AS THE holiday season draws to an end, and you still have a half day to spare and are looking for somewhere to go on your bike, there are wonderful places of interest within an easy cycle ride of Oxford, through beautiful Oxfordshire countryside.

Here are some suggestions of fine sights that are accessible on cycle paths or quiet roads within a 10-mile radius of Carfax, so approximately an hour’s cycling. We list them starting in the north and going clockwise round the compass.

You do have to devise your own route though. I did a quick internet search and most of these places don’t give advice about how to get there on bikes – something that needs to change if we want to encourage more people to access these destinations by bike.

Also, there are some nearby places that are simply not accessible by bike from Oxford – notably to the south east between the A4074 road to Henley and the B480 road to Watlington, and to the west of Oxford between the A40 and the Thames. This means that, sadly, Nuneham Courtenay arboretum, Dorchester Abbey and Stanton Harcourt are off the itinerary, but we hope one day cycling will be such a majority activity that there will be accessible off-road routes in that direction (and a bridge across the Thames at Bablock Hythe would be high up on our wish list).

So here are our suggestions:

* Rousham Gardens are at their absolute best at this time of year and open every day. Start on Sustrans Route 51 going north, and then go on to Kirtlington and Lower Heyford.

Waterperry House and Gardens. Lots to see there and the gardens are also looking glorious at present. Go over Shotover Hill (some of the route on Shotover you may need to push your bike) to Wheatley.

* Sutton Courtney. Go south along the river and on to Sustrans route 51, a route worth doing just for the ride. Visit the lovely church and churchyard where you can see the gravestones of Eric Blair (aka George Orwell), Prime Minister H.H. Asquith and David Astor.

* Abingdon town centre is worth more than a quick half day visit, with its ancient bridge, the Abbey, the Abbey Gateway and Museum. The route is the same as for Sutton Courtney.

* Kingston Bagpuize House and Gardens (limited opening times so check out the website). Go out via Appleton and cross the footbridge over the A420 at Longworth.

* Blenheim Palace is everyone’s favourite as there is so much to do there, and you can take in Bladon Church to visit Winston Churchill’s grave at the same time. Go up the canal as far as Yarnton and then along the cycle track to Woodstock along the A44.

Enjoy your cycle ride out of Oxford and if you have a favourite places to visit on your bike nearby Oxford just add it to the comments below the website version of this story at oxfordmail.co.uk