Visitor's Page
Given that it is easy to forget the tourist attractions on your own doorstep, this page could be equally useful to visitors and residents of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. Here you can find suggestions for expeditions – long and short – as well as Practical information on where to stay and how to get about.
If you are in Brightwell in the summer, you should not have far to look for some action. The village fete is usually held on a Saturday in early July, and this is high season for all kinds of fetes and festivals. Gardens in neighbouring villages may be open under the ‘Yellow Book’ scheme (a postcode search of www.ngs.org.uk will reveal which ones). You could cycle or take a walk. The Thames Path and the Ridgeway both pass nearby, and there are many more modest ambles – including wheelchair-accessible ones – within easy reach.
Children may enjoy the Island Farm Donkey sanctuary www.donkeyrescue.co.uk, or may prefer to fly a kite or watch model aeroplane acrobatics at the top of Wittenham Clumps www.northmoortrust.co.uk. In spring, they also have lambing weekends.
You could take lunch at the Red Lion, www.redlion.biz, followed by a walk down Mackney Lane to the recreation ground. Here there are swings and a slide, and the possibility of a football or cricket match to watch.
There is also a smaller playpark at King’s Orchard, with a secure fenced area for younger children.
For wet-weather or winter outings, look for notices on telegraph poles advertising jumble and car boot sales, visit the ancient St Agatha’s Church, check out a museum, or visit a country house. The National Trust www.nationaltrust.org.uk has eight properties in Oxfordshire. However, as Brightwell was historically in Berkshire, many of the nearest ones are just over the county border. Basildon Park is an 18th century Palladian mansion built by a family who made their money in India. It offers children’s trails, and will even lend you baby slings and infant seats to help you get around. Nearby Beale Park www.bealepark.co.uk, open seven days a week from March 1st to October 31st, has exotic wildlife in a Thameside setting.
Wallingford, founded by King Alfred in the early 10th century, was once much larger than Oxford and had an important strategic position on the River Thames. You can still see its earthwork defences and the remains of the town walls that were built to keep the Vikings out. 
The town’s official website www.wallingford-oxon.net details three historic walks: along the town walls, through the castle grounds and by the river. There is a Tourist Information Centre in the Market Place, and if you visit on a Friday, you will also find a street market there. A traditional W.I. Country Market is also held on Fridays in the Regal Centre and there is a farmer’s market on the third Tuesday and fifth Saturday in the month.
If you are visiting the area because you have an interest in family history, the village has two graveyards. The largest one is at St Agatha’s Church, with a modern cemetery in a field next to the church, and there is a smaller one at St James’s Church in Sotwell. Dr Edward Bach, who founded the Bach Remedies is buried here, as is the painter George Warner Allen. The parish registers are available online, and there is an active Family History page on this website. Highlands Farm Shop, run by Rosemary and David Greasby (Tel. 01491 836943) sells local history booklets and cards along with eggs and pesticide-free potatoes.
Where to Stay
Wallingford Tourist Information offers a comprehensive list of places to stay in the area. Online accommodation booking and South Oxfordshire tourist information is also available from www.visitsouthoxfordshire.co.uk.
Bed and Breakfast
| Little Gables Four star rated Bed and Breakfast on Crowmarsh Hill. Singles from £45, doubles from £60, triple or family room from £75. Children welcome, disabled access, vegetarian/special diets catered for, TV, fridge and wireless network in all rooms |
Contact Jill Reeves, 166 Crowmarsh Hill, Wallingford, OX10 8BG 01491 837834 | web page |
| Nunsacre Bed and Breakfast |
Bob and Dee Howarth 01491 836746 | |
| Old Dairy House Bed and Breakfast |
Linda and Barry Eastlake 01491 824229 | |
| Stapleton's Chantry Exceptionally Comfortable Bed and Breakfast conveniently closeby in North Moreton - Stapleton's Chantry offers flexible and friendly accommodation in lovely surroundings. |
Maggie Parker 01235 818900 Mob 07876 654388 | web page |
How to Get About
Train : First Great Western Trains provide a fast link to Oxford, Reading or London from Didcot, while Cholsey has local stopping services. National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950. www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk
Bus : The 130 Wallingford-Didcot service passes through Brightwell approximately hourly on weekdays and Saturdays. There is also a 131 Friday market day service to Wallingford. Thames Travel 01491 837988. www.thames-travel.co.uk
Taxi: Bananacabs is a Brightwell-based taxi service with saloons and 6-passenger vehicles, offering fixed fares to local and airport destinations. 01491 833377. E-mail info@bananacabs.com
Cycling
If you have wheels and muscle power, it is possible to cycle from Brightwell to Oxford and back again on paths that avoid roads as much as possible. In fact, the first/last leg of the route, between Kennington and Oxford, takes you along the river via Iffley Lock and is entirely traffic free. Nearer Brightwell, it is possible to connect up with a dedicated path away from cars that takes you past Didcot Railway Centre and along to the Pendon Museum in Long Wittenham.
Sustrans, the national transport charity, reckons that 75% of people in the UK live within two miles of a National Cycle Network route and Brightwell is no exception. The village is on the Oxford-Abingdon-Didcot route, which is clearly signposted with blue cycle signs.
For a route map, go to www.sustrans.org.uk
Walking
- Local Paths
Brightwell is criss-crossed by an excellent network of footpaths, some with hard surfaces suitable for pushchairs. There are flat walks across fields to Cholsey, Wallingford and South Moreton. Paths and bridleways also cross the main Didcot to Wallingford road, going up to Wittenham Clumps and down to Little Wittenham and the River Thames. There are well-marked nature trails through Wittenham Woods and around the Clumps, which is managed by the Northmoor Trust www.northmoortrust.co.uk
- Long Distance Footpaths
The Thames Path follows the River Thames from its source in the Cotswolds for 184 miles to London, ending at the Thames Barrier in Greenwich. The section from Culham to Goring is easily accessible from Brightwell, and can be done in day visits. As the railway runs parallel with much of the route, walkers can use the train to get back to their starting point.
Transport, access, accommodation suggestions and path details from www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ThamesPath
The Ridgeway is an exhilarating ridge walk, starting on open downland near Avebury stone circle in Wiltshire and ending in gentler wooded slopes in the Chilterns, www.chilternsaonb.org, an area of Oustanding Natural Beauty. The easiest joining point from Brightwell is at Streatley, south of Wallingford, and accessible by train from Cholsey.
Transport, access, accommodation suggestions and path details from www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway Route maps for circular walks, horse-riding or cycling can also be downloaded from this site.
- Circular Walks
The Oxfordshire County Council Countryside service provides descriptions for eight circular walks in Oxfordshire, starting at various points throughout the county. Downloadable leaflets are available at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/countryside or can be ordered for £2.50 a pack from the Countryside Service, Oxfordshire County Council, Holton, OX33 1QQ, telephone 01865 810226. - Accessibility
Information about scenic paths for those with mobility problems is available at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/countryside. Here you can download leaflets describing a dozen easy-access routes. You could take a half-mile meander through wildlife-rich river meadows at Cuttle Brook, Thame, follow the peaceful Abbey Stream in Abbey Meadows, Abingdon, or take a rural path and end up with tea and plants at Waterperry Gardens.A free pack of 11 walks in the Chilterns countryside suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility scooters is available from www.chilternsaonb.org. Each walk leaflet contains detailed information on gradients, path surfaces and any obstructions.
- Didcot Health walks
The aim of these walks, which are suitable for all ages and abilities, is to improve general fitness and wellbeing. They can provide good cardiovascular exercise, improve muscle and bone strength, lower blood pressure, help with weight loss, reduce stress and make you feel good.The walks on offer include beautiful parts of 'Old Didcot' as well as the newer areas.
- Walks Programme
Tuesday, 10 am. Meet at Willowbrook Leisure Centre car park, Didcot Approx 1½ - 2 milesThursday, 10 am. Meet at Green Close, Didcot, outside Berkshire Court. Approx 1½ - 2 miles.
Both walks are graded as First Steps - an easy flat walk suitable for all abilities. For more details, contact Health walk Co-ordinator Anne Lister 01491 823135 e-mail Anne.Lister@southoxon.gov.uk
- Links
www.whi.org.uk The website for Walking the Way to Health, which aims to encourage people, particularly those who take little exercise, to take regular short walks within their communities.
Museums
Leaving aside the treasures to be found in Oxford, that Mecca of museums, there are many intriguing collections to be found near Brightwell. Steam train nostalgia is on offer all the year round at Didcot Railway Centre, www.didcotrailwaycentre.org while Long Wittenham’s Pendon Museum, open weekend afternoons and bank holidays, has an indoor model village and railway, created entirely by volunteers. www.pendonmuseum.com
Wallingford Museum, open from March to November, is housed on two floors of a medieval oak-beamed building in the town’s High Street. Its permanent displays include a walk through time from the Romans and Saxons to the Civil War, with a miniature re-creation of Wallingford Castle; there is also a Victorian street scene with walk-in shop, pub, workshop and workhouse. www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk
Visitors to Henley, half an hour by car from Brightwell, can see the River and Rowing Museum www.rrm.co.uk. This tells the story of the world-famous Henley Regatta, which has been held at the town since 1839, and has an extensive collection of rowing objects and images.
Country Houses
National Trust properties in the area include two near Henley: Grey’s Court, with its donkey wheel and maze, and Stonor Park. The house at Stonor, owned by the same family for 650 years, is open only from April to September. However, the estate with its herds of deer can be viewed from a public footpath all the year round. www.stonor.com.
Nuffield Place, home of William Morris, Lord Nuffield - founder of Morris Motors - is open on summer Sundays. The house is a rare survival of a complete middle-class home of the 1930s. Designed by Oswald Partridge Milne and built in 1914, it is situated at Huntercombe/Nuffield, halfway between Wallingford and Henley on the left-hand side of the A4130. For details contact the Friends of Nuffield Place on 01491 641224.
Links
www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/explore-oxfordshire
Oxfordshire County Council’s website aimed at helping visitors and residents explore the county’s attractions.
www.oxfordshirevillages.co.uk
Pictures and descriptions of some of South Oxfordshire’s most picturesque villages.
A Virtual Tour
Take our tour of the village to see and read about some of the sights.