Burford

They say that Burford is one of the most picturesque medieval towns in England and I don’t think they are wrong! As you drive in to this beautiful town, the Cotswold stone is all around you, with the most gorgeous houses and buildings to take in. It’s situated on a hill and as you descend down the hill the far reaching views ahead are quite simply stunning! The rolling countryside that surrounds this town makes for a really lovely drive in. About an hour’s drive from Oxford, with the nearest train station being Shipton (you’ll need to take a cab from here or it’s a 1 hr 45min walk), I’d allow a good day to really enjoy the relaxation of the place or use it as part of a bigger Cotswold town exploration.

A town that is situated on the River Windrush, it falls into Oxfordshire situated between Oxford and Cheltenham and is considered the gateway to the Cotswolds. I’ve visited many towns in the area and I have many more to go but this one I love the most. There’s something very classy and unique about it, as well as welcoming. Founded in middle Saxon times, it began as an agricultural village and grew into a market town in the early 12th century. It grew in popularity due to it’s market status, drawing in tradesmen, who in turn required a place to lodge.

So here are my shout out’s and still to go to’s in Burford…

Walkers

Whether you want to take a guided town walk that offers up some facts about the buildings, or you just want to wander and get lost in the streets, you can easily while away some time. With 5 churches in Burford, there’s plenty to explore and find. There’s a Windrush Valley walk as well as a 5 mile Great Barrington to Burford walk if you are looking for something longer. During the winter, we wandered through some of the back streets and uphill, until we found a field to walk through and looped back around. With the church steeples visible from afar, they offered us a pointer to get back to and it was really nice to find our own way around. Tackle the hill and test your fitness levels; a great way to walk off a meal and take in those views. And whether you class it as sight-seeing or walking, either way you’re in for a real treat if you like pretty cottages!

Shoppers

There are actually quite a few different shops in this high street, from antiques to boutique clothing stores, cheese and gifts. I love going into so many of them, often! Some that I always enjoy wandering around are Country House Gifts which is just lovely, the vintage store Burford Emporium, The Oxford Shirt Company (so much bigger than it looks from the front and has a great selection of items) and definitely have a look around the Manfred Schotten antiques store – some incredible things to see there). Leave time in your schedule to visit the Burford Garden Company on your way home, it’s just amazing!

Drinkers

You won’t fail to find a fair few pubs on this high street, many of which serve food too. Some of the ones I’ve enjoyed in the past were the Highway Inn, the Lamb Inn (BEAUTIFUL to sit and have a nice drink in, in the winter) and the Cotswold Arms. All quaint and lovely!

In terms of where I’d still like to go, I would love to say I’d eaten and had a drink in each one, just to have tried them all!

Deli’s / Cafe’s

If you are looking for something light or on the go, there’s so much choice. Whether you pull together your lunch from The Cotswold Cheese Company at one end of the high street and / or the fantastic Mrs Bumbles of Burford Delicatesson at the other (which would be highly recommended by me on a sunny day) or you sit in at Huffkins or the Priory I think you will be very impressed! Don’t forget about Burford Garden Centre – it’s cafe does some pretty incredible cakes too.

Still on my list to try out:
Honeycotts Coffee and Shakes
Lynwood & Co

Restaurants

I feel very fortunate to have eaten some amazing meals in Burford, but my tip is that you really need to book! I’ve been caught short and ended up disappointed a few times in the early years of coming here. It’s popularity soars in the summer and so I hope I can help you make some early decisions. I loved the Lamb Inn, as I mentioned earlier; fantastic food and service. I also loved our fish and chips at the Highway Inn, which is a lovely cosy place. We also had a stand out roast dinner at the Angel at Burford and lovely food at the Mermaid Inn.

I missed out on getting more than a drink at the
Bay Tree Restaurant, the gardens were so pretty but there were no tables free when we tried to dine there but the drink and service was great so I’m linking it!
Carpenters Arms, just out of the town but has amazing reviews
Spice Lounge Burford

Hotels

My heart has to belong to the Angel At Burford. I celebrated getting a new job while I was here and the staff were unbelievably lovely and attentive. As I mentioned before, the food was stand out and our room was just so comfortable, clean and quiet. Being off of the main high street but with free on street parking and also, seconds walk from the street, it was the perfect location for us. Sometimes you wonder if you’ll get a good sleep at a pub hotel but this was just great. There’s also b&b’s dotted about on the way in and airbnb’s so worth scoping out if you want to stay centrally or a little bit out of the way.

Places I’d love to stay:
Given how pretty it is, I think The Bay Tree Restaurant is on my list. Also the Highway Inn, based on how friendly the staff are. To splash out, I’d love to try the Burford House hotel. It does look pretty special!

Sightseeing

You could really start at the top of the hill and work your way down to see a few very interesting parts. Have a look at Reavley, England’s oldest pharmacy which was once a pub and then became an apothercary. The churches, especially St John the Baptist are really lovely to look at and taking a circular walk from Burford to Witney (or Witney to Burford if you read my blog post about this nearby town!) are great ways to see some lovely sights.

Given it’s prominent position, I still haven’t made it to the Tolsey Museum but that is on my list.
Also nearby is the Cotswold Wildlife Park

Would I go back?

I go here less because I have things I’ve yet to see, but more from a familiarity point of view. I have never been disappointed with a visit and it gives me that feel-good top up whenever I get there. It’s such a lovely day trip and it will make you feel reluctant to leave, so try to justify an overnight stay if you can. I’ve visited in the winter where the cotswold stone absolutely stood starkly out against the white snow and I’ve wandered about in the height of summer. In fact, we were seriously contemplating moving here at one point; the price tags are high and we were looking for that shoe box starter home to get our foot in the door. It’s not yet materialised, so for now we will blissfully make do with visits. I 100% recommend you take a drive over to this town and I hope you love it when you get there.