Things To Do & See

• For golf fanatics, there are courses at Burford, Chipping Norton and Witney

• For a spot of clay pigeon shooting, head to Oxfordshire Shooting School in Enstone. The state of the art shooting ground is open to all, catering for complete beginners to the experienced shot.

• Fancy exploring the Cotswolds villages on horseback? Bourton Vale Equestrian offers hour-long circular horse rides around the beautiful Upper and Lower Slaughter.

• The Cheltenham Festival kicks off the jump racing season in March with the excitement of the Gold Cup and the International Horse Trials at Cornbury House and Blenheim in early September are both fabulous day outs.

• If horses aren’t your thing, Blenheim also hosts the annual Salon Prive, on the first weekend of September, showcasing some of the rarest classic cars.

• An array of water pursuits and activities are available at the Cotswold Water Park. These include paddling boarding, sailing, water skiing, an inflatable obstacle course, kayaks, and lake swimming from the beach.

• Cotswold Electric bike tour offer a relaxing way to explore the beautiful and surprisingly hilly Cotswold countryside! and for adventurous teens, Far Peak Climbing, offers fantastic indoor and outdoor climbing facilities.

Bamford Wellness Spa at Daylesford Organic Farm, is a gorgeous luxury spa that’ll leave you feeling totally relaxed. The spa focuses on holistic therapies which ensure your body and mind are in the best state to relax, unwind, and repair.

The Meadow Spa at Thyme is a sheer haven of restorative calm and tranquillity. This botanical spa is a place of mindfulness and contemplation with a diverse menu of treatments and therapies.

For the ultimate indulgence, why not treat yourself to a massage at the house with Nadine Mills who offers full body and Indian Head massages.

Burford Garden Company is a haven for homeware, plants and interiors with a bustling café serving delicious lunches and teas.

Stow-on-the-Wold has many lovely shops, galleries and a gluttony of antique shops to browse. 

Fancy a tipple? The Cotswolds Distillery offers tours and tastings as well as a whisky or gin blending masterclass and is a lovely lunch spot too.

The traditional and historic market town of Woodstock is a lovely place to visit, with great independent shops and cafes, with Blenheim Palace just a 10-minute walk away and Bladon, the site of Winston Churchill’s grave, 1.5 miles from the town centre.

For serious shoppers, Bicester Village  offers more than 150 luxury fashion and lifestyle boutiques along with lots of eateries including Soho House Farm Shop Cafe and Cecconi's.

The Cotswolds Wildlife Park is always a fun-filled day out. Home to lions, giraffes, rhinos, limas as well as another 260 different animals, spend a day here in the stunning landscaped parklands and gardens. 

Adam Henson’s Cotswolds Farm Park is a fabulous day out where your little ones can feed the farm animals, pedal on the tractors and enjoy the playground.

The Model Village in Bourton on the Water is a little gem and makes for great photos. The one-ninth scale replica is a charming and exquisitely detailed representation of the Cotswold town, and even has a model village within the model village! Birdland and Crocodiles of the Worldare close by if you fancy a visit whilst you’re there.

Cogges Manor Farm (20 mins) perhaps better known as Yew Tree Farm in Downton Abbey, hosts lots of events throughout the year, in the grounds of their Grade II listed manor building. Enjoy a gentle walk through the meadow and woodland areas, have a picnic in the gardens, explore the farm house and pet the farm animals, for an enjoyable day out.

Experience the joy of Giffords Circus as its red and white striped big top visits different Cotswold hotspots during the summer months. Young and old will love this magical village green circus and their fabulous troupe of performers.

From fine dining, gastro pubs to fantastic private chefs who’ll cook up a treat at the house. These are some of our personal favourites: 

• Standing on the corner of Sheep Street since the early 1500s and in spitting distance from the house, The Bull is a fabulous pub, serving good beer and a menu centred around open fire cooking.

• The Hare is a cosy pub with a beautiful interior, offering everything from cask ales to three-course suppers. Famous for their marine cuisine board, stuffed full of seafood, delivered daily from Devon and Cornwall.

• Part of the Daylesford empire, The Wild Rabbit has an award-winning kitchen producing traditional British cooking with a contemporary twist, using seasonal ingredients from the market garden at Daylesford Farm. It’s more restaurant than pub for those who want a fine dining experience. Their sister pub, The Bell in our very own Charlbury is also very good.

• Visit Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop, in the next door village of Chadlington or why not visit his pub The Farmers Dog and try a pint of their Hawkstone beer.

• With a wonderful 3 star rosette restaurant and an outdoor terrace with incredible views over the Evenlode Valley, The Feathered Nest offers fine dining at its best in the heart of the Cotswolds.

• One of our favourites, The Swan Inn in Ascott under Wychwood, is stuffed full of character and has a fabulous garden terrace for summer dining. Their sister pubs The Chequers in Churchill and The Black Horse in Salford are also very good and worth visiting.

• Festival season comes to the Cotswolds with Charlbury hosting not one but three festivals! Kicking of the summer is the Charlbury Beer Festival followed swiftly with the Riverside Music Festival, a firm favourite attracting over 30 acts playing over three stages and is completely free.

• August sees Wilderness come to town. Set in the idyllic grounds of Cornbury Park Estate, the Wilderness Festival spans music, the arts, food and wellbeing.

• In late August, the Big Feastival at Alex James' farm in Kingham brings together music from the UK’s biggest artists to his farm alongside a smorgasbord of delicious food and an abundance of family friendly activities.

• Blenheim is host to an array of brilliant summer events. Nocturne Live kicks off June with a sparkling line up of bands and musicians performing over five nights on the lawns in front of the Palace. July sees The Battle of the Proms Picnic Concert. Complete with spitfire flyovers, cannons and cavalry, it's one of the season’s highlights.

Revel in the colourful Spring and Autumnal displays at Batsford Arboretum,  head to Blenheim in July for their Annual Flower Show and marvel at the stunning grounds at Christmas when the house and gardens are transformed into an illuminated magical wonderland.

Summer is a great time to visit the many country houses and enjoy the colourful garden displays. Chastleton House, Rousham House, Hidcote Manor and Sudeley Castle are just a few you could visit.