Lechlade River Circular Walk

5 miles (7.5 km)

This lovely circular walk takes you along the River Thames and through the countryside surrounding this pretty town in Gloucestershire. You'll visit the nearby villages of Inglesham and Buscot and enjoy nice views of the surrounding Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire countryside.
The riverside town is a very attractive tourist destination and popular with boaters and walkers. Boats of different types can be hired from here, from rowing boats to river cruisers.
The town also includes St Lawrence's parish church. Here you will find a path through the churchyard named Shelley's Walk, after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley�who composed�'A Summer Evening Churchyard' here.
The walk starts in the town centre and picks up the Thames Path to take you along the river to the little village of Inglesham. Here you will find the Grade I listed parish church of St. John the Baptist�which dates from the 13th century. Around here the route leaves the river and follows a country lane east towards Buscot Wick and Buscot. This pretty Oxfordshire village includes a village hall, tea shop�and many National Trust owned properties. There is also a church dating from 1200 which includes lovely stained glass windows and a bell cast at�Bristol�in about 1399. In the summer months you can visit Buscot Park where you will find delightful grounds and gardens surrounding a fine 18th-century mansion.
At Buscot Lock you pick up the riverside path, heading west back into Lechlade. This section passes St John's Bridge and St John's Lock, where there is a 19th century statue of Old Father Thames outside the lock house. There's also nice views of the River Leach in this area.
To extend your walking in the area you can head west from the town and visit the Fairford/Lechlade section of the Cotswold Water Park. Here you can enjoy nice footpaths along a series of lakes.
If you follow the Thames Path south west you can visit Cricklade.
The town of Faringdon is also located nearby. Here you can enjoy a climb to Faringdon Folly for great views over the area.
The Cotswold Canals long distance trail also starts from the town.