London to Oxford By Bike

Tour Type:

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Activity:

Leisure Cycling | Leisure Cycling

Activity Level & Terrain

This tour is graded easy to moderate, with distances ranging from 37km to 62km. It's perfect for occasional riders seeking to discover a region of England famous for its iconic cities and sites, and beautiful countryside. The terrain is relatively flat, though it becomes hillier once you approach Wallingford in the Chiltern Hills. This picturesque section is well worth the exertion, and E-bikes are available should you decide to have battery powered assistance, allowing more time to relax at the accommodation and explore. You'll cycle along designated cycle paths and quiet country roads with the ocassional stretch on busier roads as you approach towns.

Navigation

The Thames Valley is a National Cycle Route and is relatively well-waymarked along the way. We also provide GPX tracks that are accessible on the Macs Smartphone App, so you can simply follow the route on your phone and have a problem-free day. Please note that this route is not following the Thames Path, which is solely a walking route from the source of the river in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier in London. The Thames Path is classified as ’public footpath’, where bikes aren’t allowed on some of it.

• Accommodation in comfortable hotels and Inns
• All breakfasts
• Luggage transfers
• Access to maps, GPX tracks and daily route information with the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
• 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our UK office

• Bike hire (standard or E-bike)
• Travel to London
• Travel from Oxford
• Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks
• Travel Insurance
• Personal Equipment

• Bike hire (standard or E-bike)
• Extra nights

When To Go

You can start this tour anytime between March and the end of October. The South East of England is prone to varying types of weather throughout the year. Always be prepared for changeable conditions when cycling in England. Waterproofs are essential all year round. In the summer months, be prepared for hot weather also, ensure you have sunscreen and in the shoulder seasons of March or October, expect colder temperatures.

Before you set off each day, it is also important that you pay attention to any weather warnings in place. We recommend visiting https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/  (the UK’s official source for weather warnings). Do not attempt to cycle if any serious weather warnings are in place, as weather conditions may affect surfaces.

Getting to the Start

You can easily make your way to Putney in West London from any of the London Airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted). Though we recommend Heathrow for both the start and end.

Putney is very accessible and well-linked, with both a National Rail train station (Putney) and a London Underground station (Putney Bridge). Tickets can be bought at the stations, and you can use Transport for London to plan your journey along the way. 

London Heathrow Airport

Heathrow is on the London Underground, which takes you all the way to Putney Bridge in approx. 1 hour. First, take the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow to Earl's Court station, then change to the District Line to Putney Bridge. The hotel is just a short walk away from there.

Alternatively, you can take the Heathrow Express train to London Paddington, which takes just 15-20 minutes (we recommend buying a return ticket if making your way back to Heathrow from Oxford). Then from Paddington take the District Line on the London Underground to Putney Bridge, which takes approx. 20 minutes. 

London Gatwick Airport

It's a simple train journey from Gatwick to central London. Take the National Rail train from Gatwick Airport to Clapham Junction, then from there, take another train to Putney station (journey time approx. 45 minutes in total).

Alternatively, you can take the Gatwick Express train to London Victoria, then take the District Line on the London Underground from there to Putney Bridge station.

London Stansted Airport

Take the Stansted Express train to Tottenham Hale, then change onto the Victoria Line on the London Underground to Victoria. From there, take the District Line to Putney Bridge.

For further information and to plan your journey by train or underground, please visit either the Trainline, National Rail or TfL websites.

Getting from the End

From Oxford there are regular direct trains back to London Paddington station, which takes approximately 1 hour.

London Heathrow Airport

From London Paddington station, take the Heathrow Express train to London Heathrow Airport, taking just 15-20 minutes.

London Gatwick Airport

From London Paddington station, take the Elizabeth Line on the London Underground to Farringdon (which takes approx. 10 minutes). Then from there take the national rail train to Gatwick Airport (approx. 40 minutes).

London Stansted Airport

From London Paddington station, take the Elizabeth Line on the London Underground to Liverpool Street station (which takes approx. 10 minutes). Then from there, take the Stansted Express train.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.  

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

General Information

The distances and ascents/descents are approximations of the recommended routes.

Equipment

Bike & E-Bike Hire

Hire of a standard bike or E-Bike bike is available. We provide Gazelle Chamonix or Dawes Karakum touring bikes as standard hybrid bikes. Gazelle Chamonix T10 HMS E-Bikes (or similar) are also available. We recommend that you bring your own helmet for your own comfort. Each bike comes with a bottle cage, a lock, lights and a pannier rack (pannier bags are available for a supplement).

For some battery-powered assistance on longer days, and to ease ascents, we recommend hiring an e-bike. We can also arrange hire of high quality E-bikes. The rechargeable battery on your bike will be your reliable riding partner, getting you to the top of hills or to your final destination with more energy in the tank for an afternoon exploration. E-bikes are growing rapidly in popularity so please make sure to request one at the time of booking so we can secure availability for your trip and avoid disappointment. 

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.