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Oxford to Stratford upon Avon

[Return to the Heart of England Index]

If you just want to go to Stratford 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 the following 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 the
Thames Valley from Oxford before traversing the northern reaches of the Cotswolds

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.

Attractions along the way

Blenheim Palace. Palatial baroque-style mansion built between 1705-1722 by Sir John Vanbrugh
and given by Queen Anne to to the Duke of Marlborough for his defeat of Louis XIV. It has
remained the private home of the Marlborough Family ever since. It has a 2000-acres park with
terraced water gardens laid our by landscape designer Capability Brown. Sir Winston Churchill,
the British wartime leader, was born here in 1874.

For details of attractions in Stratford On Avon click here . . .

For details of the Cotswold Villages click here . . .

The Rollright Stones is an ancient site which consists of three main elements, The Kings Men
stone circle, the King Stone, and the Whispering Knights.The name “Rollright” is believed to derive
from “Hrolla-landriht”, the land of Hrolla. It’s worth the short trip. Unlike places like Stonehenge,
here you can walk among the stones in the footsteps of people from thousands of years ago.

Chastleton House A rare gem of a Jacobean country house, Chastleton House was built between
1607 and 1612 by a prosperous wool merchant as an impressive statement of wealth and power.
Owned by the same increasingly impoverished family until 1991, the house remained essentially
unchanged for nearly 400 years as the interiors and contents gradually succumbed to the ravages
of time. With virtually no intrusion from the 21st century, this fascinating place exudes an informal
and timeless atmosphere in a gloriously unspoilt setting. There’s no shop or tea-room, so you can
truly believe you have stepped back in time.