village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England

Sandford-on-Thames is a village in Oxfordshire, just south of Oxford. It combines the charming peace of a small old-English village with easy access to the nearby city centre, making it a pleasant base from where to explore both Oxford and the surrounding English landscapes.

St Andrew's Church is in the heart of the village

Understand

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This village and Parish Council is just off the A4074, which bypasses the village, beside the River Thames in Oxfordshire. Grown from just 18 families in the Doomsday Book to just 200 people at the start of the 17th century to a population of 1,000 today.

The village was described as "a very good place to drown yourself in" in the book Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (based on a boat trip on the River Thames), probably referring to the "Big Lasher", a weir behind the lock keepers cottage that creates strong currents and eddies and is particularly dangerous having claimed quite a few lives. The site includes an obelisk commemorating 6 students who died here in 3 separate incidents.

Get in

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Being 4 mi (6.4 km) south of Oxford centre, many of the same transport links for Oxford can also be used to get into Sandford-on-Thames.

By road

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From Oxford city centre take the Iffley Rd south, A4158 to the Southern Bypass, continue heading south through Littlemore on Oxford Rd which becomes Sandford Rd, then Henley Rd.

By train

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Sandford-on-Thames has no station. Take the train to Oxford and walk or taxi to Sandford-on-Thames.

By bus

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Service 3/3A operated by Oxford Bus and Stagecoach Oxford runs Rose Hill, Iffley Road and Oxford City Centre. Also serving Littlemore, Sandford-on-Thames, Oxford Science Park and Kassam Stadium.

By bicycle

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On foot

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Get around

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Map
Map of Sandford-on-Thames

The village is small enough to see on foot.

Sandford Lock
  • 1 Talking Shop Market & Cafe, Henley Rd, Sandford-on-Thames, Oxford OX4 4YN. F (Shop & Cafe) 9:30AM-4:00PM, Sa (Market & Cafe) 9AM-noon. Community shop and cafe serving home-made meals, snacks and cakes.
  • 1 Sainsbury's (Supermarket), Heyford Hill, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4XR (1 mile N of village), +44 1865 771146. M-F 7AM-11PM, Sa 6AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM.
Kings Arms
  • 1 Kings Arms (Pub & Food), Church Rd, Sandford-on-Thames OX4 4YB, +44 1865 777095. Pub: M-Sa noon-11PM, Su 11:30AM-10PM; Food: M-Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-9:30PM. This traditional English pub along the river side serves good quality pub food for lunch and dinner. 2-course dinner menu from ₤13.

Drink

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Sleep

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  • 1 Oxford Thames Hotel, Henley Rd, Sandford on Thames OX4 4GX, +44 1865 334444. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. A 4-star hotel and event venue with 84 en suite bedrooms, 9 meeting and event suites, a leisure club and bar and restaurant, all in its 2 medieval barns and 15th-century manor house. £84-£329.
  • 2 Mill House (B&B), Burra Close, Sandford-on-Thames OX4 4YE.

Connect

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  • 2 Post Office, 40 Cowley Rd, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4LD (1 mile N of village). M-Sa 8:30AM-7PM; Su 10AM-4PM (from 9:30AM for browsing).

Go next

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This city travel guide to Sandford-on-Thames is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.