Burford – a town in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds

Ranked high in the ‘prettiest' stakes, this is a town built on a hill, most of the houses being on the main street with some small side streets off. Coming from the north you cross a four arched medieval bridge over the River Windrush and the water meadows below. Little has changed in many hundreds of years, probably helped by the fact that William Morris, who visited the town in 1876 founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Visit the very interesting church and tiny High Street museum (possibly the smallest in Britain?) and as you wander upwards past architectural gems of buildings, indulge in some antique browsing and a meal in a pub or restaurant.

Nearby villages to visit : Shipton Under Wychwood and, also on the Windrush, Minster Lovell (which deserves a place of its own in my future guide to the North Cotswolds)

Nearby Attractions: The Cotswold Wildlife Park for children and all animal lovers who like to see wild animals with s-p --a -c -e to roam; The Burford Garden Company. Head up the hill out of Burford taking the turning to Oxford and then Carterton just after the roundabout,- visitors to our cottage www.houfy.com/1016 have been particularly pleased to have discovered this treasure trove of shopping opportunity (not just garden stuff) and the place to find that perfect present. There is good eating here as well in a large restaurant. To conclude your trip out you could go on to visit the magnificent Buscot Park, with stunning gardens, woodland and parkland https://www.buscot-park.com/ or the fascinating collections at Kelmscott Manor, https://www.sal.org.uk/kelmscott-manor/ where William Morris, Father of the Arts and Crafts movement lived.