The Swan Inn

A rural chic haven in a particularly pretty, unsung village near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, the Swan at Ascott-under-Wychwood prides itself on its foodie vibe. In spring 2019, this 16th-century honey-stone inn was given a major and much-applauded reboot under the talented management team of Sam and Georgie Pearman (the couple behind the Chequers in nearby Churchill and the Double Red Duke near Oxford).

It’s a relaxing venue with an old-school bar with beams and handsome stone fireplace, a marginally more formal dining area with eye-catching art on the walls, a wine room, a room for private parties and an expansive courtyard garden. They are very focused on the Outdoors, and can arrange walks and bike tours of the Cotswolds countryside, shooting parties and the odd gourmet event. Meals are a treat of modern dining. The menu, mainly based on artisanal produce, offers everything from conventional pies and generous salad bowls to sharing plates (there’s an excellent tarte flambée) and adventurous mains such as pork belly with celeriac and toffee apple. Breakfast is a glorious feast, with options such as almond pancakes and French toast with apple sauce.

Upstairs are six super-comfy bedrooms, and two more in a garden annexe. Some rooms have feature baths, all have sumptuous soft furnishings; each has been boldly devised by a different designer.  They all have good wifi and Smart Tvs, tea and coffee-making facilities and biscuits and lovely en-suite bathrooms with Three Acres toiletries. Most rooms are doubles or twins with either baths or showers but they also have a family room with an entrance area and sitting room with downstairs room and two upstairs bedrooms with a family bathroom in between. This room, and a couple of others, also accept dogs.

Finally, the village is a typically Cotswolds ensemble of honey-coloured stone cottages, one of a trio of ‘Wychwood’ villages midway between Burford and Kingham in a particularly rural part of Oxfordshire. You can actually reach the village by train to nearby Shipton station, and there are any number of loop walks you can do from the village – maybe time to leave the car behind for a truly relaxing weekend away.