Woodstock
Woodstock Oxfordshire
Woodstock, home of Churchill, Blenheim Palace and endless tea rooms, can be seen as Cotswolds-lite. A typically chocolate-boxey town, with a dash of reality in the form of a co-op, post office and a couple of banks features heart-warmingly beautiful architecture that draws everyone who visits to fantasise at the windows of estate agents. It's only twenty minutes out of Oxford, which means it’s an easy venue for half-day trippers and can get very busy, particularly on sunny afternoons (allow plenty of time for parking). Whether you’re after a cream tea, a pub crawl or a lovely browse through charming shops, Woodstock is well worth a visit. The museum is free, the church is pretty and features a picturesque graveyard, and the backstreets are hopelessly photogenic.
