Things to do

Blenheim Palace

Poppy and Graham are your local tourist information experts! There is so much to see and do near here…including the majestic Blenheim Palace above. There are 7 National Trust (NT) properties to see, and 8 other great houses, world famous gardens, Cotswolds villages by the dozen,  marvellous walks and cycling,  you will be so pleased you came! It is always best to Google and check opening days and times and plan your visit,.

Uplands House is perfectly placed for a tour of the Cotswolds with its many old and historic market towns, villages and curiosities of every kind. Upton House is just across the road, with its great collections of furniture, porcelain, silver and pictures, and wonderful garden. From Uplands House you can explore the  Stratford on Avon of Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway and go to the theatre. You can visit Oxford with its many medieval colleges,  and Blenheim Palace, in nearby Woodstock, see above, home to the Dukes of Marlborough.

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle

Other fine attractions are the 11th  century Warwick Castle,   open nearly every day, Charlecote Park, (NT), the splendid Tudor mansion and home of the Lucy Family since 1247, with a garden landscaped by Capability Brown in 1760, and of course Broughton Castle, modernised in 1554, and reflected in a beautiful moat, the ancestral home of the Saye and Sele family for the past 6 centuries which includes the Fiennes – famous actors and explorers. For art lovers visit Compton Verney, built by Robert Adam in the 1760s, which boasts a wonderful art gallery, various other collections, and a constantly changing exhibition.

Chastleton House

Chastleton House

Go and see the Jacobean Chastleton  House, (NT), set in a garden rich in topiary, or the 18th century Farnborough Hall, with its amazing plaster work. Canons Ashby, a beautiful Elizabethan mansion was built by the Dryden family from stone used in the previous Augustine priory on the same site, and set in a wonderful garden. Fascinating too is  the Tudor Sulgrave Manor, George Washington’s

Ragley Hall

Ragley Hall

ancestral home. Also nearby are two other great private houses. You can visit the charming Palladian mansion Ragley Hall, home to Lord Hertford and his family for the past 9 generations, with its splendid murals and history, and  the 15th century  Coughton Courtthe Tudor base of the Throckmorton family for 600 years (including Guy Fawkes), with its priests’ hidden room, and an enchanting 3 acre walled garden.  Quite superb is the 15th century Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe, visited by Henry V111, Queen Katherine Parr,  Queen Elizabeth 1, and Cromwell’s troops to name  a few, set in a series of historic show gardens, certainly among the finest in Britain. Then, nearby, are  two more National Trust  properties, open all year round, which youcan visit on the same day, the Elizabethan Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton.

Packwood House

Packwood House

Sezincote

Sezincote

Baddesley Clinton

Baddesley Clinton

The gardens of  Sezincote, Bourton Hill House, KiftsgateHidcote  and Evenley Wood near Brackley are  all within easy reach and are pleasant drives  through glorious countryside.

Markets There is a weekly market on Tuesdays in Moreton- in- Marsh, selling plants, food, clothing, rugs, shoes and bags etc.  and in the beautiful village of Deddington, there is a food market every 4th Saturday of the month with a great variety of foods on about 40 stalls.

Shopping You could wander around the antique shops of Moreton in Marsh, Stow on the Wold, Chipping Campden, Chipping Norton (in the Old Woollen Mill, with the tall chimney) and Broadway, and stroll through the Slaughters and the Swells, or take in the Zoo near Burford. The famous Bicester Village just two stops down the motorway is a heaven for clothes including Gucci, Ferragamo and other well known labels.

Well worth a visit are the Whichford Pottery, the  Arboretum at Batsford Park and   the eccentric collections at Snowshill Manor. (NT)

Dalesford Organics is renowned for its fine quality foods and other shops and a great place for lunch.

The Rollright Stones, a megalithic hilltop circle, and  the famous model village at Bourton-on-the-Water and its Motor Museum are short drives away, as is the National Exhibition Centre, and the Royal Show Ground at Stoneleigh Park.  For car enthusiasts see also the Motor Museum at Gaydon.

Joseph’s Amazing Camels Is the only company in the UK specialising in camels.  Started in 2000 by Joseph and Rebecca Fossett we provide camel racing, camel polo, camel rides, camel trekking, the Three Kings and their Camels at Christmas, film ,TV, stage and photo shoots, promotions, corporate entertainment, team building, weddings, parties and camels for all occasions. Visitors can try Camel Riding near Halford, call: 01608 661367

For those who like horse racing there are courses at Warwick, Stratford and Cheltenham, and for motor racing Silverstone is nearby.

For the energetic, tennis, and riding are available nearby. Guests can ride Camels near Halford, Clay Pigeon Shooting can be tried or practised at Nadbury House, Edgehill. Golf

GolfWe have a special relationship with   Tadmarton Golf Club. The course occupies a delightful location with lovely views over the rolling Cotswold hills and countryside to Broughton Castle and Church. Staff are friendly and helpful, and golfers enjoy coming here. Guests booking through us will get a discount off the green fees.

For Children  there is riding at Radway Stables, the Butterfly Farm at Stratford on Avon, playing fields with swings nearby, and they can watch lambing from April to Mid May locally.