Banbury

Banbury is a market town in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire. It is known for the nursery rhyme "Ride-a-cock-horse" (shown on the right) and Banbury cakes. The local football team is Banbury United and they play at the Spencer stadium.

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,

To see a fine lady upon a white horse;

Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,

And she shall have music wherever she goes.

— Traditional British nursery rhyme

Get in

By car

Due to the building of the M40 motorway, Banbury is now a town with good industry. It is now one of the major commuter towns for London, Oxford, Solihull and Birmingham. The M40 also provides local residents access to the Midlands and the southeast.

Hennef Way (A422) was upgraded to a dual carriageway easing traffic on the heavily congested road and providing better links to north Banbury and the town centre from the M40.

By bus

Banbury has an inter-urban bus service provided by Stagecoach Group which feeds the outlying villages and provides transport to places such as Oxford, Chipping Norton and Brackley.

By train
Wikivoyage has a guide to Rail travel in Great Britain.

🌍 Banbury station has rail services run by Chiltern Railways to London Marylebone, Warwick, Kidderminster and Birmingham Moor Street / Snow Hill via the non-electrified Chiltern Main Line.

It also has direct services run by First Great Western to Oxford, Reading and London Paddington.

Services to other parts of the country are provided by CrossCountry via Birmingham New Street, to Cardiff, Bristol, Gloucester, Leicester, Stansted, as well as direct services to other cities across England and Scotland.

Get around

In addition to longer distance services, Stagecoach also operate local bus services within the town, whose route numbers begin with the letter "B". Most single journeys cost £2.20 with a day ticket available for £3.40 covering just Banbury (more expensive options cover rural areas as well).

There are also a number of taxi companies who operate in the town.

  • Castle Quay Car Park. 7AM-8PM. An inexpensive car park that is part of the Castle Quay Shopping Centre. Valeting is also offered. Parking can be paid via cash or card. Under 1 hour (and all-day on Sundays and Bank Holidays): £1, 1-2 hours: £1.70, 2-3 hours: £2.20, 3-4 hours: £2.80, 4-5 hours: £4, Over 5 hours: £6.50. (updated Nov 2018)

See

Do
  • 🌍 Banbury United, Spencer Stadium, OX16 5AB, ☏ +44 1295 263354. (updated Dec 2016)
  • 🌍 Canal Boat-trips, Tooley’s, Banbury Museum, Spiceball Park Road, OX16 2PQ, ☏ +44 1295 272917. Tooley's Boatyard does a variety of narrowboat services and also offers boat trips down the canal. (updated Dec 2016)
  • 🌍 MFA Bowl (formerly Lakeside Bowling), Cherwell Centre, George St, OX16 5BH, ☏ +44 843 290 8938. Has a restaurant and an amusement arcade. (updated Dec 2016)
  • 🌍 Odeon Cinema, Horsefair, OX16 0AH, ☏ +44 333 006 7777. The town's small cinema. (updated Dec 2016)
  • 🌍 Spiceball Leisure Centre, Cherwell Drive, OX16 2BW, ☏ +44 1295 257 522. A leisure centre with a large swimming pool and gym. It also offers activities such as roller disco. (updated Dec 2016)
  • 🌍 Spiceball Park. The town's park. Has amenities such as a large playground and ramps for skateboarding or BMX. (updated Dec 2016)

Buy

Local markets
  • 🌍 Banbury Charter Market, Market Pl, OX16 5LG. Th Sa 9AM-4:30PM. Has 30 different stalls selling fruit and vegetables, clothing and shoes, tools, greeting cards and garden plants. Available every Thursday and Saturday. (updated Oct 2017)

Shopping centres and retail parks
  • 🌍 Castle Quay Shopping Centre, Castle St, OX16 5UN, ☏ +44 1295 256296. M-Sa 8:30AM-6PM (M&S opens 8AM), Su 10:30AM-4:30PM. A large shopping centre with most of your big name shops somewhere. Has a large Debenham's and M&S, along with a GAME, Waterstone's, H&M, Accessorize, etc. (updated Dec 2016)
  • 🌍 Banbury Cross Retail Park, Lockheed Cl, OX16 1LX. A retail park with an Argos, Currys/PC World, Pets at Home, DFS, Costa Coffee and Tesco's. (updated Oct 2017)
  • 🌍 Banbury Gateway Shopping Park, Acorn Way, OX16 3ER. M-Sa 9AM-8PM, Su 10:30AM-5PM. Newer retail park with a large M&S, a 24-hour McDonald's, Poundland, Primark, Fat Face, New Look, Costa Coffee, Starbucks and other chain stores. (updated Nov 2018)

Supermarkets

Three of the big four supermarkets:

Eat

The town's own delicacy are the Banbury cakes – small, flat pastry cakes filled with currants, zest and spices.

Chinese

Drink

Thursday nights in Banbury are the well-known "Student Night", but have declined in popularity. Banbury is still busy with a slightly older crowd on a Friday, and is always generally busy on a Saturday.

Clubs
  • 🌍 Zinc, 49-50 High Street, OX16 5LA (at The Exchange), ☏ +44 1295 275057. (updated Dec 2016)
  • Fever, 49-50 High St, OX16 5LA, ☏ +44 1295 275057. (updated Dec 2016)
  • Sound Exchange (Bliss). Renovations left the club half its former size. Still relatively busy on weekends. (updated Dec 2016)
  • Sound Exchange (Toko). Often quiet, past its glory days. (updated Dec 2016)

Pubs and bars

Many of the town's recommended pubs and bars are found on Parson's Street.

Sleep
  • 🌍 Hanwell House Bed & Breakfast, 2 Lapsley Drive, OX16 1EJ, ☏ +44 1295 263001, . Check-in: 3PM (early check-in by arrangement), check-out: 10:30AM (late check-out by arrangement). This bed and breakfast is a modern three-storey home, boasting character and charm, quietly situated on the Hanwell Fields estate just off the Southam Road. Offering en-suite accommodation in a luxurious and comfortable environment. Hanwell House bed & breakfast is privately-owned and operated with a beautiful landscaped garden, a fishpond and private parking for guests. All rooms have private facilities with tea, coffee and hot chocolate facilities, bottled water, flat screen televisions with Freeview and DVD player, clock radios, hairdryers and quality toiletries. A small library of DVDs is also available for guests. from £49 single, £59 double inc breakfast. 
  • 🌍 Premier Inn (M40, J11), Ermont Way, OX16 4AE, ☏ +44 871 527 9458. (updated Oct 2017)

Go next

Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby

Routes through Banbury
Birmingham ← Warwick/Leamington Spa ←  NW  SE  → Bicester/Oxford → London
Northampton ← Brackley ←  N  S  → merges with
Coventry ← Southam ←  N  S  → merges with and
Stratford-upon-Avon ← Ettington ←  NW  SE  → Brackley → merges with (Milton Keynes)
Daventry ← Byfield ←  N  S  → END


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