Oxfordshire

Explore this gem of a county set between the stunning Cotswold and Chiltern Hills.

The beautiful county of Oxfordshire sits securely between the Cotswold Hills and the Chiltern Hills with the River Thames meandering through the centre. The countryside has much to offer the visitor with the rolling Cotswold Hills and the chalk hills of the Chilterns as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is here that the mysterious Uffington White Horse dominates the landscape, carved into the chalk of the hillside and visible for miles around. The ancient Ridgeway runs past here, following the same route used by travellers since prehistoric times. The county is perhaps most famous for its county town of Oxford, ‘city of dreaming spires’. Top things to do in Oxfordshire include a punt on the River Cherwell in Oxford for a student's-eye view of highbrow colleges, walks though rambling deer parks, botanic gardens and lush meadows, and jaunts to Henley-on-Thames to see varsity teams row in posh regattas. Walkers amble between stony Cotswold villages like Witney and Woodstock, and tread ridgeways over the Chiltern Hills as red kites swoop overhead. Meanwhile, shoppers spend happy days lost in Bicester’s designer outlets and old-school covered markets.