Launton to Bicester nature footpath improved Published 13 July 2012 An attractive rural footpath linking Launton to Bicester has brought back into use by the council's Countryside team. Staff have improved accessibility along the one-mile route by installing a new footbridge, stiles and a kissing gate. Overgrown thorn bushes were also cleared to allow people to pass freely. The work follows requests from local residents and makes fully available the only direct, off-road link from the south west of Launton to Bicester. The footpath crosses the remains of the medieval village of Wretchwick, visible through mounds and depressions in the fields. One of the UK s rarest butterflies, the Black Hairstreak, has also been recorded in the area. Traffic-free routes Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, Rodney Rose said: This work is inkeeping with our transport objectives to provide traffic-free routes between settlements that can be used for transport and recreational purposes. We hope that the footpath improvements will mean more people in the area can enjoy the route all year round. The Countryside team worked in partnership with local landowners to carry out the improvements, which cost around 650. Launton Footpath 4, grid reference SP60262197, connects south west Launton with Bicester across the railway line.
Launton Bicester footpath The footpath that runs between the Gavray Drive roundabout and Launton, across the London-Birmingham railway line (see map previous page), was for many years overgrown and inaccessible. However, this path has recently been restored by Oxfordshire County Council and is now much improved, although it can still become waterlogged in places following rainfall. If preferred, the walk can be started from Gavray Drive, opposite the path running south of Langford Brook. The picture above shows the entrance (darker gap in hedgerow to left of blue sign). Once through the entrance, bear right along the fairly straight footpath (right) that runs through the proposed Gavray Drive development site to the perimeter road. The route of this footpath is retained in the current development plans. The south east section of this path can be boggy. At the perimeter road, there are two linked entrances to the Launton footpath one (pictured left) directly opposite the Gavray Drive footpath and one a short distance further south by the Gavray Drive roundabout.
Follow the Launton path over the footbridge (left) and along the wide, cleared track (below) across fields towards the railway embankment; parts of this path can become waterlogged. At the top of the embankment (left & below), it may seem daunting to walk across the mainline railway tracks, but trains can be seen from some distance in either direction, and they normally sound a warning when approaching this crossing. The lower part of the path down the embankment is narrow and may become partially blocked with brambles; a stick may be useful to clear these.
On the other side of the railway embankment, the lane to Launton can be seen opposite (right). This leads to West End road (below) and into Launton. Another footpath leads to here from Little Wretchwick Farm (see map on first page) via a tunnel under the railway line. Additional foothpaths through fields to the west of Launton (see map below) lead to the church or back to the perimeter road.
Wretchwick The medieval site of Wretchwick village is not crossed by the Launton-Bicester footpath as indicated in the Oxfordshire County Council article (see first page), but is located to the south of Jubilee Lake, on either side of Middle Wretchwick Farm. Although definitive Public Rights of Way for the area are shown on the maps below, these are not always easy to follow on the ground. At the Gavray Drive roundabout, the Wretchwick footpath is not directly linked to the Launton path as indicated on the map, but is accessed via a separate entrance (see picture next page) located in the hedgerow at the south east corner of the roundabout. This footpath leads to a farm track running past the northern section of the Wretchwick village site, but views are limited through the hedgerow. To the south west of the Middle Wretchwick Farm driveway (see pictures next page) the signposted footpath entrance is via a stile tucked away in the hedgerow. This entrance leads to an area by a cowshed, but from here the link to the north section of the footpath as shown on the map is not readily accessible; nor is the link to the area south of the cowshed (see footpath areas coloured red, below). The only accessible route appears to be via the main farm driveway, the entrance to which has a "Private" sign. The footpath between the farm and the A41 / Graven Hill is along a farm track bordering the second section of the medieval village site, but although the view from here is unobstructed there is little to see and the "mounds and depressions" of the village remains are not particularly prominent (see picture next page). Gavray Drive Site of medieval village Site of medieval village
Left : Gavray Drive roundabout entrance to the Wretchwick footpath. Below : Entrance (marked "Private") to Middle Wretchwick Farm from perimeter road. Centre left : Entrance to Wretchwick footpath south west of farm driveway. Above : Cowshed and area just inside footpath entrance by farm. Left : Looking towards farm, with footpath to the A41 at right, and Wretchwick village site to left. Bob Rudge, August 2012