National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 5 spans roughly 370 miles from Holyhead on Anglesey down to Reading. It takes in a long, varied stretch of the country, picking up the North Wales coast, weaving through Chester, Birmingham, and Oxford, and uses a mix of canal towpaths and river valleys.

The Banbury to Reading segment is highly practical for a point-to-point ride. Heading south from Banbury, it uses the Salt Way and the Oxford Canal towpath. South of Oxford, it crosses the River Thames and climbs over the Chiltern ridge before dropping into Reading.

I cycled this section of NCN 5 on my own years ago, but it was before the installation of the Millennium Mileposts. Since I’ve recently become obsessive about 'bagging' all the Mileposts in the South East, I had to go back and ride it properly.

Day 1: Banbury to Oxford

Start: Banbury Station, Station Road, Banbury OX16 5AB, United Kingdom
Finish: Oxford Station, Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HS
Distance: 54 km (33.5 miles)
Elevation change: +396 / -428m (-32m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Jurassic Way, Oxford Canal Walk, Cross Cotswold Pathway, Salt Way, Oxfordshire Way, The Roman Way, Shakespeare’s Way,
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 5, National Byway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several. We stopped in Woodstock (39 km in) for lunch at The King's Arms
Millennium Mileposts: 684, 686, 706, 818, 819
Maps:
- Banbury, Bicester & Chipping Norton Map | Brackley | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 191
- Oxford Map | Witney & Woodstock | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 180
Links: Banbury, Bodicote, Bloxham, Barford St Michael, Woodstock, Yarnton, Oxford

Back in January, my friend Brian and I tackled the Oxford to Reading leg. Although it slightly disturbed me that we were doing the 2 part route out of order, we did Part 2 first as it was closer to home and we had to work around the shorter daylight. We waited for the weather to improve before attempting the northern Banbury to Oxford. By April it was finally warm and dry enough to finish the job.

The logistics of the Banbury to Reading corridor are straightforward thanks to a direct rail link. We parked near Oxford station and caught the train up to Banbury: a 17-minute journey. Factoring in a 45-minute wait at Oxford, we’d already consumed enough coffee and cake, allowing us to bypass the Banbury town centre cafes entirely.

Banbury isn’t directly on the National Cycle Route so the first few kilometres were through the town centre and quiet roads and paths to the western part of town.

At 4 km, we hit the NCN5. We spotted the first Millennium Milepost of the day right away. Getting to it, however, meant hauling the bikes up a steep, unexpected set of wooden steps from the cycle path onto the main road.

Across the road, we joined the Salt Way. This is a straight, off-road track. The Salt Way Activity Group notes this was an ancient route used for transporting salt.

By the 11 km mark, we found our second Millennium Milepost in the small town of Bloxham. Just outside of town, we passed a yellow rapeseed field with a small windmill in the middle: the banner photo for this post. The route continued south through the "Barfords" (Barford St. John and Barford St. Michael), leading us to Nether Worton at 18 km, where we bagged milepost number three.

Reaching Middle Barton at 23 km, the "second breakfast" cravings had set in. However, we ran into a recurring logistical failure for Brian and me: we start so early that we consistently beat the opening hours of rural pubs and cafes.

The fourth milepost appeared just outside Glympton around the 35 km mark. Shortly after, there is a great section running through a forest parallel to a river. It is easily one of the best parts of the route.

We rolled into Woodstock at 40 km at exactly 1:00 pm. We paused the ride here, finding a pub in the town centre for fish and chips. Pointing the bikes south-east toward Oxford post-lunch, we located the final Millennium Milepost (number five) at 48 km where the route joins the Oxford Canal at the north end of the city. Following the canal path through the residential streets of North Oxford, we arrived back at the train station and the car by 3:30 pm.

It was an efficient and hugely enjoyable day out and much warmer than the January attempt.

Day 2: Oxford to Reading

Start: Oxford Station, Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HS
Finish: Reading Station, Bagnall Way, Reading, RG1 8BT
Distance: 68 km (42 miles)
Elevation change: + 455 / -476m. Net +21 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path, Oxford Green Belt Way, The Vale Way, The Roman Way, The Ridgeway, Chiltern Way Southern Extension, St Frideswide's Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 4, 5, 544, Icknield Way Trail
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many on the route. We stopped for a coffee at Abingdon at 15 km in
Millennium Mileposts: 231, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 230, 229, 222, 58, 141, 140
Maps:
- Oxford Map | Witney & Woodstock | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 180
- Vale of White Horse Map | Abingdon-on-Thames, Wantage, Wallingford & Faringdon | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 170
- Chiltern Hills West Map | Henley-on-Thames & Wallingford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 171
Links: Oxford, Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford, Stoke Row, Caversham, Reading

On the 2nd of January, Brian and I set off to tackle the southern section. Our original plan was to cycle from Reading to Oxford and return by train. However, during the drive, Brian actually checked the forecast and discovered we would be cycling directly into a headwind the entire way. We aborted the original plan, drove to Oxford, parked near the station, and cycled south instead.

Conditions were terrible. It had rained overnight, and the ground was covered in snow and ice. For the first 10 km, we spent an hour cycling cautiously to avoid slipping. By the time we reached Abingdon, we were moving significantly slower than my standard parkrun pace. We stopped at a coffee shop to warm up, establishing a contingency plan to abandon the ride at Didcot and take the train back if the ice persisted.

Leaving the cafe, the weather broke. The sun melted the ice, and our pace drastically improved. Around the 20 km mark, we passed Didcot, bagging several Millennium Mileposts along the way. Ten kilometres later, we passed Wallingford, crossed the River Thames, and entered the Chilterns. Riding from Wallingford across the Ridgeway and into the Chiltern Hills under clear skies made up for the freezing start.

The final major leg at 55 km required a climb up and over the Chiltern ridge, followed by a fast descent into Caversham from Stoke Row. Finally, at 60 km, we bagged one final Millennium Milepost in Caversham, crossed the river, and finished the ride at Reading station.

Technically, NCN 5 continues east along the Thames for another 1.5 km to the confluence with the River Kennet. Having cycled that section previously and already bagged its two mileposts, we opted to skip it to ensure we got back to Oxford in daylight.

The Full 2-Day Route

A map showing the 2 day cycle trip along the NCN 5 from Banbury to Oxford — Day 1 in red, day 2 in blue

The Millennium Mileposts

Dotting the UK's National Cycle Network are over 1,000 unique markers known as the Millennium Mileposts. Unveiled in 2000, these cast-iron sculptures are more than just waymarkers. Designed by four artists, one from each nation of the UK, they celebrate the diversity of the cycling routes. These artistic mileposts come in various shapes and can be found in both bustling towns and scenic landscapes, adding a touch of artistic charm to a cycling adventure.