As one of the least populated areas of England, west Oxfordshire is the place to go to get away from it all. Keen walkers are spoilt for choice. There are more than 500 miles of footpaths to wander, while Blenheim Palace, Churchill's birthplace, is a baroque splendour situated in 2,000 acres of parkland. A wander through any of the market towns will mean antique shops and unique boutiques aplenty.
Burford town is a must-visit. Take a Cotswolds cream tea at Huffkins on the high street and stock up on the finest cheeses and preserves at Mrs Bumbles deli on Church Lane.
Serious foodies will also go wild over in Kingham at Daylesford Organic farm store and cafe. It's open late for dinner at weekends and the menu is mostly direct from the farm itself (you can't go wrong with their Aberdeen angus steak).
After, sample the delights of Burford's Cotswold Wildlife Park (there's meerkats and penguins ), or immerse yourself in history at Chastleton House near Moreton-in-Marsh or Kelmscott Manor, the former home of William Morris.
The famous Jaffe & Neale bookshop and cafe in Chipping Norton is where to munch on homemade carrot cake while leafing through a paperback. Meanwhile, in Witney, a tour of the Wychwood brewery will please ale addicts: they let you slurp their legendary Hobgoblin at the end.
Down the river Windrush to Minster Lovell, the Old Swan and Minster Mill has beamed rooms in a 600-year-old building. Its gastropub menu will round your day off nicely.
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