At a glance
Buscot Walk
- Distance
- 5.5 miles
- Estimated time
- 3 hours
- Route type
- Circular
- GPS app guided
- Yes
- Parking
- Paid parking at start 51.67742, -1.66733
- Characteristics
- Water, Countryside, Pub
Wiltshire Walks
This walk from Buscot follows a quiet stretch of the River Thames, linking riverside paths with open fields and broad, unbroken views across the Thames Valley.
It’s an easy-going countryside route with plenty of time spent close to the water, alongside farmland and big skies.
Along the way, the route goes through the village of Kelmscott, a small and characterful spot where The Plough Inn offers a convenient place to pause before heading back.
Download the Wiltshire Walks App to follow this route with real-time GPS navigation.
At a glance
The walk
This route from Buscot offers a gentle mix of riverside scenery and open farmland, with a relaxed, rural feel throughout.
The walk enjoys a lovely stretch of the River Thames, as well as quiet public footpaths across wide fields and big skies typical of this corner of the Thames Valley.
The route also passes through the pretty village of Kelmscott, home to a welcoming pub offering a perfect spot to pause before heading back.
It’s a peaceful walk with plenty of classic riverside charm and open countryside along the way.
Refreshments:
The Plough Inn, Kelmscott
Based on 28 user ratings
A very popular walk
Fine with dogs
Generally well maintained
Not suitable for pushchairs
Not wheelchair accessible
Very limited facilities
Quite good
Accurate
Real feedback from people who have completed this walk using the Wiltshire Walks app.
First-hand experiences
The first and final third among the river were beautiful and totally made up for the dull mid section across fields. Pub was lovely - settinf was great, lovely pub garden,... nice wine but food on a Sunday was just ok.
Loveiy walk along the Thames, no cattle or livestock in the fields we walked through (May 2025). The Plough Inn is located about half way round and is worth a stop. Several styles, a couple overgrown with weeds and nettles but passable. Totally flat route. One road section but hardly any traffic for us.
6/4/25 - very enjoyable walk along the river
Really enjoyed this walk. The pub was great.
Riverside was pleasant though sadly there were noisy motorbikes about. Finding psth through the fiels was a little tricky in place - probably easier if walk clockwise round the route.
Very enjoyable
There is free parking in Kelscote which is on route . Just start and finish there
My first walk with this App. Absolutey loved it. Lost the path over two ploughed fields so just followed the app. A bit busy on the main road on the way back so I would not want to take that route with young children maybe. Pub at Kelmscott was to die for.
Fantastic walk. Car park charge is £4 all day, either coins or pay by app. On a warm day, get there early as fills up. Cans of drink at the village shop were £1.60. Paths are very narrow and the stiles are high. Beautiful walk along the river. The road walking was ok, but the few cars that do come along are fast. Before the road, the farmer has put an electric fence but he has put some blue rubber over a small section. Hubby lifted the children over! Will definitely do this again.
Beautiful - really enjoyed the walk
Lovely walk, a little bit of road (was quiet when we went) but you can double back after the amazing pub stop to avoid the road. Take wellies when damp or wet. Will be doing this walk again!
Lovely walk! Not accessible for buggies or wheelchairs. The pub in Kelmscott was absolutely brilliant. Overall an enjoyable walk.
Comments from walkers who have completed the Buscot walk.
Navigate the walks
The easiest way to follow this route is with the Wiltshire Walks app. Choose the walk and follow the pointer showing your live position on the route map, so you can see you're on the right path.
The app works without a phone signal, so you can keep following the route wherever the walk takes you.

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