Iffley Lock – Folly Bridge loop from Oxford

Running trails & routes

Iffley Lock – Folly Bridge loop from Oxford

Moderate

5.0

(8)

482

runners

Iffley Lock – Folly Bridge loop from Oxford

01:06

10.6km

50m

Running

Moderate run. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: September 30, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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1.13 km

Christ Church, Oxford

Highlight • Monument

Christ Church War Memorial Garden was created in 1926 to commemorate the First World War.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_War_Memorial_Garden

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1.42 km

The meadow is a lovely open space at Christ Church college. It is a surprisingly peaceful spot in the heart of the city and a haven for wildlife – it's even used to graze rare English longhorn cows. The meadow has been used as a recreational site for centuries and in 1784, it even became the location of one of the earliest balloon flights in England.

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1.95 km

River Thames Riverside Walk in Oxford

Highlight • River

A lovely leafy stretch of walking alongside the famous River Thames that flows through Oxford.

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3.33 km

Danby Gateway, Oxford Botanic Garden

Highlight • Monument

Oxford Botanic Garden was founded in 1621 as the first botanic garden in the UK. It is part of the University of Oxford and contains over 5,000 different plant species. This makes it one of the most diverse yet compact collections of plants in the world and includes representatives from over 90% of the higher plant families. The Botanic Garden has been a rich source of inspiration. In the 1860s, this is where Charles Lutwidge Dodgson took the Liddell sisters, inspiring the stories that became Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. See if you can find the grinning Cheshire Cat, tucked away in the Literary Woodland in the Walled Garden. Equally, the author JRR Tolkien spent much time here, in particular in the company of the late great Austrian pine tree (Pinus nigra), whose twisting branches is said have resembled the 'ents' in his 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Perhaps most poignantly, in Philip Pullman's brilliant 'His Dark Materials' trilogy, the protagonists Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry meet between their respective parallel worlds on a bench in the back of the garden. At the end of the novels, they promise to sit on the bench for an hour at noon on Midsummer's day every year to feel each other's presence. Just behind their bench, you will find a stainless steel sculpture by the sculptor Julian Warren, depicting the ‘daemons’ of the novels.

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6.67 km

Iffley Lock

Highlight • River

Watch canal boats navigate up and down the river at the picturesque Iffley Lock.

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7.73 km

Thames riverbank

Highlight • Viewpoint

A place for a bonfire

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9.00 km

Folly Island

Highlight • Structure

Interesting development on a small island in the middle of the Thames. Quirky buildings and architecture to be seen.

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9.08 km

Folly Bridge

Highlight • River

Oxford comes from Oxenaforda, meaning "ford of the oxen". Folly Bridge was constructed in 1825-7 at what is thought to be the original site of the ford over which oxen could be driven across the Isis river, derived from "Tamesis", the ancient name for the Thames.

Today, Folly Bridge is one of the main entry points to the city, overlooking the Head of the River pub and further downstream the Oxford University College boat houses on the banks.

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10.6 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types