The Magic of the Rollright Stones - Walks with Stiles

After a valley walk you’ll climb to discover a prehistoric mystery on the Jurassic ridgeway. Return through the hidden hamlet of Little Rollright.

Distance

5.25 miles / 8.45 km

Duration

3 hours

Difficulty

May be steep slopes, moderate fitness

Shape

Circular

Start

Address

6 The Leys, Salford, Chipping Norton OX7 5FD, UK
View start on Google Maps

OS Grid Ref

SP290282

What3Words

brink.tolerable.victory

Travel Info

To reach the start drive past the Salford Inn pub & village hall up Cooks Lane for 300m to a junction on a grassy area with swings and benches. Please park here with consideration.

Navigation

Just past the swings, where Cooks Lane meets Rose Lane, take the track straight ahead with Rectory Farm on your left. Continue straight on with the hedge on your right; ignore signs turning off right to the Trout Lakes.

1 Where the track ends there is a gate into a field, turn right to walk for 120m with the hedge on your right. 2 Turn left to follow a worn track straight across the field to a ditch on the other side. Here wiggle L and R and carry on along the valley with the hedge on your left, crossing a stream, as far as the road. 3

Cross the road and take the marked path across the field to a gate in the corner. Once through the gate continue uphill with the hedge on your left. Look for a gate on your left with a small spinney and pond next to it. Go through the gate keeping to the left of the field and making towards a finger post. NB The path here has been re-routed. Go as directed diagonally in front of the house towards a gate at the far side of the farm buildings. 4

Take the wide track to go past the farm buildings and beyond where you reach a plantation on your left. Look out for a waymark sign pointing left along an avenue in the woodland. This is the D’Arcy Dalton Way. 5 At the far end cross a stile and you can see the Rollright Stones on your right. 6 Turn right to reach the first small group of Whispering Knights. Then take the all-weather path round the field to reach the big stone circle: the King’s Men.

Cross the road into the field where the King’s Stone stands alone. This is a good picnic stop, with wonderful views. 7

Now retrace your steps back to the Whispering Knights and the D’Arcy Dalton Way 6 where you turn right across two fields, dropping to cross the same lane as crossed previously. 8

Cross the drive at the bottom and follow the signs which takes you uphill between hedges. At the top you reach two metal gates, another good view point. Head straight on back to Salford over farmland and though a string of small woods. The first ends at a tiny stream which you cross a stile.

Now walk 120m along the next field to a wide gateway in the hedge on your R. 9 Turn R to go through this and immediate left with the hedge on your left to enter another wood. Leave this wood over a stile and go along the left edge of the field to yet another copse with in-and-out stiles. Walk across a paddock to the last stile near some trees. Once over this you go through a few trees to reach a track. Turn left and after a few metres turn R to join the lane where you started.