The Mad Mile

The name alone makes you want to go, doesn't it? The Mad Mile is a stretch of road near Bicester that's earned its reputation as a proper adrenaline spot - a steep descent with views across the Oxfordshire countryside that'll make your stomach flip if you've got any sense of vertigo. It's less about stopping for a picnic and more about standing at the top, taking in the vista, and understanding why locals reckon it's one of the region's most dramatic viewpoints.

Walkers will find it worthwhile, though it's not a long trudge - you're looking at maybe twenty minutes to get there and back from the nearest car park, depending on where you start. The gradient is genuinely steep, which is precisely why it's called what it is. On a clear day the views sweep across fields and distant villages in a way that makes the climb feel earned. Photographers do well here, especially in late afternoon light.

It's free to visit, obviously, since it's just a roadside viewpoint. No facilities, no café, no gift shop - you're here for the view and the slight thrill of the descent. Not ideal for very young kids or anyone with mobility issues, but teenagers and fit adults will manage it fine.

If you're based at one of the caravan parks nearby - Weston Caravan and Campsite or Diamond Caravan Park, both within five miles of Bicester - this is a decent twenty-minute diversion. It's not going to eat up half your day, but it's the sort of spot that sticks with you more than you'd expect.