We have one dog, a beautiful little Cockapoo called Pickle, she was chocolate coloured but is fading fast to a beautiful minky colour. She, like us, loves long walks; especially if they end in a pub, and is happiest on the beach. She’s a good girl, quite calm for a Cockapoo, but like many can have her moments; she is super-friendly and loves people, particularly children. Best of all, she makes us laugh every day with her funny antics.
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Evenley, our local walk around Evenley Wood Gardens
From the pub there are a number of walks in this beautiful area. Our favourite is around Evenley Wood Garden perimeter, which takes about an hour.
If you're up for this walk, park near the pub and with your back to the pub, turn right for a continuation of the main road (not sharp right which is Bicester Hill) up the Mixbury Road. Turn left about half a mile up onto Mill Lane (sign posted Evenley Wood Gardens) a chalk lane.
Here there are a few cars accessing the woods, but we find it safe to let the dog off. Follow the lane up past the woods on your left (the gardens are worth a visit but chargeable) you can walk outside for free.
Turn left at the top of the woods (or straight ahead takes up you to a great river dip) and follow around the woods, with a field to your right and the woods on your left. Continue through a wooded tunnel (Pickle always paddles in this lovely stream). Follow straight ahead and slightly uphill to cross the field.
At the top, Turn left again and follow the grassy track to a small copse. Here you have options, you can continue straight, which will eventually take you past the water works, through a horses field and back onto the green in front of the pub.
Or you can turn right in the wood, for a small twisty path through the trees which will bring you out on the other side of the field. At the end and back onto a farm track, turn left, then after a 100 yards or so, go right through the kissing gate, dogs on a lead here, there’s usually young and enthusiastic, but pretty jersey cows in here (to avoid the cows continue along the path rather than go through the kissing gate, you can duck under a high farm gate at the end).
If passing through the field of cows, there is a second kissing gate straight ahead on the opposite side, continue through over the hall drive and straight ahead through another field. At the t-junction of paths in the middle of the field you can turn left (right will go into Brackley) follow the path back to the village.
On the concrete drive again you have choices, you can go straight and follow the small grassy path behind the houses through a couple more kissing gates, but in summer this gets quite nettley, or you can turn right onto the drive skirted by a big beech hedge. At the end turn left into the village, and follow Church Lane back to the Green, and the Red Lion is on the opposite corner.
The Red Lion is a good pub, but busy, so if coming at the weekend and hoping to eat, it’s best to book. They have a large garden, and good coffees, and are dog friendly throughout.