The Cotswolds
‘Royal’ refers to the fact that Charles I stayed in this low-slung honey-coloured inn during the Civil War. He may not have used the iPod docks and flat-screen TVs, but he certainly walked down the atmospheric half-timbered corridors. Standard rooms these days are comfy and well equipped, even if they lack character.
The charming downstairs restaurant offers pub classics such as chicken supreme, burgers and mushroom risotto (mains £13 to £17, open 6pm to 9pm daily, plus noon to 2pm Sunday).
20.63 MILES
Founded in 1068 by William the Conqueror, stunningly preserved Warwick Castle is Warwick's main attraction.
17.87 MILES
One of the greatest stately homes in Britain, and a Unesco World Heritage Site, Blenheim Palace is a monumental baroque fantasy, designed by Sir John…
25.36 MILES
With its compelling combination of majestic architecture, literary heritage and double identity as (parts of) Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, Christ Church…
25.2 MILES
At least five kings, dozens of prime ministers and Nobel laureates, and luminaries such as Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien have studied in Oxford's…
24.95 MILES
Britain’s oldest public museum, Oxford’s wonderful Ashmolean Museum is surpassed only by the British Museum in London. It was established in 1683, when…
27.55 MILES
Morgan has been handcrafting elegant sports cars since 1909. You can see the mechanics at work on two-hour guided tours of the unassuming shedlike…
24.72 MILES
Gloucester’s spectacular cathedral is among the first and finest examples of the English Perpendicular Gothic style. Benedictine monks built a Norman…
25.53 MILES
Guarding access to a breathtaking expanse of private lawns, woodlands, river walks and even its own deer park, Magdalen ('mawd-lin'), founded in 1458, is…
1.49 MILES
Home to over 150 birds of prey (owl, vulture, eagle and, of course, falcon), this exciting spot stages displays of the ancient practice of falconry at 11…
1.52 MILES
Created from 1880 onwards by Bertie Mitford (Lord Redesdale), and later briefly home to his famous granddaughters, the Mitford sisters, these exotic 22…
3.41 MILES
Four miles southeast of Moreton-in-Marsh, signposted off the A44 halfway to Chipping Norton, Chastleton is one of England’s finest and most complete…
5.33 MILES
This former silk mill (c 1790) was the home of Charles Robert Ashbee's Guild of Handicraft from 1902 until it went bust in 1908. Many artisans stayed on,…
5.34 MILES
Ever since architect and designer Charles Robert Ashbee (1863–1942) moved his Guild of Handicraft here from east London in 1902, Chipping Campden has been…
5.35 MILES
Chipping Campden's highly photogenic, honey-toned, little 17th-century Market Hall, an open-sided pillared building where dairy farmers used to sell their…
5.36 MILES
Built in Perpendicular Gothic style in the late 15th century using wool-trade profits, this imposing church boasts a splendid tower and some graceful 17th…
5.37 MILES
Built around 1380 for the supremely prosperous wool merchant William Grevel, complete with gargoyles and mullioned windows, Grevel House is Chipping…