THOSE looking for inspiration for how to take advantage of the South Oxfordshire countryside this summer can now turn to a new handy guide.

Weekend Walks South of Oxford has been produced by John Prior, who created the book after a lifetime of family walks in the area, most recently with his grandchildren.

The 48-page colour paperback contains 12 short circular walks in South Oxfordshire, within the triangle Oxford, Wantage and Henley.

None are more than two miles long and all include places of interest, such as a café, village shop or pub, as well as a children’s playground.

Oxford Mail:

Mr Prior lives just over the border in Pangbourne, Berkshire, where he and his wife Anne have lived for 40 years.

There they brought up three daughters and it was they who originally inspired the book.

He said: “At weekends we were keen to explore the local area, but knew any walk had to be child-friendly - not too long and preferably including a playground and an ice cream.

“One daughter now lives in Didcot and we have three grandchildren there, so many of our favourite walks have been used again and we’ve found some new ones.”

The 12 walks are based on Abingdon, Dorchester, East Hagbourne, East Hendred, Ewelme, Henley, South Stoke, Stadhampton, Stoke Row, The Hanneys, Wallingford and Watlington. Each walk description includes photos, facts and figures about the places passed.

Mr Prior said: “As before, they are family favourites – tried and tested by ages ranging from six to 66, so they suit everyone, from young families looking for ideas for an outing to older age groups wanting an interesting stroll not too far from home.”

He added from conception to creation, the book has been a true family affair, with his son-in-law, who works for Reading printers Press to Print Ltd, designing and printing the books.

Mr Prior’s first book was Weekend Walks West of Reading, which included the area around Didcot, published in 2014.

It proved so popular they set about publishing this second collection of walks.

The book is available from Blackwells and W H Smiths in Oxford, as well as bookshops in Abingdon, Didcot, Wantage, Wallingford and Reading. It is also available on the Amazon website for £3.50.