Rolling hills between Pishill and Greenfield
Start & Finish: Parking spot opposite The Fox and Hounds Pub, Christmas Common, Watlington, OX49 5HL
Distance: 10.9km km (6.8 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 239m
Terrain: Undulating woodland trails, chalk grassland paths, field-edge footpaths, and a short section along a country road with a grass verge.
Oxfordshire Way Section Covered: Hollandridge Farm to The Ridgeway near Watlington: 4.7 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Oxfordshire Way, The Ridgeway
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Fox and Hounds at the start and end.
Map: Chiltern Hills West Map | Henley-on-Thames & Wallingford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 171
Links: Christmas Common, Watlington Hill (National Trust)
Welcome to Part 4 of our series of short circular walks along the Oxfordshire section of the Oxfordshire Way. This is a 66 mile long-distance path connecting Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds with Henley-on-Thames. For a complete overview of the trail's history, and the end-to-end route, please read my complete Oxfordshire Way Guide.
Walking Directions
This fourth instalment of our Oxfordshire Way series explores the high ground and wooded valleys around Christmas Common, Greenfield, and Watlington Hill. Starting high up on the Chiltern escarpment opposite The Fox and Hounds in Christmas Common, this circular route takes you down through quiet beech woodland and across rolling agricultural land before looping around the base of the hills. The contrast between the enclosed, peaceful woodland tracks of the Oxfordshire Way and the open vistas from the western slopes of Watlington Hill makes this a varied and rewarding hike.
What makes this particular section so engaging is the convergence of three major long-distance trails: the Oxfordshire Way, the Chiltern Way, and the ancient Ridgeway National Trail. Along the way, you pass through National Trust parkland and areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, where red kites are frequently seen circling overhead. Whether you are navigating the leafy paths near Hollandridge Farm or climbing the steep chalk scarp back up to Christmas Common at the end of the loop, the route showcases some of the finest scenery in the Oxfordshire Chilterns.
The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.
From the parking spot opposite the Fox and Hounds, walk south for 100m along Nettlebed Henley Road then take the Oxfordshire Way footpath to the left.
Continue along the Oxfordshire way in a south-easterly direction for another 2km to meet the Chiltern Way. At this junction take a right turn, still following the Oxfordshire Way plus the Chiltern Way in a south-westerly direction.
After 600m leave the Oxfordshire Way but continue along the Chiltern Way through the woods. After another 1km leave the Chiltern Way and follow a path heading in a westerly then north-westerly direction to Greenfield.
When you reach Greenfield you’ll meet the Nettlebed Henley Road again. Cross over the road and through an old wooden gate in a stone wall. This will take you into wooded National Trust land. Continue along the footpath for 1.6 km in a north-westerly direction to Howe Road.
Follow Howe Road in in a north-westerly direction for 500m. Be careful here as there’s no pavement but there is a wide enough grass verge to keep to.
Leave Howe Road by taking a right turn onto a private road at Five Acres.
After 100m take the footpath on the left towards Watlington Hill. At the path junction after 200m, take the path on the left to cross fields on the western side of Watlington Hill.
Continue until the meet The Ridgeway and take a right onto it. Follow The Ridgeway for 1km until you meet the Oxfordshire Way at Station Road.
Follow the Oxfordshire Way steeply uphill to return to the start at Christmas Common.
Points of Interest along or near to the Route
Christmas Common: Situated at roughly 247 m (812 feet) above sea level on the brow of the Chiltern escarpment, this small hamlet is a prominent local landmark due to its pair of tall radio masts. It is also home to the former Chapel of the Nativity, which was built in 1889 by architect Walter Cave as a chapel of ease so residents would not have to walk 3 km downhill to the parish church in Watlington, before being converted into a private house in the 20th century.
The Fox and Hounds: Located right at the start and finish of the route in Christmas Common, this dog-friendly country pub is controlled by W. H. Brakspear & Sons. Note that sources conflict on the exact age of the building: local walking guides describe it as a historic 500-year-old pub, whilst architectural records note traditional stone and flint construction typical of the local Chiltern vernacular.
Watlington Park: As you cross the road at Greenfield and pass through the wooden gate in the stone wall, the route enters woodland associated with the historic Watlington Park estate. Parts of the wider estate were donated to or acquired by the National Trust during the 20th century, while the adjoining Watlington Hill is now managed by the National Trust.
Watlington and Pyrton Hills SSSI: Much of the steep scarp slope between Christmas Common and Watlington forms part of the 112.7-hectare Watlington and Pyrton Hills SSSI, noted for its species-rich chalk grassland, scrub, and ancient yew and broadleaved woodland. Watlington Hill, a prominent section of the site, is managed by the National Trust and is an excellent place to watch red kites, which were reintroduced to the Chilterns in 1989.
Watlington White Mark: Located on the steep chalk slope of Watlington Hill just above the route is an unusual obelisk-shaped chalk hill figure measuring 270 feet (82 m) in length and 36 feet (11 m) in width. It was cut in 1764 by local squire Edward Horne of Pyrton Manor: local folklore states that Horne created the spire-shaped mark so that the view from his manor house would create the optical illusion that Watlington's church possessed a spire.
The Ridgeway National Trail: The lower north-western stretch of the walk follows a 1 km section of The Ridgeway, an 87-mile (140 km) National Trail running from Overton Hill in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. Often described as Britain's oldest road, the ancient trackway along the foot of the Chilterns escarpment has been used by travellers, herdsmen, and traders for thousands of years.
Oxfordshire Way next section (north): Watlington and The Ridgeway
Oxfordshire Way previous section (south): Russell's Water, Pishill and Maidensgrove