Rushey Lock
UK England South East England Oxfordshire Faringdon
Canoeists, kayakers and rowers have it even better, since they get to forge along the river itself, coming eye to eye with ducks, herons, geese and any other birdlife that happens to be swanning around.
Rushey Lock slumbers peacefully in its bucolic setting. There’s a fine ivy-covered lock-keeper’s house, a few small buildings housing whatever accoutrements are necessary for the execution of the lock-keeper’s art, and the campsite – a small riverside field dotted with apple trees harbouring fruits of various crunchiness and flavour, and a loo in an unobtrusive building at the far end.
The distance from motorised road traffic lends the lock an atmosphere of unhurried tranquillity. Even the noise from the weir on the far side of the lock blends into a harmonious whole with the chirping of birds and whisper of leaves.
Footpaths extend not only along the river, but north towards the village of Bampton and south-east to Buckland, home of the extraordinary Palladian pile that is Buckland House (privately owned, but you get a cracking view of it from the road) and the 12th-century St Mary’s Church, with its Crusader chest (a donation box for the Third Crusade).
Meanwhile, watercontrol buffs will note that Rushey sports a complete paddle and rymer weir, a system unchanged since its invention in the 13th century.
Please note: This campsite is not accessible by car.
Gallery



Details
Facilities
Loos: 1 Unisex. Showers: No. Other facilities: 2 picnic tables. Stuff for children: No. Recycling: No. Dogs: Under control. Fires: No open fires; BBQs off grass. Other: Only walkers, cyclists and paddlers/rowers allowed (no cars).Nearby
Kelmscott Manor, Kelmscott (9½ miles) – a listed Tudor farmhouse that was once home to William Morris of Arts and Crafts Movement fame; 01367 252486. Buscot Park, Faringdon (8¼ miles) – neoclassical house with some top-notch Pre-Raphaelite paintings; 01367 240786; NT site. Travel here on foot or bicycle from the nearest road and you are afforded the pleasure of a mile-long trip along a bank of the River Thames.Food & Drink
The Trout Inn (free house), Tadpole Bridge (1 mile) – a pub that very much styles itself as a dining experience, hence awardwinning and on the pricey side; 01367 870382. It also has a 20-pitch campsite should Rushey Lock be full.Opening Times
Apr–Oct.Location
Rushey Lock, Tadpole Bridge, Buckland Marsh nr Faringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 8RF
Getting There
Reviews
Add Your ReviewBe the first to leave a review!
Related Guides
See Campsites in the Cotswolds