The Phoenix Trail is a footpath and cycleway which runs between the
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
s of
Thame
Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...
in
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a planned move to Didcot, the district's largest town. The a ...
and
Princes Risborough in
Buckinghamshire, passing through the villages of
Towersey and
Bledlow
Bledlow is a village in the civil parish of Bledlow-cum-Saunderton in Buckinghamshire, England. It is about WSW of Princes Risborough, and is on the county boundary with Oxfordshire.
The toponym "Bledlow" is derived from Old English and m ...
.
History
The trail largely follows the route of a disused railway line, the
Wycombe Railway
The Wycombe Railway was a British railway between and that connected with the Great Western Railway at both ends; there was one branch, to .
History
The Wycombe Railway Company was incorporated by an act of Parliament passed in 1846. The act ...
, which connected Princes Risborough and Thame with the city of
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. The line through Thame remained open until 1991 to serve an oil depot based in the town. It was subsequently purchased by
Sustrans
Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network.
Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United K ...
and converted into a cycle/pedestrian route.
The Phoenix Trail forms part of
National Cycle Route 57 which also includes the
Nicky Line and
Ayot Greenway rail trails. As well as cyclists and walkers, the route is suitable for
wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...
and
pushchair
Various methods of transporting children have been used in different cultures and times. These methods include baby carriages (prams in British English), infant car seats, portable bassinets (carrycots), strollers (pushchairs), slings, backpack ...
users, as it is flat and surfaced with seating every 500 metres. The first out of Thame are surfaced with tarmac and the remainder with compacted limestone dust.
Red kites can commonly be seen along the route. There is a collection of 30 sculptures built by Angus Ross and six furniture students from Thame's Rycotewood College, which draw on the trail's railway heritage and the landscape towards the
Chiltern Hills. These sculptures won the 2002 "Arts, Business & Community" Award from Arts & Business, and the trail also holds a Certificate of Distinction as a European
Greenway from the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
.
In June 2008, an extension of the Phoenix Trail to
Lord Williams's School was officially opened.
See also
*
Rail Trail
*
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...
*
Segregated cycle facilities
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except ...
*
Sustainable transport
References
External links
Sustrans Phoenix Trail Sustrans leaflet
{{coord, 51.7345, -0.9180, dim:10000_region:GB, display=title, name=Phoenix Trail
Rail trails in England
Footpaths in Oxfordshire
Footpaths in Buckinghamshire