The Fairy Doors of Kidlington trail has been on my to-do list for a while. For anyone new to the magical world of fairy doors, as I was until this weekend, they are tiny little doors that people have made or bought, decorated, and placed on a tree. They are extremely cute and kids LOVE THEM.
The Kidlington Fairy Doors started appearing along a path between Kidlington and Begbroke in 2016. No one knows who started and looks after the trail, but everyone is welcome to add their own doors to it. It’s a free there-and-back (rather than circular) walk and, as we found out, a lovely way to spend an hour or two…
The trail begins in Partridge Place in Kidlington. They ask you to park in one of the laybys on Lyne Road, which is the main road that Partridge Place is off. There were plenty of spaces in the laybys when we were there. So, walk through Partridge Place, which is a small residential area, over the railway crossing, over the canal bridge and then follow the path round to the right (not straight on over the little bridge) and keep walking. The stream should be on your left. There you’re already on the trail and will start seeing doors almost immediately.
Needless to say the kids were super excited from the off because: train, bridges and canal! You could do a nice little walk along the canal if you wanted to be out for longer – lots of boats to see around there.
The kids absolutely loved finding the fairy doors! There are plenty dotted along the path and the kids were rushing between them, showing each other and choosing their favourites. Their excitement was so sweet and made the walk about 300 times more enjoyable than a normal one.
The path itself is wide and flat and would be fine with a pram. It would be a good place for practising with a bike too. The walk skirts round the edge of a farmer’s field and feels pretty rural especially considering how close it is to Kidlington. It might also have some good geocaching, pretty sure I spotted one hanging from a tree…
It was a really fun thing to do and a great antidote to the Christmas comedown. We’re planning to make our own fairy doors and go back to plant them. Fairy doors are only £2 to buy from The Works and you decorate them yourselves. Or if you’re feeling crafty you could make some from scratch – lollipop sticks seemed to be the main material – like this.
If you know of any other trails near Oxford please let me now, I’ve got the bug now!
January 2019
Oxford Mumbler is your local parenting community – a website packed with information for pregnancy and for families in and around Oxford. Visit oxford.mumbler.co.uk for everything from what’s on, days out, weekly clubs and classes in Oxford, to support groups and services for pregnancy, babies, parents and more. Join the Mumbler community on our friendly Facebook chat group and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
