Kingham to Daylesford walk.
Start/finish point
The starting point for the walk is St Andrew’s Church on Station Road in Kingham (OX7 6YA). If you’re travelling by car, there’s on-street parking in the village and a pay and display car park at Kingham train station. This costs £3.20 all day after 10am and at weekends.
If you’re travelling by public transport, Kingham has a mainline train station with direct trains to London and Oxford. But note that the station is a mile south of Kingham village.
So if you’re arriving by train or parking at the station, follow Station Road north for 0.8 miles as far as the junction with Field Road/New Road on the edge of Kingham where you can pick up the route at the point marked below. And at the end of the walk follow Station Road from the church.
Starting and finishing at the station makes the route 7.7 miles, taking 3–3.5 hours.
Kingham to Daylesford walk route
Stage 1: Kingham to Bledington
Start your walk by the porch in front of St Andrew’s Church in Kingham. There’s been a church on this site for 900 years. The tower dates from the 15th century but the rest of the church was remodelled in the 1850s. With the porch behind you, walk to the right along Station Road.
When you reach the end of the stone wall, go through the gap on the right marked with a public footpath sign. You can follow the concrete path parallel to the road. Or cut the corner by going over the stile and across the field – this path goes over two more stiles then rejoins the road.
When the road bends to the left next to a sign for New Road, go straight ahead along Field Road – this is more of a footpath than a road and is marked with a green post saying ‘Footpath Bledington 1’. [If you are coming from Kingham station, this is where you join the route.]
Follow this path, and after it turns to the right you’ll come to a gate in front of a level crossing. Cross over the railway line carefully, keeping a look out for trains, then go through another gate and continue along the path to the right (this can be overgrown with nettles and brambles).
After the next gate the path opens up and runs across a field (there’s a section of wooden boardwalk you can use if it’s been wet). At the end of the field, cross the wooden bridge over the River Evenlode. This is a tributary of the Thames, running for 45 miles from Evenlode village to the north.
After you cross the bridge, follow the path to the left across the field. When the path curves around to the left, go through the kissing gate into another field, then at the end of that cross another bridge – you’ll see the village of Bledington in front of you. Walk across the field straight ahead and pass through a kissing gate which takes you onto a path running alongside several houses.
When the path joins a road – marked Main Street – turn right (you’ll need to cross the road to walk on the pavement). Follow the road into Bledington. When you reach the junction at the end of Main Street, turn left if you want to stop off at The Kings Head Inn, 200 metres away.
Stage 2: Bledington to Daylesford
Otherwise turn right at the junction, signposted ‘Chapel Lane’ and ‘No through road’. When you see a house called College Place, turn left down their driveway, which is marked with a green public footpath sign. The path curves round to the right of the house then goes through a wooden gate.
Pass through the v-notch stile then follow the path straight ahead across the field. When a dirt road merges in on the left, follow this across a small stream towards the trees. The path crosses a track – go straight on through the gate following public footpath signs across the next field.
The route continues straight on across three more fields. When you reach a stony farm track, turn right following the Diamond Way signs (a blue diamond on a public footpath sign). The Diamond Way is a 66-mile long distance walk through the North Cotswolds from Moreton-in-Marsh.
Follow the track – it’s used by farm vehicles so can be quite churned up and muddy, especially if it’s been raining. When you get to a metal gate, don’t go through it but take the narrow path to the left of it. Continue straight on. When you reach a muddy patch under an area of trees where the path gets a bit unclear, look out for the blue arrow on a tree trunk which shows you where to go.
Keep right and you’ll see a wooden post with public bridleway sign pointing straight on. Ignore this and instead turn right, crossing over a small wooden bridge and going through a kissing gate marked with a yellow public footpath sign. Follow the path along the edge of the woodland.
When you reach the end of the trees, turn to the left and walk across the field (the path runs diagonally across the field, but it was very overgrown when we walked it so we stayed along to the edge). In the corner of the field there’s a bridge stile, cross this and walk over the next field. Go over the stile to the right of the metal gate and follow the path around to the left across the field.
To your left are the Oddington Ashes, an area of ancient deciduous woodland which is an important habitat for wildlife including roe deer. When you get to the end of the field, go over the stile onto a well-made farm road – turn right following the sign for ‘Daylesford, Kingham, Bledington’.
The road crosses the River Evenlode and railway line. After crossing the train tracks, go through the gate on the left with a brown sign saying ‘Daylesford Organic, Bamford, The Cottages’.
The path runs along the edge of a field. At the end, you can go through a gate onto Kingham Road and turn left if you want to visit Daylesford village (watch out as this is a blind corner). Otherwise carry on along the path to the right which takes you into the Daylesford Organic farm. There are a couple of places to eat as well as a farm shop, spa, garden centre and customer toilets.
Stage 3: Daylesford to Kingham
Retrace your steps back to the gate with the brown sign, then turn left and walk along the road. Stick to the right when you come to a junction and follow the road behind Daylesford Organic and through the Daylesford estate, passing different buildings and fields with crops and cattle.
Along the way you’ll pass a signpost saying ‘Wild Rabbit Kingham 1 mile.’ The road becomes more stony as you go along, and eventually joins onto a tarmac road in Kingham called West End. Carry straight on past the houses, then turn left when you reach a tree in the middle of the road.
Take the next right at the junction next to a house called Lucketts. Then turn right again down Couzens Lane (watch out for cars as there’s no pavement along this stretch of road).
At the end of Couzens Lane, turn right onto Church Street and you’re back in the centre of Kingham. If you want to finish your Kingham to Daylesford walk with a drink, The Wild Rabbit is on your right – or the (more reasonably priced!) Kingham Plough pub is 300 metres along Church Street to the left. Otherwise carry on past The Wild Rabbit and you’ll be back at St Andrew’s Church.
[If you’re returning to the station, it’s around a mile along Church Street/Station Road].
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