Bicester’s popular ‘blue lines’ have been upgraded. First painted in 2017 as part of the Bicester Healthy New Town project, the 5km circular routes in Bicester West, North-east Bicester, and Langford have been enhanced with fitness trails, fun characters, and activity markers now added to the routes.
The new designs have been financed through the Government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) which was put in place to fund local authority projects that support public health initiatives post-Covid.
Conservative-controlled Cherwell District Council has also secured funds to install health walks in Banbury. Three 5km routes in Grimsbury, Ruscote, and Neithrop are set to be installed in the autumn.
The Grimsbury route will connect St Leonard’s School and the Dashwood Academy to Moorfield Park while a further two routes will form a figure-of-eight, running through Ruscote, Bretch Hill, and Neithrop.
The northern 5km loop includes William Morris Primary School and Hill View Primary School and the southern 3km circuit connects Princess Diana Park with Stanbridge Park. Both routes meet around Orchard Fields Community School and St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, allowing users to choose which circuit to take or to join them up for a longer 6.5km walk.
