A few weekends ago we headed to Shotover Country Park, which has been on my list of places to go for ages. It’s just on the outskirts of Oxford, so not far from us, but it could be a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Shotover is accessed via a windy road, one we’d never driven along before and it leads to one of the best walks we’ve been on in a while.

There’s a huge car park at the end of the road and a number of entrances you can go in, depending on where you park. I’m pretty sure we went in through the main one, which has amazing views of Oxford and the surrounding area. There’s a big notice board on the right hand side, which has maps – pick one up if this is your first visit. They’re essential. I’ve kept mine in our walk bag so it’s ready for next time. We headed out on the yellow walk, but we’ll definitely go back to sample the other two as well.

Poppy was besotted with Shotover. There were lots and lots of smells that had her nose to the ground for the whole walk. We did encounter a few horses, but Poppy is becoming more and more confident around them, which is great news. Shotover is a great place for a dog walk, what ever the weather!

The Walk: There are three different walks you can do, depending on how long you’ve got. You can find out more here. We did the yellow one it was fairly easy, though it would definitely need wellies if it’s been raining. Dogs are meant to be kept on a lead, though we encountered a number that weren’t. Grrrrr! Also, if your dog is horse sensitive, like Poppy, be aware that the Bridleway runs through the park.
Cost: Completely free!
Car Park: There’s quite a large car park for Shotover, but it does get very busy. We arrived early on a Sunday morning and it was fairly quiet. By the time we’d finished, it was fairly busy.
Refreshments: Nope, but there are a some lovely places to stop and enjoy a cup of tea from your Thermos!
Toilets: None.