Landscape, Amenity and Access
 As part of the established and well protected green belt to Oxford City many of the steeply sloping areas of the parish are highly valued by local residents for their attractive landscape. Viewed from Boars Hill and the top of Hinksey Hill these slopes provide a natural setting to the backdrop to the famous Oxford City spires beyond. Equally the views from within the city and from South Hinksey village up the slopes are considered of great importance to the total setting of the parish environment. Recent groundworks were completed on the golf course to maintain long distant views previously obstructed by mounds of rubble and soil at the request of the planning office and parish residents thus maintaining existing well established landscapes. It is thought that this area could be designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty AONB and therefore deserves special protection.

Footpaths and trails
As noted on the plan below there are a number of public footpaths and bridleways traversing the parish and several of these have been more recently established as defined nature and /or recreational trails.

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Trail 1 was formed in approx 1996 on the recommendations of a proposal for nature Park submitted by Cobham Resource Consultants to the current owner of the Hinksey Hill Farm. This proposal was made in response to a planning permission condition for a new golf course. It generally comprises a walking trail along the existing access road to the farm and golf club house through several fields elevated above the A34 and then into a woodland (Harcourt Wood). It continues westwards to an existing track serving Chilswell Farm from the northwest. Various areas of grassland and woodland and several ponds have been incorporated into the management plan of this nature park to maintain and enhance the habitats with wildlife and native flora in mind.
Trail 2 runs through the Chilswell Valley a well known and established nature reserve also known locally as Happy Valley and it is mainly managed by the Oxford City Council although the Parish Council have some jurisdiction (two tenths). The reserve has a number of interesting habitats including reedbeds to the eastern end, a deciduous woodland in the middle and a calcareous grassland being invaded by scrub to the west. The entire valley can be accessed by means of a circular path. This path connects to Chilswell Lane to the west and the access road to Wyevale Garden Centre to the east.

Trail 3 comprises a bridleway running parallel to Chilswell Valley and connects the access road to Wyevale Garden Centre on the Southern by pass to Chilswell Lane. It can be accessed from the east along the access road to Southcombe House and comprises a track along the edge of arable farmland.
Trail 4 is a public footpath serving the village of South Hinksey across open fields from the Southern by pass and extends round the east of the village houses to connect with the Devils Backbone. The latter is a slightly elevated trail above farmland that regularly floods in the winter season and this connects with a bridge over the railway affording access to New Hinksey and Hinksey Park , which adjoins a lake all beyond the parish boundary.
Trail 5 comprises a conservation walk termed a permissive footpath 4.5km long that connects South Hinksey Village with North Hinksey. It was established in agreement with the farmland owners as part of a Stewardship scheme run by MAFF (now DEFRA) in August 2000. The trail extends across a small bridge over the Hinksey Stream on the parish boundary.

The creation of the above trails, especially nos 1 and 5 which have been more recently established has improved recreational facilities and opportunities to observe and study wildlife and flora in the parish. As indicated on the plan Appendix A the construction of the Southern by pass ring road (A34) in 1973 formed a major division in the parish effectively splitting in two and separating the village from the Hinksey Hill. The significance of the fragmentation effect on the habitats for wildlife is probably fairly large although no research has been undertaken to assess this. For people and vehicles the only two locations for crossing the main highway are at Hinksey Hill Interchange and over the South Hinksey bridge near the entrance to the golf course. Such connections are not suited for local animal migration and have also disrupted previous farmland activities and diverted the original local footpath alignments.