The Cotswolds are no stranger to the spotlight. The idyllic region, which was granted National Landscape status in 1966, has long been a “bucket list” destination for many travellers; Its golden villages and fields surrounded by dry stone walls are the picture of English rural romanticism. However, the majority of visitors to the Cotswolds go to a small number of places such as Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold and Broadway.
These are all excellent examples of Cotswold villages, but they are overcrowded and understaffed, and they are all located in Gloucestershire or Worcestershire. If you take a Beeline to Bourtons and Broadways you’ll miss out on a corner of the Cotswolds that’s quietly brimming with brilliance: it’s finally time to give the Oxfordshire Cotswolds the attention it deserves.
This area certainly attracts visitors. But visitors to the far east of the Cotswolds tend to congregate in two main places: Woodstock, for a tour of the giant Blenheim Palace, and Burford, with its sloping high street. On the former, too many tourists will only see the Duke of Marlborough’s magnificent mansion, missing the quaint little working town next door, and on the latter, it’s still easily overlooked if you’re bombing the A40 through Cheltenham. landscapes.
Everything in between, from tiny chocolate box villages that might put the likes of Bibury and Broadway to shame, to the luxury hotels and restaurants that make London money, remains largely untouched by the mass tourism that plagues popular areas. of this National Landscape. But maybe it won’t last long; There are new things about this neglected part of the Cotswolds that make it worth a linger, and there are plenty of other attractions that have been here since the beginning and are just waiting for their turn in the spotlight.
The most famous recent development is undoubtedly Estelle Manor, a massive resort set in and around an imposing mansion just outside Witney and the Cotswolds. You may recognize the name from Maison Estelle, London’s seductively secretive private members’ club, owned by entrepreneur Sharan Pasricha. Their new outpost in Oxfordshire has 108 bedrooms, a handful of luxury homes, a heated outdoor pool, padel and tennis courts, an archery range, a kids’ club, a high-tech AI-powered gym and a new gym coming soon. An upcoming hammam that promises to be far superior to other spas in the area. this is precious white water lily location.
Don’t get too excited thinking you’ll stop by for lunch at one of three restaurants or enjoy a day trip to the spa. This is an exclusive event for overnight guests and members, so you’ll either need to find a room (from £450 in low season) or join the waiting list to become a paying member for just £3,600 per year. – plus £500 participation fee. Sound a little familiar? That’s because Estelle Manor isn’t the only private members’ club setting up a new home in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds: Soho House arrived here in 2015 and has been turning away non-members ever since.
Fortunately, not all parts of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds are so exclusive, as I learned during a January morning spent with the spirited Victoria Proffitt-White. Long is an Oxfordshire native from Hanborough and has been leading tours in the Cotswolds since 2021. Cotswold Teacup Tours don’t restrict trips to just the Oxfordshire area, but have become a regular feature on Proffitt-White’s most popular itineraries because they’re packed with little to no attractions to visit. “I’ll go to Bourton if I have to,” he told me, “but I’m trying to steer people away from the more popular areas.”
It was a crisp Saturday morning when he piled me into his red-and-white VW van and took me for an early walk to Widford church. It’s certainly not an exclusive place – anyone can visit and the 40-minute walk to Burford is delightful – but that day felt like it was ours alone, as there wasn’t a soul to be seen apart from a couple walking their dog. their prancing, fleece-swaddled hounds.
“The church was part of a whole community during the Middle Ages, but it was largely destroyed during the plague epidemic in the 1300s, and now it is the only complete structure left,” he told me, surveying rolling pastures marked by the occasional pothole. dilapidated house. It’s one of many places he’ll bring to visitors looking for a slice of the “real” Cotswolds, and he says his Oxfordshire corner is the best place to find just that.
On our way back to Burford we met Deputy Mayor Michael Taubenheim outside the eccentric Greyhounds B&B, which has some of the best gardens in the Cotswolds. He told how the town, which has long sold itself as the “gateway to the Cotswolds”, was founded along a major highway and was once thriving, but a bypass was built in the 1800s and the coaching inns and shops were left to decline. But today, he says, business is looking up, with 64 of the town’s 68 shops (including five of his own) run by independents and plenty of footfall on its high streets.
“The busiest year I’ve ever had was last year,” he told me. Maybe it’s the influence of Estelle Manor, or maybe it’s because visitors to the Cotswolds are tired of wandering around the crowds and want something a little different. This was the word Richard Martin used to describe him when I visited his shops and exhibitions at Cotswold Woolen Weavers.
“West Oxfordshire has always been different,” he told me. “It’s very nice, but it’s a workplace. “There are some people who like that chocolate box thing, and they don’t care if it bumps into people and it’s artificial in some ways, but there are people who like the idea of coming to a place that’s so beautiful and welcoming, but it’s actually more real.”
However, you can also find a box of chocolates here. Villages such as Churchill, Kingham and Minster Lovell are just as beautiful as their counterparts in Gloucestershire. Even Burford is its own version of chocolate-box beauty, thanks in part to its 19th-century ring road; The Victorians paid almost no attention to the town after the new road was built, meaning that most of the 16th and 17th century buildings remained untouched.
And tucked away behind one of the town’s unassuming, centuries-old facades is perhaps the most exciting new opening in all of Oxfordshire: the Bull. Not bull. Not the Bull at Burford. Just Bull is an 18-room hotel from the enigmatic mind of PR boss Matthew Freud, who has been with Burford since 2008. It opened in late 2023 and, like the rest of the county, is leaning toward doing things differently.
Its corridors are lined with impressive artworks by Grayson Perry and Damien Hirst, including the controversial artist’s chess table that you can sit on as you ascend to your room, and the bedrooms have a sort of organic, stripped-down luxury feel. a few unusual touches (hello, wardrobe wine cabinet).
There’s a 10-course tasting menu at omakase restaurant Hiro, a fire-based, al fresco, all-weather (under toilet cover) dining experience at Wild, and a communal dining concept restaurant called Horn that’s open only on Friday and Saturday nights. For lunch on Sundays. The property has brought a new level of innovative and luxurious hospitality to a classic, chocolate-box-worthy Cotswolds town.
Left field luxury aside, most of us just want a cozy pub to relax in, and the Oxfordshire Cotswolds have pubs galore. The Lionhearth Group has three boozers worth visiting; all loved by local communities in Churchill, Ascott-under-Wychwood and Salford. Even on a wet Friday night in January, getting a table at the Black Horse was a struggle. . And in Woodstock, if you can pull yourself away from the sepia-toned Blenheim Palace, or better yet, off the road altogether, there’s the fabulous Back Lane Tavern, serving internationally inspired small plates.
Pair all this with some fascinating local attractions, such as the ancient Rollright Stones or the North Leigh Roman Villa, or the FarmED complex, where regenerative growing and farming fuels its own excellent little cafe (come on Fridays for a guided tour), and there’s plenty to love about the Oxfordshire Cotswolds.
In fact, there is so much to do here that I would go so far as to say that there is no need to go beyond the district borders. Sure, Bourton may have all those beautiful bridges, but when you’ve got the ostentatious luxury of Estelle Manor, the quirkiness of Burford’s Greyhounds and Bull and all those buzzing country pubs, plus the opportunity to stop off in the historic city of Oxford on the way here – why bother should I? I wouldn’t. Instead you’ll find me playing chess by the fire at the Bull.
Fundamentals
Where to stay
The Bull at Burford (bullburford.com) is by far the most exciting new accommodation in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, with doubles from £300 including breakfast. For something a little more low-key, the Black Horse in Salford (lionhearth.co.uk/the-black-horse) has a charming self-catering cottage in the beer garden from £185 per night, including a breakfast hamper. it also offers a grill-based menu and serves the best Hasselback potatoes outside of Sweden. The Swan in Ascott-under-Wychwood (lionhearth.co.uk/the-swan) offers reasonably priced rooms from £99 per night including breakfast.
where to eat
Bull in Charlbury gets rave reviews from locals for its flame-cooked dishes. Sunday roasts are a must at The Checkers in beautiful Churchill; Kingham Plow and Feathered Nest Country Inn are two highly praised local pubs.
To wander
Charlbury railway station has direct links to London and transfers are available if you’re staying in the Bull. Commuting to the Cotswolds is easy but parking can be difficult. Bespoke tours with Victoria Proffitt-White of Cotswold Teacup Tours (cotswoldteacuptours.com) cost £425 for six people and offer an insightful and stress-free experience.