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Name: | Wytham Hill |
Hill number: | 6854 |
Height: | 164.3m / 539ft |
Parent (Ma): | 2906 Walbury Hill |
RHB Section: | 39: Central and Eastern England |
County/UA: | Oxfordshire |
Catchment: | Thames |
Class: | Tump (100-199m), Subhump, Clem (Tu,1,sHu,Cm) |
Grid ref: | SP 45889 08281 |
Summit feature: | no feature: ground 3m SE of water tank |
Drop: | 94.9m |
Col: | 69.3m SP474059 |
OS map sheet(s): | (1:50k) 164 (1:25k) 180W |
Observations: | brambly ground SSE towards brick wall is about as high |
Survey: | Abney level/KR 2x Hand Level |
Change log: | show changes for this hill entry |
GPS data: | show GPS entries for this hill |
N.B. Some hill summits are on private property or on land where there is no public right of way. Permission should be sought from the landowner where access to a hill summit is through private land.
Please report via the contact page any logs you see below which describe or encourage acts of trespass. Please quote the hill number and hill name.
Logged Descriptions (logged by 55 users, only the latest 50 shown - Show all) | By | Date of Ascent |
From Botley Gate car park with permit in hand. | johnkenyon | 08/10/2023 |
With my permit. Lovely autumn meander in the woods. Very quiet once away from the tarmac access road. | dal | 01/11/2022 |
From Wytham village, armed with permit application acknowledgment e-mail. No challenge; I walked up the tarmac road which has an hourly bus service as far as the research station. There were clearly people out conducting ecology research, someone examining blue tit nesting boxes, presumably the renowned phenology study. Returned via Marley Wood and Home Farm to give a fine circular walk of 6 km. Wytham Woods is one of several sites long associated with study of genetics, evolution and ecology at Oxford University- most within comfortable cycling distance of the colleges. It isn't hard to imagine their pre-war visits, conducting ground-breaking research, in these still unspoilt places. | pwheeler | 02/06/2022 |
With permit but not asked for by anyone. | davefh | 14/03/2022 |
Parked in road beside the White Hart pub. Walked with friend Iain up the main road/track tarmac all way to near the summit where turned left up a muddy track at crossroads near a building to the water tower and summit high points explored. Returned same way for lunch on bench by car park and then back to car and the White Hart for swift half of Oxford IPA - bootiful!! At no point was I challenged for access - but I had got a permit anyway in my wallet just in case! | pdantic | 04/03/2022 |
Quick up and down from Swinford - parked at start of track. Sunday morning. Not challenged or asked for permit. | PGCE | 29/08/2021 |
Surveyed by hand level. Now very overgrown. | Galltywenallt | 12/07/2020 |
Armed with permit in form of a credit type card but wasn't needed. Pleasant walk up tarmac road through autumn colour in the woods. Massive military planes taking off nearby tended to spoil the peace ! | Mark Sims | 12/11/2019 |
Botley to Begbroke. Traversed through to Swinford Gate with permit to hand, but production not requested by anyone I encountered. | Smudge | 28/10/2019 |
2nd and final tump of a 17km route from Langford Lane West (via Woodstock bus from Oxford Parkway) to Oxford, climbing Worton Heath and then the long lane to Cassington and over the Swinford toll bridge, taking the Thames path then over a bw topped gate and onto a track. I followed the track up the Western edge before taking a wild route SE past some beautiful Veteran Oaks and Chestnuts, reaching the water tower with no problem. I recorded 167m @ SP 45909 08269 but then explored the mound I could see in the field to the East, recording only 166m. Continuation via tracks to reach a gate at the 138m spot height. Once over this it was easygoing on a nice track to the lodge and then the roundabout, walking past the superstore and then on the main road into Oxford before deciding to take the next bus next to the train station. | Dazingdale | 07/07/2019 |
From E armed with permit application, but no challenges. | GordonAdshead | 21/06/2019 |
An opportunist bag on the way south, so no time to request a permit.I walked up the road from Wytham without problems | Colin Crawford | 28/03/2019 |
Parked at layby SP 4442.0773. Gate into field, up side of wood then contoured N round below reservoir until trig could be reached (Swinford Farm trig). Then down and across to track to Wytham Hill. Large house in wood at top being renovated, but all quiet Saturday evening. HP not far away near water tower. | Aye Jimmy | 23/03/2019 |
Pleasant romp around the woods - with permit in hand. Chalet undergoing refurb, so couldn't get close enough to bag the benchmark. | DanMaisieBex | 10/03/2019 |
Accessed on cycle trip around Oxford and armed with permit but no one challenged. Stupendous autumnal colours. HP is between a water tower and brick tank in area of brambles on flattish ground. Did not visit Trig to W. Chalet near summit under refurbishment. Note that website highlights days when the whole site is closed for major work. | Denise | 09/11/2018 |
Having aquired a permit to visit (No charge - apply to www.wytham.ox.ac.uk) we left cycles in the car park and set off over grass to the hill top woods. Delightful autumnal colours in sunshine, some fine Beech trees. Forest track almost crosses the summit area, high point on E side of track in open woodland close to elevated water tank. | RichardM | 09/11/2018 |
Walk from E via the Swinford gate whilst staying with friends in Eynsham (and who had the requisite permit). Pleasant woodland. | milimana | 19/08/2018 |
Applied for permit - then took permit application acknowledgment from internet. No challenge | carole engel | 29/07/2018 |
From West in light drizzle. Once in the wood I kept off the track. I saw a couple of cars in the wood but no people. There’s a motion sensitive camera attached to a tree by the gate so they’ll get a nice photo of you as you enter the wood. | Herbert Anchovy | 09/04/2018 |
5 degrees, rain. From parking spot at NW edge of Stroud copse then followed wood line and round south side of reservoir. Absolute nightmare. Do not attempt this. Returned via track to N of res then across fields back to start. Much easier. Interesting building. | Wycombe Wanderer | 26/12/2017 |
From the Sawmill car park. Pleasant woodland with tarmac track to within 150 ms from hp. In possession of a permit just in case I was challenged but there was nobody around | Campbell Singer | 03/10/2017 |
Permits are easy to get - see www.wytham.ox.ac.uk and I think our community should get them when visiting. They are free although there is a request for a small donation to the charity which, in my view, is environmentally important. Super woods. Also an interesting research project. Easy hill to walk which I did from The Sawmill where I left my bike as I biked from Oxford Station along the Thames towpath. | trimarc2 | 11/08/2017 |
6am Sunday am up track from west in wellies and full w,proofs as overnight downpour esased then stopped. Surprised to see large old Swiss chalet near summit , looked cold and past it's best with big single glazed windows, which must never see the sun in the woods. After the summit I found way to trig on descent. Breakfast back at car was horribly interrupted by being soaked in water from a passing car speeding through a huge puddle. Should have seen that coming. Then to 1st aid course starting at 9 am. | Chris Pearson | 15/05/2017 |
From B4044 to the West, easy walk up track without being challenged. | Tony J | 15/05/2016 |
Drove up to car park to the east. Lots of signs about permits. Nobody about, assume all on Easter holiday. Went to water tower area, but land beyond nearby gate appears higher in field corner. | PeterD | 31/03/2016 |
After eventually getting through the queues from the till bridge, parked at western side and walked up between3-4pm without permit or any challenge from anyone. Tee class mound in field probable guest point but water tower and other brick overgrown building. | vegibagger | 28/10/2015 |
Permitless ascent from B4044 to west. If driving from the north, you need 5p for the Swinford bridge toll. | ngthack | 01/09/2015 |
Final hill in the county, second attempt after being turfed out for not having the permit couple of weeks ago. Returned today with ink on my shiny new permit still damp! Parked at the Boltley Lodge car park to SE; pleasant 5 miles circular walk picking up some benchmarks in Wytham village on the way. HP seems to be by a wooden lattice water tower in undergrowth 10m or so to E of good forest vehicle track. | jonglew | 01/08/2015 |
From B4044 to the west. | clivevilla | 14/06/2015 |
Up from the car park as others. | simon and co | 03/06/2014 |
tarmac all the way to the summit area. ignore all the notices. | arranc | 31/01/2014 |
old building by summit, area in the field to the north is high too. | Adrian | 15/06/2013 |
Been meaning to come here for years, I work within a mile of the summit. The woods are used as a regular run/walk by most locals, I've not heard of anyone being challenged for a permit. | rhalstead | 25/04/2013 |
Parked easily by telephone box. Walked to large car park as below. Could easily have driven. Then across fields to top - took road on way back - mush easier! Some signs saying 'Permit Holders only' but whole place is relaxed and busy - No problems. | destaylor | 04/01/2013 |
Supposed to have a permit to walk in these woods (application on website for the woods). After two weeks of unanswered postal application, e-mails and phone messages, we gave up waiting and walked it anyway. Pleasant woodland stroll all tarmac from car park to summit, which is just before you reach the Swiss Chalet style building - thanks Jim for the summit description. Plenty of folks around but never challenged to show permit. | Hillsidenick | 18/09/2012 |
Nice quiet area, very limited parking in the area unless using a university car park. | JohnStoneham | 02/09/2012 |
Car Park (for University permit holders - no enforcement apparently) at SP467086. Very pleasant circular walk. Summit between wooden water tower and brick water storage reservoir. | jimbloomer | 03/12/2011 |
RHW | 17/07/2002 | |
dunx2005 | 16/03/2024 | |
Minto | 12/08/2023 | |
SteveG | 11/08/2023 | |
Martin R | 07/10/2022 | |
callumblack | 24/12/2021 | |
Matt | 02/10/2021 | |
AndyS | 11/10/2020 | |
stub1969 | 19/06/2018 | |
DC11main | 10/04/2018 | |
Alan Whatley | 08/02/2018 | |
andrew brown | 13/04/2016 | |
Jacqdaw | 18/09/2012 |