Thame - Historic Market Town

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Detective Mystery around Thame Historic Market Town, with Detectives helping Chief Inspector Les Nabbem work out who buried Albert Ross in a bunker on an Oxfordshire golf course and which clue links the culprit to the crime.

The investigation covers 3.0 miles and should take around 2.5 hours to complete. You'll begin near the Citizen's Advice Bureau, Market House, on North Street, then follow the evidence through Thame's historic streets, passing High Street refreshment spots, the Memorial Gardens, St Mary's church, the Cuttle Brook Nature Reserve, the war memorial and the Butter Market before returning to where the adventure began.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The route is mainly paved, but includes paths that may get muddy in wet weather, plus some narrow paths and lanes. There are little steps leaving the churchyard which may be slippery, especially if wet.

You need to cross roads and car parks during the Trail. Take care on busy roads, including the road crossed near the nature reserve, and take extreme care on the little steps leaving the churchyard.

Getting There

By car: Your investigation begins near the Citizen's Advice Bureau, Market House, on North Street (OX9 3HH). The recommended car park is Upper High Street, which is free for up to 3 hours. Alternatively, use The Cattlemarket, further up North Street.

By public transport: Make your way to the Citizen's Advice Bureau, Market House, on North Street to begin the case. The circular route loops back to the Butter Market and returns to where the adventure began.

Need the Loo?

Public toilets are in the Cattle Market car park, between Clues 01 and 02 and after Clue 16, so Detectives get a useful early stop and another chance near the end of the investigation.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Detectives are welcome to join the investigation 🐾

The route includes road and car park crossings, narrow paths and lanes, the Cuttle Brook Nature Reserve and little steps leaving the churchyard, so keep canine colleagues close around traffic, busy areas and slippery or muddy sections after wet weather.

Food & Drink Stops

Evidence-gathering is hungry work, and Thame has plenty of chances to refuel.

There are many places to choose from along the High Street, near the beginning and end of the Trail. The route also passes the Six Bells pub, the Birdcage pub and Waitrose. If you'd rather pack your own provisions, you can enjoy a picnic in the Cuttle Brook Nature Reserve, near Clues 08 and 09.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Cuttle Brook Nature Reserve

The Trail passes through Cuttle Brook Nature Reserve, reached after a path that descends to the right and curves left across a bridge. It's also the suggested picnic spot near Clues 08 and 09, making it a handy place for Detectives to pause, compare theories and enjoy a greener stretch of the case.

St Mary's church

St Mary's church is well worth venturing inside. The current church dates back to the early C13th and has a wealth of interesting features, including many tombs, monuments and artworks, plus a fine monument to Lord Williams (d. 1559), Thame's leading citizen and benefactor.

Memorial Gardens

Enter the Memorial Gardens from Upper High Street and explore the length and breadth of this green area. The Trail also passes the war memorial nearby, so it's a good spot to slow the pace once the clues have been properly interrogated.

The Birdcage pub

The Birdcage is Thame's oldest and most historic pub, with parts dating back to the C14th. It was originally a market house and was probably first used as an inn in the C15th, when it was known as the Cage, before becoming the Birdcage in the late C18th. Its past includes sixteen French prisoners of war accommodated in the cellar during the Napoleonic Wars, and lepers once being isolated in an upper room and fed through a trapdoor by nuns - a suitably curious extra for Detectives who like their history with a few suspicious twists.