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Oxford - your starter for 10

Attractions and interesting things to do near Sansome House Cottage

Golf courses within easy reach of Ilmington, Shipston on Stour and Chipping Campden

Rainy day outings in the North Cotswolds

Winter in the Cotswolds

Day trips from Ilmington (North Cotswolds) by car

Insider tips for visitors to the North Cotswolds and Shakespeare Country

Eating out in the North Cotswolds (pub guide to follow soon)

Cotswolds cottage for 4 Ilmington 2 bed/2 bath

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Dublinletfor2 Your home in the City

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3. SNOWSHILL/BROADWAY/STANTON AND STANWAYUpdated May 2021Distance from Ilmington and our cottage (www.houfy.com/1016) to  Snowshill: 10 milesSnowshill

Snowshill Manor and Garden

3. SNOWSHILL/BROADWAY/STANTON AND STANWAYUpdated May 2021Distance from Ilmington and our cottage (<a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.houfy.com/1016">www.houfy.com/1016</a>) to Snowshill: 10 milesSnowshill is an attractive village with Snowshill Manor at its heart. a classic country house and treasure trove: it contains the extraordinary and fascinating collection of objects made by Charles Wade, the architect. The gardens are an Arts and Crafts delight. It is quite a walk from the entrance to the house, so they provide little buggies to ferry those not able or inclined to walk (or if it is raining hard) that distance.In July/August the lavender fields nearby, are in bloom, and you pass them on the way there from our rental cottage <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.houfy.com/1016">www.houfy.com/1016</a> near Chipping Campden. There is a café attached to the lavender farm which sells delicious lavender shortbread as well as lavender soaps, bags, and other lavender related things. The lavender fields are not properly visible from the road anymore, so you have to pay to visit them. You will still be able to smell them though, even if you don’t go in!On that day, you might like to take in Broadway Tower (the view from there is said to be of 16 counties on a clear day but it is pretty spectacular on any day). The tower contains an exhibition on William Morris (who came here on holiday) and, also on the nuclear bunkers of the Royal Observer Corps – with one such bunker on site and open to visitors on weekends.Broadway village is a large pretty village with lovely buildings, but it is quite touristy in the summer (not as bad as Bourton on the Water though!) It is a big village, like Chipping Campden, architecturally, but with a very wide main street and lots of shops. In the early 20th century John Singer Sargent, Edmund Gosse and Henry James were just some of the artists and writers who gathered here. The Arts and Crafts set too. The furniture designer Gordon Russell grew up in Broadway and had a workshop here, which is now museum of design. The Asmolean museum of Oxford has a ‘little brother’ here – a small museum in the High Street, set in a Tudor mansion. The shopping is great in the High Street too and you won’t go hungry with many hotels, restaurants and tearooms to choose from.On this outing you can also visit Stanton village and Stanway House (check opening hours online). Stanton village is lovely and there is a great walk from Stanton to Stanway or in the opposite direction (my cottage &#x27;hikes&#x27; file gives details of this and many other walks in the area). Stanway House is open on limited days and they have the largest gravity fed fountain in Europe.You might like to have a drink or lunch or a summer evening meal at The Plough at Ford, an attractive pub much frequented by the jockeys and trainers in the area and it has a fire in the winter on cold days and tables in the garden in summer. Alternatively, try the Mount Inn at Stanton.

In July/August the lavender fields nearby, are in bloom, and you pass them on the way there from our rental cottage <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.houfy.com/1016">www.houfy.com/1016</a> near Chipping Campden. There is a café attached to the lavender farm which sells delicious lavender shortbread as well as lavender soaps, bags, and other lavender related things. The lavender fields are not properly visible from the road anymore, so you have to pay to visit them. You will still be able to smell them though, even if you don’t go in!On that day, you might like to take in Broadway Tower (the view from there is said to be of 16 counties on a clear day but it is pretty spectacular on any day). The tower contains an exhibition on William Morris (who came here on holiday) and, also on the nuclear bunkers of the Royal Observer Corps – with one such bunker on site and open to visitors on weekends.Broadway village is a large pretty village with lovely buildings, but it is quite touristy in the summer (not as bad as Bourton on the Water though!) It is a big village, like Chipping Campden, architecturally, but with a very wide main street and lots of shops. In the early 20th century John Singer Sargent, Edmund Gosse and Henry James were just some of the artists and writers who gathered here. The Arts and Crafts set too. The furniture designer Gordon Russell grew up in Broadway and had a workshop here, which is now museum of design. The Asmolean museum of Oxford has a ‘little brother’ here – a small museum in the High Street, set in a Tudor mansion. The shopping is great in the High Street too and you won’t go hungry with many hotels, restaurants and tearooms to choose from.On this outing you can also visit Stanton village and Stanway House (check opening hours online). Stanton village is lovely and there is a great walk from Stanton to Stanway or in the opposite direction (my cottage &#x27;hikes&#x27; file gives details of this and many other walks in the area). Stanway House is open on limited days and they have the largest gravity fed fountain in Europe.You might like to have a drink or lunch or a summer evening meal at The Plough at Ford, an attractive pub much frequented by the jockeys and trainers in the area and it has a fire in the winter on cold days and tables in the garden in summer. Alternatively, try the Mount Inn at Stanton.

3. SNOWSHILL/BROADWAY/STANTON AND STANWAYUpdated May 2021Distance from Ilmington and our cottage (<a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.houfy.com/1016">www.houfy.com/1016</a>) to Snowshill: 10 milesSnowshill is an attractive village with Snowshill Manor at its heart. a classic country house and treasure trove: it contains the extraordinary and fascinating collection of objects made by Charles Wade, the architect. The gardens are an Arts and Crafts delight. It is quite a walk from the entrance to the house, so they provide little buggies to ferry those not able or inclined to walk (or if it is raining hard) that distance.

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2. WORCESTER  CITY:  PORCELAIN MUSEUM Worcester WR1 2ND /HISTORIC WORCESTERtogether with a visit to other city museums and Elgar’s Birthplace.A

Museum of Royal Worcester

2. WORCESTER CITY: PORCELAIN MUSEUM Worcester WR1 2ND /HISTORIC WORCESTERtogether with a visit to other city museums and Elgar’s Birthplace.A series of Self Guided Driving Tours to places of interest in the North Cotswolds and beyondUpdated May 2021Distance from Ilmington and our cottage (<a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.houfy.com/1016">www.houfy.com/1016</a>) : 28 milesThe Worcester Porcelain Museum (<a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="https://www.museumofroyalworcester.org/">https://www.museumofroyalworcester.org/</a>) is open all year round except for Sundays and Bank Holidays. See their website for the Worcester Heritage Walk which you can take directly from the old factory buildings. There is pay and display parking adjacent to the museum which you will find with putting WR1 2NE into your sat nav.The audio tour of the museum, which is included with the entry price takes you on a design journey as well as giving you the history of the famous factory, its talented workforce and everyday life. Rare porcelain is displayed in room settings and vignettes in the Georgian, Victorian and 20th century galleries. The introductory film features Henry Sandon of Antiques Roadshow fame. There is a Family Parlour to occupy the children. There is a factory shop from where you can buy some modern Worcester to take home.The museum is a three minute walk from the Cathedral of Worcester (free entrance – you have to pay for a tour) which is worth a visit.Worcester Cathedral is a magnificent sight as it rises majestically above the River Severn. Worcester has been the seat of a bishopric since the Seventh Century, and the Cathedral was served by monks until the Reformation. St Oswald and St Wulfstan were among the bishops. Since the Eighteenth Century, the Cathedral has been famous for its part in the annual Three Choirs Festival, the oldest choral festival in existence. Today the Cathedral is the centre of a vibrant community of clergy and laypeople, offering the praises of God each day, serving the city and diocese of Worcester, and attracting visitors from all over the world. Worcester, which lies prettily on the Severn River, featured prominently in the English Civil War (the last battle was fought here) and history buffs have much to explore in the city, not least the Tudor House Museum and the museum of the Civil War, The Commandry, both small, but worth a visit. Both are walking distance (3 minutes) from the porcelain museum so you can leave the car there. Another 5 minutes from the Commandery takes you to the Tudor House Museum. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in the centre of Worcester – probably best to look at a review site to pick one you will like. You may also like to visit Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum. Back in your car you can take a drive to Broadheath to visit The Firs, The Elgar Birthplace Museum, 4 miles from the factory.

The Worcester Porcelain Museum (<a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="https://www.museumofroyalworcester.org/">https://www.museumofroyalworcester.org/</a>) is open all year round except for Sundays and Bank Holidays. See their website for the Worcester Heritage Walk which you can take directly from the old factory buildings. There is pay and display parking adjacent to the museum which you will find with putting WR1 2NE into your sat nav.The audio tour of the museum, which is included with the entry price takes you on a design journey as well as giving you the history of the famous factory, its talented workforce and everyday life. Rare porcelain is displayed in room settings and vignettes in the Georgian, Victorian and 20th century galleries. The introductory film features Henry Sandon of Antiques Roadshow fame. There is a Family Parlour to occupy the children. There is a factory shop from where you can buy some modern Worcester to take home.The museum is a three minute walk from the Cathedral of Worcester (free entrance – you have to pay for a tour) which is worth a visit.Worcester Cathedral is a magnificent sight as it rises majestically above the River Severn. Worcester has been the seat of a bishopric since the Seventh Century, and the Cathedral was served by monks until the Reformation. St Oswald and St Wulfstan were among the bishops. Since the Eighteenth Century, the Cathedral has been famous for its part in the annual Three Choirs Festival, the oldest choral festival in existence. Today the Cathedral is the centre of a vibrant community of clergy and laypeople, offering the praises of God each day, serving the city and diocese of Worcester, and attracting visitors from all over the world. Worcester, which lies prettily on the Severn River, featured prominently in the English Civil War (the last battle was fought here) and history buffs have much to explore in the city, not least the Tudor House Museum and the museum of the Civil War, The Commandry, both small, but worth a visit. Both are walking distance (3 minutes) from the porcelain museum so you can leave the car there. Another 5 minutes from the Commandery takes you to the Tudor House Museum. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in the centre of Worcester – probably best to look at a review site to pick one you will like. You may also like to visit Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum. Back in your car you can take a drive to Broadheath to visit The Firs, The Elgar Birthplace Museum, 4 miles from the factory.

2. WORCESTER CITY: PORCELAIN MUSEUM Worcester WR1 2ND /HISTORIC WORCESTERtogether with a visit to other city museums and Elgar’s Birthplace.A series of Self Guided Driving Tours to places of interest in the North Cotswolds and beyondUpdated May 2021Distance from Ilmington and our cottage (<a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.houfy.com/1016">www.houfy.com/1016</a>) : 28 miles

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 1. BLENHEIM: EXPLORE THE PARK, GARDENS and PALACE, WOODSTOCK, Oxfordshire OX20 1PP together with THE TOWN OF WOODSTOCK + possibly OXFORD (covered

Palace Homepage

1. BLENHEIM: EXPLORE THE PARK, GARDENS and PALACE, WOODSTOCK, Oxfordshire OX20 1PP together with THE TOWN OF WOODSTOCK + possibly OXFORD (covered by another guide)Updated May 2021A series of Self-guided Driving Tours to places of interest in the North Cotswolds and beyond Distance from Ilmington: 22 milesAn easy drive from our cottage (<a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.houfy.com/1016">www.houfy.com/1016</a>). It takes about 30 minutes to get to Woodstock. Take the road to Oxford from our local small town of Shipston on Stour.Blenheim Palace <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="https://www.blenheimpalace.com">https://www.blenheimpalace.com</a> is open year round except between mid-December and mid-February when the palace itself is closed but the park remains open. In the Park, the illuminated Christmas Trail operates right over the Christmas period (closed on Christmas Day itself). You can visit just the park and gardens or Palace, park and gardens. The full ticket can be converted into an annual pass at no extra cost and there is no limit to the number of visits. It is easy to spend an entire day there so even if you are only staying a week in the area, you may want to come back and make it worth the quite high price of entry. It must be said here that if all you want to do is explore large parts of the Blenheim estate (mostly the wooded bit) on a walk, then you don&#x27;t have to pay at all but follow the map for the public rights of way through the estate. Here is how to find the entrance from Woodstock <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="https://www.freeblenheim.com/free-entry-to-blenheim/">https://www.freeblenheim.com/free-entry-to-blenheim/</a> or in this description from Walking Britiain, a different entrance to the park <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="https://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-3357-description">https://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-3357-description</a>Access to the Palace, park and gardens: You drive straight through the main gates on the Oxford side of Blenheim. Ask for &#x27;Park and Gardens&#x27; ticket at the kiosks on the drive if you do not want to see the Palace as well, but I recommend you include it. Parking is free. The ‘Park and Gardens’ tickets give you access to two thousand acres of stunning parkland, landscaped by Capability Brown, the formal Gardens, the lake, free train rides on the miniature train to the Pleasure Gardens and all attractions at the Pleasure Gardens including the Marlborough Maze, Adventure Play Area, the Butterfly House (closed from end of October) the lavender garden, and the &quot;Blenheim Bygones&quot; exhibition. It also includes entrance to the popular permanent exhibition - ‘Churchill&#x27;s Destiny’ - The story of the great war leader&#x27;s exhibition. You can also of course admire the outside of the Palace close up – a fine example of English Baroque architecture and home of the Dukes of Marlborough. Sir Winston Churchill was born here. It is an ideal (fair weather!) day out for children and adults alike. Small children would probably be bored by the interior of the Palace and the exhibitions but they love all there is to see and do in the grounds.Having exhausted yourselves with walking the gardens and parklands and maybe the Palace itself, you can have a very pleasant browse in the shop or eat at one of the restaurants. I recommend the Orangery for a &#x27;proper&#x27; lunch. You can then wander into the town of Woodstock itself, which is a charming North Cotswold town only a few miles from Oxford.If you don’t want to spend a whole day here, of course you can go into Oxford for the rest of the day and if you don’t want to negotiate central Oxford traffic you are probably best to park your car at Pear Tree roundabout Park and Ride and take the bus in. Get car park ticket from the cash machine – you don’t have to go back to the car as you input the registration number here. Pay the bus driver on the bus for the trip in – they have a ‘2 to go’ return fare which is discounted. In Oxford, see a college or two, Christ Church and Magdalen being the two most famous ones, visit the Sheldonian, go up Carfax tower or Oxford Castle. Perhaps spend some time in the wonderful bookshop - Blackwells in Broad Street. It is wise to do some research before visiting Oxford as there is so much to see and many interesting organized walking tours are possible.Another day, perhaps on the way to Blenheim again (having converted your ticket to an annual one), you could stop off at the Rollright Stones near Long Compton. <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/">http://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/</a> and further on divert to the picture postcard village of Great Tew to have lunch at the pretty thatched pub there, The Falkland Arms.

Blenheim Palace <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="https://www.blenheimpalace.com">https://www.blenheimpalace.com</a> is open year round except between mid-December and mid-February when the palace itself is closed but the park remains open. In the Park, the illuminated Christmas Trail operates right over the Christmas period (closed on Christmas Day itself). You can visit just the park and gardens or Palace, park and gardens. The full ticket can be converted into an annual pass at no extra cost and there is no limit to the number of visits. It is easy to spend an entire day there so even if you are only staying a week in the area, you may want to come back and make it worth the quite high price of entry. It must be said here that if all you want to do is explore large parts of the Blenheim estate (mostly the wooded bit) on a walk, then you don&#x27;t have to pay at all but follow the map for the public rights of way through the estate. Here is how to find the entrance from Woodstock <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="https://www.freeblenheim.com/free-entry-to-blenheim/">https://www.freeblenheim.com/free-entry-to-blenheim/</a> or in this description from Walking Britiain, a different entrance to the park <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="https://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-3357-description">https://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-3357-description</a>Access to the Palace, park and gardens: You drive straight through the main gates on the Oxford side of Blenheim. Ask for &#x27;Park and Gardens&#x27; ticket at the kiosks on the drive if you do not want to see the Palace as well, but I recommend you include it. Parking is free. The ‘Park and Gardens’ tickets give you access to two thousand acres of stunning parkland, landscaped by Capability Brown, the formal Gardens, the lake, free train rides on the miniature train to the Pleasure Gardens and all attractions at the Pleasure Gardens including the Marlborough Maze, Adventure Play Area, the Butterfly House (closed from end of October) the lavender garden, and the &quot;Blenheim Bygones&quot; exhibition. It also includes entrance to the popular permanent exhibition - ‘Churchill&#x27;s Destiny’ - The story of the great war leader&#x27;s exhibition. You can also of course admire the outside of the Palace close up – a fine example of English Baroque architecture and home of the Dukes of Marlborough. Sir Winston Churchill was born here. It is an ideal (fair weather!) day out for children and adults alike. Small children would probably be bored by the interior of the Palace and the exhibitions but they love all there is to see and do in the grounds.Having exhausted yourselves with walking the gardens and parklands and maybe the Palace itself, you can have a very pleasant browse in the shop or eat at one of the restaurants. I recommend the Orangery for a &#x27;proper&#x27; lunch. You can then wander into the town of Woodstock itself, which is a charming North Cotswold town only a few miles from Oxford.If you don’t want to spend a whole day here, of course you can go into Oxford for the rest of the day and if you don’t want to negotiate central Oxford traffic you are probably best to park your car at Pear Tree roundabout Park and Ride and take the bus in. Get car park ticket from the cash machine – you don’t have to go back to the car as you input the registration number here. Pay the bus driver on the bus for the trip in – they have a ‘2 to go’ return fare which is discounted. In Oxford, see a college or two, Christ Church and Magdalen being the two most famous ones, visit the Sheldonian, go up Carfax tower or Oxford Castle. Perhaps spend some time in the wonderful bookshop - Blackwells in Broad Street. It is wise to do some research before visiting Oxford as there is so much to see and many interesting organized walking tours are possible.Another day, perhaps on the way to Blenheim again (having converted your ticket to an annual one), you could stop off at the Rollright Stones near Long Compton. <a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/">http://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/</a> and further on divert to the picture postcard village of Great Tew to have lunch at the pretty thatched pub there, The Falkland Arms.

1. BLENHEIM: EXPLORE THE PARK, GARDENS and PALACE, WOODSTOCK, Oxfordshire OX20 1PP together with THE TOWN OF WOODSTOCK + possibly OXFORD (covered by another guide)Updated May 2021A series of Self-guided Driving Tours to places of interest in the North Cotswolds and beyond Distance from Ilmington: 22 milesAn easy drive from our cottage (<a target="_blank" class="ahover slink" href="http://www.houfy.com/1016">www.houfy.com/1016</a>). It takes about 30 minutes to get to Woodstock. Take the road to Oxford from our local small town of Shipston on Stour.

A home from home experience in a beautiful North Cotswold village. Sleeps 4. No taxes or extra fees. 

Spacious &  light, homely, sleeps 2 apartment. Comfortable base 10 minutes bus ride from the centre. 

We aim to create a home from home experience in both our places and make you feel like we have got ready the place for a friend to come and stay (without the hosts hovering over you!).  In our Cotswold cottage we are nearby but leave you to enjoy your holiday on your own unless you need us.  Our Dublin apartment is our own holiday home so although all our personal stuff is shut away in a cupboard, it is very much a place for you to call home and to relax in after a long day's sightseeing.  In both places, you will find much more than in a standard vacation rental.  If we have forgotten something you expect to have, then just tell us and we will sort it!  We are always at the end of an email or phone call.

Day trips from Ilmington (North Cotswolds) by car

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Snowshill Manor and Garden

Museum of Royal Worcester

Palace Homepage

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Cotswolds cottage for 4 Ilmington 2 bed/2 bath

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