Information for walkers
The villages of Aston Tirrold and Aston Upthorpe have over 20 kms of bridleways and footpaths, stretching from the Ridgeway to the south to South Moreton, north of the villages.
Examples of various walks in and around our village are given below.
The Parish Council has also produced this map of local village walks which is available free to download which you may find useful.
If you would like to explore our villages with our 'Walkabout and History' please click here
Blewburton Hill
This is an Iron Age hill fort, situated between the villages of Aston Upthorpe and Blewbury. Bldewburton Hill is a scheduled monument and although it's privately owned, much of it is accessible to the public.
It was a univallate hillfort (with a single rampart) which dates back to about 550 BC. After a period of abandonment, the hillfort was refortified around 100 BC. The fort was finally abandoned about 50 BC.
There is a good circular walk from All Saints Church in Aston Upthorpe, up to the hill and around the hill fort, with a footpath leading you back to the main road and into the villages. There are pectacular, panoramic views of South Oxfordshire from the top of the hill.
Lollingdon Hill
Lollingdon Hill is in the neighbouring parish of Cholsey and there is a very pleasant walk from Aston Tirrold along Lollingdon Track (next to the village recreation ground) which takes you past Lollingdon Farm and around the hill. This is a great place for bird watching so don’t forget to take your binoculars.
John Masefield, the celebrated poet, lived at Lollingdon Farm between 1914 and 1917 where he wrote his only war poem, August 1914, along with his book The Old Front Line and his collection of sonnets and poets, The Lollingdon Downs.
Lowbury Hill and The Ridgeway
This famous National Trail runs next to our parish boundaries. You can access this trail by walking or driving up Spring Lane in Aston Upthorpe, over the A417 and up the straight track.
This is a great base for exploring the chalk downland which is within an Area of Scientific Special Interest. The footpaths here will take you through Juniper Valley (a dry valley) and on towards Lowbury Hill which is the site of a large Roman Temple (you can still make out the foundation marks in the grass). If you stand by the trig point here you are treated to some wonderful views across the Berkshire Downs. The Ridgeway is located less than half mile from Lowbury Hill and takes you in many directions across this scenic part of the Berkshire Downs.
It is recommended that you take an Ordnance Survey map when accessing these parts of the Downs as it's easy to get confused with so many footpaths and by-ways leading off in every direction.
