Rousham's Classic Garden

1 From the car park, turn left and walk down the street (Paines Hill) through the village of Steeple Aston to the T-junction. The post office and shop are on the corner and across the way is the White Lion pub. Turn right into South Side and pass Jubilee Close. Carry on ahead until you see a footpath on the left signposted for Rousham. Join a tarmac drive here and follow it as it dwindles to a track that heads south. When it runs into a field, continue ahead on a waymarked path cutting across pastures. Make for a gap in the hedgerow and follow the path through the undergrowth, across two stiles and down into the next field.

2 Keep woodland over to the left and aim for the far left corner of the field and a stile leading out to the road. Cross over and go up the bank, turning left at the top. Follow the path through the trees to a stile leading into a large field. Cross it diagonally, making for a gate by a farm. Exit to the road and turn right to visit Rousham House or left to continue the walk.

3 As you leave Rousham, walk along to the church located in a peaceful setting a short distance from the main house. Enter the churchyard and at once there is a poignant reminder of the sheer futility of the First World War. On the right are the graves of two young men killed in battle, members of the Cottrell-Dormer family of Rousham House. Follow the road down to the traffic-lights and turn right just beyond them. Cross the River Cherwell and look to your right for a splendid view of Rousham House framed by trees. Pass the entrance to Heyford railway station and follow the road over the railway and the parallel Oxford Canal. Turn left immediately beyond it, by Canal Cottage, and follow the path back over the canal to join the tow path. Look for the tower of Lower Heyford church and keep ahead to a swing bridge, which allows access to the village.

4 Continue on the tow path, pass Allen's Lock and make for bridge No 203. Turn left for a few paces, then veer right in the field to a bridge over the river. Keep the water on your right and look for a railway embankment ahead. Pass under the railway bridge and cross the field to a footbridge and stile set against a curtain of trees. Go up the bank and the field slope towards trees in the top boundary. Cut through them into the next field, keeping right here. The Rousham Eyecatcher is a useful directional landmark at this point.

5 Follow the boundary down and round to a gate. Join a track and turn right. Head up to the edge of Steeple Aston, turn right at the junction and return to the car park.