Wytham's wood-Paseo por la campiña (y bosque) inglesa
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 10.78 mi
- Elevation gain
- 377 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 377 ft
- Max elevation
- 559 ft
- TrailRank
- 47
- Min elevation
- 161 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 4 hours 6 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1862
- Uploaded
- August 6, 2017
- Recorded
- July 2017
near Summertown, England (United Kingdom)
Viewed 806 times, downloaded 25 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
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First of all, we must bear in mind that access to this forest is restricted (not prohibited). It is for scientific use and can only be entered on foot without leaving the main road.
I had the opportunity to go this summer to Oxford (England, United Kingdom), and had long wanted to walk through the English countryside or a typical forest in the area. The forest of Wytham was close, so one day I had the opportunity I went to indulge myself. To my surprise, some posters that precede the entrance to the forest of this town announce that it is an ecological and scientific reserve with fifty years of study. They have felled all the non-native trees and study their interaction with the animals. Come on, that is 100% English xDD In theory you can not enter without permission and support from the ranger, but I did not have another opportunity, so I entered at my own risk. Then I saw other vehicles in other access doors to the park, so I imagine that people likewise come to walk around this little jewel.
Begin my walk at St. Edwards School, where I stayed these days. I head north through Summertown, a neighborhood near Oxford, then turn west on the road to Godstow. It has no loss, all the time by city but without detours.
We cross the Oxford Canal, and we will see from the bridge the plain of Port Meadow, where there is a small cemetery and also some horses. It is a starting point for several walking and cycling routes. We continue through Wolvercote, then Gostow and finally cross the River Thames, through a double bridge as there is an island in the middle. After that we will pass under a highway (A34) and arrive at the town of Wytham. Until now the houses we saw were of traditional architecture but not really old. In Wytham it is not like that: they are typical houses of English rural areas, with thatched roofs and stone walls.
We moved away from the village and reached the first fence that warns us what was said: ecological-scientific zone, not entering without permission and not touching anything because the forest is being investigated. I did not cross 9000km to stay waiting in a vallita that is not closed. We continue, the road is asphalted and goes up surrounded by huge trees and with views in the clearings to Oxford, Wytham and other towns.
The highest point of the route is the ranger's house, shortly after it the road turns sharply and becomes dirt. Along the way we will see several animals: squirrels, rabbits, some huge hare and if there is luck I do not rule out deer. They are not used to human presence, they will look at us with curiosity but prudence. There is no need to feed them, it is convenient to remember that the whole area is being kept as "virgin" as possible.
After a while we reached a bench overlooking the meadow. It is a perfect place to have lunch while resting. Soon after, another fence must be crossed, "Elton's door" because of Charles Elton, a person very interested in maintaining these forests and starting his scientific research for decades (there is a commemorative plaque in his honor).
The road continues, stuck to the meadow but always covered with tall trees, and reaches other access gates to the park. You can avoid both by a shortcut between the trees. The road turns tightly and you will cross two more doors: Marley Lodge and Home Farm. The latter is so named because the path from the door passes through the English countryside, a stone farm in the distance and the meadow full of sheep. After crossing modern stables, we arrived back to Wytham and continued our way back exactly where we came from.
6.5km are the pure walk through the forest, plus 5km one way and many others back. I got 17km and an IBP value 48
I had the opportunity to go this summer to Oxford (England, United Kingdom), and had long wanted to walk through the English countryside or a typical forest in the area. The forest of Wytham was close, so one day I had the opportunity I went to indulge myself. To my surprise, some posters that precede the entrance to the forest of this town announce that it is an ecological and scientific reserve with fifty years of study. They have felled all the non-native trees and study their interaction with the animals. Come on, that is 100% English xDD In theory you can not enter without permission and support from the ranger, but I did not have another opportunity, so I entered at my own risk. Then I saw other vehicles in other access doors to the park, so I imagine that people likewise come to walk around this little jewel.
Begin my walk at St. Edwards School, where I stayed these days. I head north through Summertown, a neighborhood near Oxford, then turn west on the road to Godstow. It has no loss, all the time by city but without detours.
We cross the Oxford Canal, and we will see from the bridge the plain of Port Meadow, where there is a small cemetery and also some horses. It is a starting point for several walking and cycling routes. We continue through Wolvercote, then Gostow and finally cross the River Thames, through a double bridge as there is an island in the middle. After that we will pass under a highway (A34) and arrive at the town of Wytham. Until now the houses we saw were of traditional architecture but not really old. In Wytham it is not like that: they are typical houses of English rural areas, with thatched roofs and stone walls.
We moved away from the village and reached the first fence that warns us what was said: ecological-scientific zone, not entering without permission and not touching anything because the forest is being investigated. I did not cross 9000km to stay waiting in a vallita that is not closed. We continue, the road is asphalted and goes up surrounded by huge trees and with views in the clearings to Oxford, Wytham and other towns.
The highest point of the route is the ranger's house, shortly after it the road turns sharply and becomes dirt. Along the way we will see several animals: squirrels, rabbits, some huge hare and if there is luck I do not rule out deer. They are not used to human presence, they will look at us with curiosity but prudence. There is no need to feed them, it is convenient to remember that the whole area is being kept as "virgin" as possible.
After a while we reached a bench overlooking the meadow. It is a perfect place to have lunch while resting. Soon after, another fence must be crossed, "Elton's door" because of Charles Elton, a person very interested in maintaining these forests and starting his scientific research for decades (there is a commemorative plaque in his honor).
The road continues, stuck to the meadow but always covered with tall trees, and reaches other access gates to the park. You can avoid both by a shortcut between the trees. The road turns tightly and you will cross two more doors: Marley Lodge and Home Farm. The latter is so named because the path from the door passes through the English countryside, a stone farm in the distance and the meadow full of sheep. After crossing modern stables, we arrived back to Wytham and continued our way back exactly where we came from.
6.5km are the pure walk through the forest, plus 5km one way and many others back. I got 17km and an IBP value 48
Waypoints
Photo
0 ft
Bridge
Waypoint
Picnic
Door
Fauna
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