The best traffic-free bike rides around Middleton Cheney

Run through the quintessential English village of Chacombe, situated on the border between Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire. The village features a wealth of picturesque thatched cottages as well as pubs and a beautiful church.

This stone bridge spans over the famous Oxford Canal and offers up some wonderful views down the waterway. You may be lucky enough to spot some narrow canal boats as you pass by.

Cracking cafe in the middle of Brackley, set in - you guessed it - an old fire station. Good coffee, bike spaces and friendly staff.

Chacombe is a pretty Northamptonshire village with many characterful old buildings, including its 14th-century parish church and Chacombe Priory. Walkers can seek refreshment at the traditional George and Dragon pub, which also serves good food. The Jurassic Way long-distance footpath passes through the village.

[The canal going through Banbury is part of] the Oxford Canal, a 78-mile (126 km) narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Bedworth (between Coventry and Nuneaton on the Coventry Canal) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to the River Thames at Oxford and is integrated with the Grand Union Canal [...]. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Canal

This building, designed by Edward George Bruton in the Gothic Revival style and built by Chesterman Brothers of Abingdon, was completed in October 1854 and is the fourth town hall building built in Banbury town from 1590 onwards. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing the junction of the High Street and Market Place; the central section, which projected forward, featured an arched doorway on the ground floor and a balcony with an ogee headed window on the first floor. A clock tower and spire were added in 1860. The principal room was an assembly hall on the first floor. The building was extended to the south west to create a council chamber in 1891. The town hall was the headquarters of Banbury Borough Council until the council moved its administration to the mechanics' institute in Marlborough Road in 1930. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banbury_Town_Hall

The earliest part of the Church of England parish church of Saints Peter and Paul is the Norman font. The current building is essentially Decorated Gothic from the early part of the 14th century, including the three-bay arcades either side of the nave. The north aisle has a 14th-century wall painting of Saint Peter being crucified upside-down. It is one of only two wall paintings of Saint Peter's crucifixion known in England, the other being in the parish church at Ickleton in Cambridgeshire. The church is a Grade I listed building. The bell tower has a ring of six bells. William Bagley of Chacombe cast four of them including the treble bell in 1694. John Briant of Hertford cast the present fifth bell in 1790; the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the present tenor bell in 2009. The parish is a member of the Chenderit Benefice, which also covers the parishes of Greatworth, Marston St. Lawrence, Middleton Cheney, Thenford and Warkworth.

A simply gorgeous tree-lined village of thatched cottages and quaint English charm. King's Sutton is a lovely place for a mooch after a day's walk on the Oxford Canal. Regular trains to Oxford make it easily accessible. The 198-foot (60.4 m) spire of St Peter and St Paul's Church is an impressive sight, dominating the village's skyline. Refreshment wise, you're spoilt for choice, as there are three pubs: the 18th-Century Butchers Arms, the White Horse and the Three Tuns.