• About the routes • List of routes • Map
The circular cycle routes on the list and map below are in the Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire Cotswolds and nearby Thames Valley. Each link or map marker takes you to a page with a printable route map and downloadable .gpx file for your GPS or phone app to aid navigation, as well as photos and details of the route and highlights along the way.
The Cotswolds, an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in the west of England, are ideal for cycling. The beautiful rolling landscape on these Cotswold circular cycle rides is neither flat nor too hilly. The ups and downs are easily manageable and reward you with stunning pastoral views across the valleys. Traditional towns and villages with houses of honey-coloured stone abound. Some are crowded with tourists, but the ones on these routes are mostly quiet and unspoiled.
The routes are mostly a mixture of on- and off-road, away from crowds and traffic. Hybrid bikes are therefore recommended.
List of Routes
West Oxfordshire
near Charlbury, Burford, Stow-on-the Wold
- Charlbury, Villages and the Evenlode Valley
- Charlbury-Stonesfield off-road loop
- Burford-Asthall– Swinbrook
- Burford – The Barringtons – Windrush – Sherborne
- East of Stow-on-the-Wold (Oddington – Daylsford – Chastleton – Evenlode – Adlestrop )
- Filkins and Eastleach Area
Gloucestershire
near Cheltenham
- Sheepscombe-Brimpsfield loop, Gloucestershire
- Northleach-Hazleton circular route
- Winchcombe and villages
The Thames Valley and Oxford
Not really in The Cotswolds, although most of Oxford’s famous colleges were built from honey-coloured Cotswold stone. This area is flatter than the Cotswolds proper, which makes for easier cycling.
- The Thames Path and the ‘Golden Ridge’ loop (with wild swimming too if you like)
- Between Witney and The Thames circular ride: countryside and villages
- Oxford – Boars Hill loop: from the city to countryside; great views, back beside the river
- Oxford city sights: full-day bike rental that includes a 2-hour city bicycle tour with a knowledgeable guide. Good value.
All the routes on a map
Map created using Map Channels , free mapping tools for your website
More routes and cycling tours
- Off-road rides in the AONB from cotswoldsaonb.org.uk
- Cycling routes in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds on oxfordshirecotswolds.org
- More Cotswold cycle rides from cotswolds.com
- Cotswold E-bike day tour with guide
- Multi-day self-guided cycling tour through some of the most picturesque villages and scenery in the Cotswolds. Five nights accommodation and luggage transfers are included.