Oxford · Linear (one way)

Thames Path: Godstow to Folly Bridge

The Thames Path past Port Meadow and into central Oxford.

Official trail page (opens in new tab)National Trails: Thames Path

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Near the start, along the way and at the finish

Godstow Lock, Jericho, the Castle and Port Meadow
Near the start: Godstow Lock (under 1 km away)Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0
Folly Bridge, Christ Church, St Aldate's and Folly Bridge
Near the finish: Folly Bridge (under 1 km away)Photo: Andrew Gray, CC BY-SA 3.0
Port Meadow, Jericho, the Castle and Port Meadow
Port Meadow (under 1 km from the start)Photo: AstacopsisGouldi, CC BY-SA 4.0
St Margaret's Church, Binsey, Jericho, the Castle and Port Meadow
St Margaret's Church, Binsey (under 1 km from the start)Photo: Steve Roberts, CC BY 3.0

Photos of named places from our guides closest to each point of the walk, with the straight-line distance. They show the area, not the path itself: follow the waymarks and the official page.

The route

A one-way stretch of the Thames Path National Trail from Godstow Lock, beside Port Meadow, south to Folly Bridge in the city. The council's own Port Meadow walks use the same towpath. Buses and trains make the return straightforward, or you can walk it back.

The interactive map needs JavaScript. The start and finish are listed below.

Along the way

  1. Start: Godstow Lock
  2. Finish: Folly Bridge

The line is drawn from OpenStreetMap data and simplified to 219 points. It can differ from what is on the ground: waymarks and the official page take priority.

Route and map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), saved 2026-10-25. Spotted a mistake? Fix the map.

Download GPX Official trail page (opens in new tab)

The GPX file holds the route as a track and the start, finish and waypoints, for use in a walking or hiking app. It is a planning aid, not a navigation guarantee.

Before you go

Safety and access notes come from official pages. Conditions change, so read the linked page for the day you walk.

Getting there

  • Nearest station or stop to the start in our dataOxford (rail, Great Western Railway), about 2.7 km in a straight line.
  • Nearest to the finishGloucester Green Bus Station (bus), about 0.9 km in a straight line.

Straight-line distances from our station list, not walking distances. Check timetables and the route to the start before you travel. Getting between regions

Step-free and pushchair access

The official page does not say whether this route is step-free or suitable for pushchairs, so we do not either. Check the official page (opens in new tab) or ask the site.

Safety

How these figures were worked out

  • Distance: route length measured from OpenStreetMap geometry. The official page gives no distance. It is a straight-segment sum along mapped paths, so it can differ from a waymarked figure.
  • Grade: our rule, because the official page gives no grade. Easy: up to 8 km and up to 150 m of ascent. Hard: over 16 km or over 600 m of ascent. Moderate: everything else. No ascent figure is available for this walk, so the rule used distance only and the real grade may be higher.
  • Time: only shown when an official page states it.

Sources

  1. National Trails: Thames Path (opens in new tab). the national trail; waymarked, carry a guidebook or map. Checked on 2026-10-25.
  2. National Trails: Thames Path route (opens in new tab). Newbridge to Oxford and Oxford to Abingdon sections (no figure for this stretch). Checked on 2026-10-25.
  3. Oxford City Council: walking route suggestions (opens in new tab). Port Meadow and Thames towpath walks, low railway bridge warning. Checked on 2026-10-25.
  4. Canal & River Trust: circular walk in Oxford (opens in new tab). flood warnings and mud advice. Checked on 2026-10-25.
  5. Wikidata: Thames Path (Q1324561) (opens in new tab). P402 superroute 20469, containing route relation 14519665 used for the line. Checked on 2026-10-25.
  6. OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab) (ODbL). Route geometry. Saved 2026-10-25.

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