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Stratford on Avon to Oxford

[Return to the Heart of England Index]

If you just want to go to Oxford or London in a hurry then get on to the M40 and go for it.
But if you want to take a little longer and enjoy the ride then take this option.

This touring route will take you through one of England’s most popular attractions, the picture-
perfect chocolate-box-top villages of the Cotswold Hills. The Cotswolds form a steeply-sided spine
that stretches from just south of Stratford to just south of Bath. You will make your way across
their northern reaches before emerging on to the Thames River valley for the short run to Oxford.

Mellow, honey-coloured stone buildings are the
enduring image of the villages in this famous region.
William Morris described the Cotswolds village of Bibury
as the most beautiful in England but it is only one of a
number like it. Stow-on-the Wold makes a great base to
linger for at least a day among these quintessential
English towns.

For details of what to see and do in Oxford,
click here . . . Typical Cotsworld village scene

Attractions along the way

Broadway

Broadway Tower is an 18th century Capability Brown Folly Tower open to visitors. It is one of
England’s outstanding viewpoints and at 1024 feet (312m) above sea level, it is the second
highest point on the Cotswold escarpment with views of a 62 mile radius and as many as 16
counties. Morris & Brown Café serves drinks, cakes, lunches and teas all year round. There are
also a number of walks in and around the 50 acre park and woodland. You can even visit a fully-
restored underground bunker, a relic from the Cold War, designed to withstand a nuclear attack.

Moreton-in-Marsh.

The Cotswold Falconry Centre Get a greater understanding of some of the basics of falconry.
Find out about different birds used, methods of training, equipment, history and husbandry.
Especially, get the opportunity to handle and walk with a variety of birds of prey.

Home to around 60 species and 130 birds of prey – many of which can be seen in free-flying
demonstrations each day. The Falconry Centre is open from mid-February to mid-November.

Learn about how the different species hunt and catch their prey and the skill sets they possess to
make them successful predators. Then go out into the field to fly a bird and experience the magic
of such a noble creature returning to your gloved hand.

Batsford Arboretum Home to the country’s largest private collection of trees and shrubs. A 55-acre
arboretum and botanical garden open to the public daily throughout most of the year. The
arboretum contains around 2,900 trees, with a large collection of Japanese maples, magnolias
and pines. It maintains the national collection of Prunus (sato-sakura Group) — Japanese
Flowering Cherry — under the NCCPG National Plant Collection scheme run by the National
Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens.