MY nine-year-old son and I decided to cycle from Banbury to Oxford along National Cycle Route 5 (NCR5).

It was our intention to reach Oxford in about three hours, but it was such a nice day it took us a little longer. The real problem is the way NCR5 goes. You leave Banbury heading south, then a couple of miles later you are heading west towards Bloxham, for a couple of miles.

After that you head back south as far as Middle Barton, then sort of south-west, towards Kiddington, then south for about three-quarters-of-a-mile before turning back north for a couple of hundred yards, then east for about two miles. At this point you join a public bridleway (Dornford Lane), which heads back in a south, south-west direction towards Woodstock.

After Woodstock you join the cycle path alongside the A44 towards Yarnton, at which point the route makes its way along the Oxford Canal at Kingsbridge. Now, if you are the sort of person that likes racing bikes, forget this bit of the route and continue along towards Pear Tree and into Oxford. If your bike has fatter tyres than a racing bike, the Oxford Canal is the route to follow but beware this path is by no means smooth, although it’s been made a little wider than it used to be.

It’s not until you hit the area where “Radiators” used to be that the towpath gets tarmac, tarmac that has been laid more like the rumble strips you get on roads for about half-a-mile. After this it does smooth out near Walton Manor, until you get to Hythe Bridge Street and then the roads of Oxford city centre. If the powers-to-be would like us to dust off our old bikes and use them on cycle routes like this one, make the routes more direct –not here, there and everywhere – and make sure bits like the Oxford Canal towpath are in good condition.

 

DAVID SPEKE

Winchester Close

Grimsbury

Banbury