Active Routes

Brookes Active is here to help the entire Oxford Brookes University community embrace active travel options like walking, cycling, scooting, or any other form of active transport.

Our aim is to help you avoid public transport, leave your car at home and get fitter in the process. Our user-generated Active Routes are submitted by people who’ve actually travelled them, offering personal recommendations from your colleagues and peers.

We’re keen to expand our collection of Active Routes and appreciate any contributions. If you use active travel to get to campus, please share your routes through the Active Routes Google Form.

We also welcome shorter walking routes that start and end at any of our campuses - perfect for a walking meeting, lunchtime stroll, or a quick nature break.

For any questions, email us at brookesactive@brookes.ac.uk. Your input helps build a healthier, more active community!

Active Routes Giveaway

To celebrate the new academic year and expand our catalogue of routes, we’re running an Active Routes giveaway. Three lucky winners will each receive a £20 Amazon voucher.

To enter, simply submit your route via the Active Routes Google Form by the end of October 2024 and you'll be entered into a prize draw. Winners will be notified from Friday 1 November. Please note, this giveaway is open only to Oxford Brookes staff and students.

Walking routes to campus

Whether you are heading to the bus stop, or from the car park to your office, everyone is a pedestrian until they get into a vehicle, so why not extend that time spent moving where possible to make your trip more active?

Please note, some walking routes unfortunately may not be wheelchair or disability accessible depending on the public infrastructure - please take a look at the route descriptions below for further details.

Start point	Notable locations along the route	End point	Description
Marston	Up In Arms Pub, Clive Booth Halls	Headington Campus	Marston to Headington Active Route
Marston	Up In Arms Pub, Harberton Mead, EF International	Headington Campus	Marston to Headington Active Route 2
Redbridge	Cowley Road	Headington Campus	Redbridge to Headington Active Route

Read our tips for walking

Walking gives you an opportunity to take in your surroundings like no other method of transport, so why not start taking photos along the way. Maybe start a photo competition within your office or with a group of friends?

Plan your route in advance - Google Maps is great to give you an approximate time of arrival, but will generally send you along main routes - feel free to play about on their platform to adjust the route to your preferences.
Sensible shoes - You can always leave smart shoes at the office and throw on a pair of comfortable trainers or boots for the walk to avoid any blisters, particularly if you haven’t walked that far for a while.
Carrying your things - for anything more than ten minutes, a backpack is far more comfortable than a briefcase!

Cycling routes to campus

Most car journeys cover less than 5 miles, and with Oxfordshire being a relatively flat county (perhaps with the exception of our Headington and Harcourt Hill campuses!), there is huge opportunity for cycling to take the place of many of these journeys. Particularly if your route takes you through the middle of the city, cycling can be a quicker way to get from A to B, and many new infrastructure projects in the county are focused on getting people onto two wheels.

Start point	Notable locations along the route	End point	Description
Bicester	Ambroseden, Islip, Woodeaton	Headington Campus	Bicester to Headington Active Route
Freeland	Cassington, Wolvercote	Headington Campus	Freeland to Headington Active Route
Heyford Park	Kirtlington, Hampton Poyle, Summertown, Natural History Museum	Headington Campus	Heyford Park to Headington Active Route
Kidlington	Headington Hill	Headington Campus	Kidlington to Headington Active Route
Oxford City train station	Gloucester Green Market, Sheldonian Theatre, University Parks	Headington Campus	Station to Headington Active Route
West Oxford	Thames tow path, St Aldates, Carfax, St Clements	Headington Campus	West Oxford to Headington Active Route
West Oxford	Willow Walk, North Hinksey allotments, Southern Bypass Road underpass	Harcourt Hill Campus	West Oxford to Harcourt Active Route

Read our tips for cycling

Safety is a relative term when it comes to cycling on the road, and all of the precautions and safety equipment cannot mitigate the behaviour of some other road users, but we do have tips to help make your commute a more enjoyable experience.

You don’t have to do it all at once - If you haven’t cycled for a long time, consider starting once a week and then increasing the frequency as you get more comfortable. Or use a park and ride, but using your bike instead of the bus.
Smile or wave a hand to other cyclists - this is already commonplace with those who ride for exercise or sport, but is also a great way to show other cyclists who may not be as experienced on the road that they are welcome.
Try not to ride in the gutter - regular cyclists will already know about the wide and diverse variety of potholes available across Oxfordshire, but if you find yourself needing to avoid a particularly large chasm, riding out from the kerb or verge gives you options to avoid it. Riding more centrally in your lane can also help to discourage impatient drivers from overtaking too closely.
Explore - While some routes are listed on this webpage, there are plenty more options which you might find more enjoyable. They might have more/fewer hills, there might be a better view of the countryside, or they might offer better protection from the wind.
Wear suitable clothing - wear whatever you feel most comfortable to cycle in, whether that’s a full lycra aero suit, or a summer dress. Of course, for longer rides, a pair of padded shorts can make a world of difference - and remember to take a peek at the weather forecast in case you might want to bring something a little warmer with you!
Pack tools/spares - Not quite so essential when on shorter rides, but for longer journeys, make sure to pack a few things in case you need to stop to make a quick repair. For more complex mechanical tasks, almost anything can be fixed with a mobile phone (with location services turned on!)

You can find more tips on the Cycling UK website.