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Find out what a pretty village has in common with Oxford's colleges.
Distance 3.5 miles (5.7km)
Minimum time 1hr 30min
Ascent/gradient 164ft (50m)
Level of difficulty Easy
Paths Riverside path, tracks and roads (can be busy)
Landscape Undulating country bisected by River Evenlode
Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer 180 Oxford
Start/finish SP 393171
Dog friendliness On lead in Stonesfield and along road on return leg
Parking Spaces in village centre
Public toilets None on route
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1 With the church over to the right, leave Stonesfield by heading south. Pass rows of houses and, when the road turns sharp right at Churchfields, go straight on into Brook Lane. Follow the unmade road, pass a turning to the Rectory on the right and lines of bungalows on the left and continue down towards the River Evenlode. Ahead of you are glimpses of a rolling, well-wooded landscape in the valley below. Descend a series of steps, following the sunken path to the riverbank.
2 Cross the river via the footbridge and keep heading south, following the bridleway across the fields. The Evenlode can be seen over to the right, snaking through the countryside. Pass through a gate and then turn immediately right to follow a waymarked path alongside the river. The walk cuts through margins of vegetation and undergrowth before the outline of a railway bridge looms into view ahead. Pass under the bridge and follow the path as it runs close to the water's edge. In places, the boughs of the trees reach down to touch the surface of the Evenlode. Beech trees line the bank along here, and soon the river sweeps away to the right.
3 On reaching the road, walk along to the junction and turn right for Stonesfield. Cross the Evenlode and pass some roadside dwellings. Pass over the railway line, then turn immediately left for Fawler and Charlbury. Follow this road for about ½ mile (800m). Further on, a curtain of woodland can be seen in the distance, draped spectacularly across the valley - one of many scenic highlights on this walk.
4 Turn right by a cottage and head up the track towards the stone outbuildings of Oaklands Farm. Keep right at the buildings, following the track round the east side of the farm. Head north on the track, across open country, with views of Stonesfield in the distance. The track bends right before passing a copper beech tree. Soon you reach the road.
5 Turn left and then right by some stone barns and industrial units. Continue along the lane into Stonesfield, keeping right at the next junction. Head up to the next junction and turn right by a plaque commemorating 60 glorious years of Queen Victoria. Pass Peaks Lane and continue between stone houses and cottages. Curve left beyond the Methodist church and walk along High Street. Soon you reach the church where the walk began.
Stonesfield is a hilly village closely associated with the tradition of slate mining. The stone is a type of Jurassic limestone known as 'pendle'. It's a little-known fact outside Oxfordshire, but many of the stone roofing slates used in this part of the county come from Stonesfield, as do the slates of many Oxford colleges. The slate was reputedly the best, lightest and least porous of roofing materials, with the local stone pits and slate quarries dating mainly from the 16th century.
The village is known for a charming winter-time tradition dating back to when slate mining was the main industry in the area. When a sharp frost was expected, the church bells would toll, often in the middle of the night, reminding the residents of Stonesfield of the need to ensure that the stone was immediately uncovered and exposed to the elements. This was not part of some bizzare rural custom. There was method in their madness.
When the villagers rose from their beds in the morning, they would discover that the freezing temperature had split the stone neatly into layers which could then be sculpted into slates. The Romans, who constructed several villas near Stonesfield during their occupation, probably quarried stone in the district. The village has expanded hugely over the years but the centre of Stonesfield, in the vicinity of the church, still has a great deal of charm and character, retaining an evocative hint of the past.
The last pit at Stonesfield closed before the First World War, and the last slate miner died in the 1940s. Today, the inhabitants of the village earn their living in other ways, many of them working in nearby Oxford. Demand for replacement slates is now met using materials from demolished buildings.
Parts of this walk in the Evenlode Valley are a sheer delight, especially where the route crosses the Evenlode, described by Hilaire Belloc - an energetic walker, writer and politician, who attended Balliol College, Oxford - as 'a lovely river, all alone ? forgotten in the western wolds.'
The Black Head at Stonesfield offers meals and snacks, including sandwiches, beefburgers and steak-and-kidney pudding. A popular beer garden adds to the attractions. The nearby towns of Charlbury, Chipping Norton, Witney and Woodstock offer a wide range of inns and tea rooms.
Visit the fully excavated North Leigh Roman Villa, a short drive to the south of Stonesfield. The site is close to the Evenlode and is a fine example of a Roman villa with a good mosaic pavement. The Roman road known as Akeman Street crosses the river here.
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