Explore Amazing Locations Close to the Hut
Local walks: There are many Ordnance Survey maps in the Hut for your use. Local walks can get you down to the Thames path to spot the cute Lock Keeper’s Cottage and then onto the Trout at Tadpole Bridge pub for a pint. Or they could take you up through the fields, past a stunning Palladian mansion to the village of Buckland where you could eat lunch at The Lamb, our favourite gastro-pub.
Aston Pottery: A multi-award winning pottery, gift shop, café and gardens. Offering something for visitors all year-round, it’s a fabulous place for all ages to spend an afternoon. Discover more (15 min drive)
Bampton: The Cotswold village of Bampton doubled as the fictional village of Downton in the hit drama series ‘Downton Abbey’. Many of the houses, church and pub exteriors have been used in the filming. The village has a map of a walking tour one can do to spot Downton highlights, and it also has a superb butcher, a sweet cake shop and my favourite garden centre (and I have visited many!) which is a delight for anyone with green fingers and also houses an exceptional cafe. You can view the Downton Abbey Cotswold Leaflet (10 min drive)
Burford: Burford’s famous High Street sweeps downhill towards the River Windrush, its three-arched medieval bridge and its impressive church, both sides of the street flanked by an unbroken line of ancient houses and shops. Little has changed over the centuries, Burford is popular with visitors, both for its beauty and history but also for its shopping, especially antiques, and for the wide variety of places to eat, with restaurants, pubs and teashops. Here you can visit a hotel frequented by King Charles and Nell Gwynn, dine where Nelson dined or visit England’s oldest pharmacy, a chemist’s since 1734. Discover more (30 min drive)
Buscot Park: Fine, 18th-century National Trust mansion with water gardens and art by Rembrandt, Rubens and pre-Raphaelites. Beautiful gardens and lakes, as well as many impressive rooms to admire and a fascinating history. Discover more (18 min drive)
Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens: Get eye-to-eye with giraffe, watch rhinos grazing on Gothic Manor House lawns or walk with Lemurs. With over 260 different animal species in over 120 acres of beautiful parkland and gardens, there's plenty of space to relax and get closer to wildlife! Discover more (30 min drive)
Faringdon: The closest market town, it has a real community feel and some excellent shops. (10 min drive)
Folly Tower: Can be spotted from the Hut on the far horizon. This unique unusual 100ft Tower is Faringdon’s icon and the last major folly to be built in England. The Tower sits on Folly Hill, within a charming 4 acre, circular woodland of splendid Scots Pine and broadleaf trees, some more than 200 years old. Check out the fantastic views over 5 counties and find out about the history of Folly Hill, Henry James Pye (of Sing a Song of Sixpence fame), Oliver Cromwell and the very eccentric Lord Berners (the creator of the tower). Discover more (10 min drive or the enthusiastic can walk!)
Kelmscott Manor: This was the home of William Morris, the iconic British designer and father of the Arts & Crafts movement. When Morris first saw the Manor in 1871, he was delighted by this 'loveliest haunt of ancient peace'; he signed a joint lease for the property with his friend and colleague Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the Pre-Raphaelite artist. From April to October, the Manor is open every Wednesday and Saturday, 11.00am to 5.00pm. Don’t miss the tea shop! Discover more (20 min drive)
Oxford: The dreaming spires of Oxford delight visitors of all ages, and there are a wealth of colleges, museums and parks to explore. The Botanical Gardens are exquisite and the Ashmolean Museum can provide hours of entertainment. Attending a choral evensong is another wonderful activity. Here are the Top Ten things to do in Oxford (35 min drive)