Bucks &amp; Oxon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why">WHY?</h2>



<p>Its peachy position between Oxford and Reading amidst bucolic Oxfordshire farmland and countryside isn&#8217;t the only thing going for this village. With a buzzy community, oversubscribed primary school, cracking pub and picture postcard village cricket pitch, the greatest challenge with Warborough is nabbing a property before it gets snapped up.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">EAT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="960" height="696" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Six-Bells-thatched-cottage-pub-Warborough-Oxfordshire-with-outdoor-seats-.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-151263" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Six-Bells-thatched-cottage-pub-Warborough-Oxfordshire-with-outdoor-seats-.jpeg 960w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Six-Bells-thatched-cottage-pub-Warborough-Oxfordshire-with-outdoor-seats--800x580.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Six-Bells-thatched-cottage-pub-Warborough-Oxfordshire-with-outdoor-seats--400x290.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Six-Bells-thatched-cottage-pub-Warborough-Oxfordshire-with-outdoor-seats--724x525.jpeg 724w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></figure>



<p>The sole village eatery is the <a href="https://www.thesixbellswarborough.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Six Bells</a> but you won&#8217;t go hungry &#8211; the pub is well known for its crowd pleasing menu of homemade pub classics like pie of the day or haddock and leek gratin. It&#8217;s a little old school with its serving times for food (Wed-Sat, 12pm-2pm &amp; 6pm-8:30pm; Sun 12pm-3pm) – welcome to the countryside! – and you should book ahead for the popular Sunday roast. The menu changes seasonally and there&#8217;s a well attended steak night each month as well as quiz nights and a classic car meet-up. It&#8217;s also fab for a drink on a sunny day where you can take a pew overlooking the village green. Otherwise, the popular Tiago&#8217;s fish and chip van calls into the village every Thursday evening. </p>



<p>If you&#8217;re after a decent coffee, then <a href="https://www.no25benson.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">No.25</a> is a chi chi little café in Benson, a few minutes away or a lovely walk across footpaths. It does a great cake and coffee. For a fancy night out you&#8217;re after then <a href="https://crazybeargroup.co.uk/stadhampton/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Crazy Bear</a>, 7 mins drive away, offers superb Thai food in bonkers surroundings to a glamorously-attired clientele &#8211; stilettos at the ready! It&#8217;s also worth checking out <a href="http://www.hshroke.pub/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Home Sweet Home</a> in Roke, 8 min&#8217;s drive, for its seasonal food and excellent cocktails.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SHOP</h2>



<p>The local village store is also a post office with generous opening hours (7am-6pm most days) and stocks a good range of fresh veggies, frozen Cook and homemade meals and household bits and bobs. Otherwise you have a Co-op and M&amp;S Simply Food a few miles away in Benson, the <a href="https://crazybeargroup.co.uk/farm-shop/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Crazy Bear Farm Shop</a> the other way in Stadhampton and Waitrose and Lidl, depending on how the mood takes you, 10 mins drive away in Wallingford. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Untitled-design-2023-10-09T120353.704.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-150620" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Untitled-design-2023-10-09T120353.704.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Untitled-design-2023-10-09T120353.704-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Untitled-design-2023-10-09T120353.704-400x266.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Untitled-design-2023-10-09T120353.704-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Wallingford also has a good selection of indie shops &#8211; the <a href="https://www.wallingfordbookshop.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bookshop</a>, a deli a new fashion boutique called <a href="https://www.theelysiancollective.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elysian</a> and a decent Friday market with fruit and veg, cheese, bakery, flowers and more. For a proper shop, Oxford and the heady delights of Westgate shopping centre is 25 minutes drive or a 50 min bus ride on the X40 away &#8211; worth noting if you&#8217;ve got teenagers in the house who need a bit more excitement than rolling fields.   </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS</h2>



<p>Warborough&#8217;s own village green is something of a gem &#8211; for starters, it&#8217;s on a no-through road so there&#8217;s very little traffic and it genuinely has that feel of the good old days with kids able to play without parents needing to be on constant red alert (i.e. you can have a drink from the pub/coffee from the village shop on a nearby bench while they tear around). The playground is superb and has a variety of equipment for younger and older kids plus there&#8217;s <a href="https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/SWATA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tennis courts</a> available for hire though you need to join the club, which also offers social and evening sessions. There&#8217;s also the <a href="https://www.warboroughcricket.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cricket club</a>, another chance to get acquainted with locals as newbies to the village, and allotments you can rent for £10/year.</p>



<p>If you need something beyond the village borders the walking here is fab thanks to the huge range of footpaths linking villages and great pubs. Try out the <a href="https://earthtrust.org.uk/app_locations/wittenham-clumps/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wittenham Clumps</a> area for a range of marked trails, plus the Earth Trust there puts on events throughout the year around the themes of wildlife, nature and archaeology. <a href="https://www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wallingford Museum</a> and Castle ruins are good for littlies, while for older kids or groups of adults, the <a href="https://avboats.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watersports rental</a> at Benson, a few minutes drive away, has you covered for lazy days on the river and picnics by paddleboard, kayak or electric boat.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/Untitled-design-2023-06-20T222840.817.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



<p>If you&#8217;re a water baby you&#8217;re in the right place. A few minutes from Warborough is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055420514565" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queenford Lake</a> with year-round outdoor swimming, waterskiing and wake boarding and the Wet n Wild obstacle course, plus a fab café <a href="https://thewanderingkitchen.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Wandering Kitchen</a> to warm-up in afterwards. Over on a nearby lakes the <a href="https://www.dorchestersailingclub.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dorchester Sailing Club</a> is a long-established centre for kids and adult to learn and compete on various types of craft.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CULTURE</h2>



<p>Oxford&#8217;s big hitters offers the full gamut of cultural days out within 20 minutes &#8211; the Ashmolean, Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers, and several excellent theatres. Close by you have the Getty family-owned Wormsley Estate at Garsington for seriously glam opera and picnics (literally, who needs Glyndebourne?)&nbsp; There&#8217;s also the <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/FoNxNR56BUemcD476" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aston Martin Heritage Trust</a> minutes away if you have petrolheads in the family, and Dorchester Abbey and Museum the other side of the main road for a delve into local history. Keep an eye on the abbey&#8217;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dorchesterabbey1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FB page</a> to see its varied line-up of concerts, and during May, the <a href="https://dorchesterfestival.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dorchester Festival</a> is a massive arts event with music, dance, film, food workshops and family events on the roster. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE</h2>



<p>Properties in Warborough are highly sought after and don&#8217;t tend to stay on the market for long. Average prices are toppy at £1,125,000 having increased a whopping 30% in the past year. Most are detached, selling for an average £1,219,000. Semi-detached properties sell for an average of £655,000.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/Warborough.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-167323" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/Warborough.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/Warborough-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/Warborough-400x267.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><a href="https://www.jpknight.net/property-details/2048/oxfordshire/warborough-20?page=1&amp;showstc=on&amp;showsold=on&amp;address_keyword=Warborough">A charming detached Grade II listed thatched cottage</a> in the heart of this sought after village with close proximity to the village shop, primary school and cricket green. £750,000</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NURSERIES</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.warboroughandshillingfordpreschool.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Warborough &amp; Shillingford Pre School</a> is a Ofsted Good rated early years setting with an impressive wraparound offering for a village pre-school, with drop off from 8.45am and after school club that combines with the primary school for 2-11 year olds until 5.30pm. It doesn&#8217;t run during the holidays so if you need year-round care, there&#8217;s a couple of options a few minute&#8217;s drive away. <a href="http://www.lighthousenurseryschool.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lighthouse</a> for 1-5 year olds with its signature red and white gingham smocks is termly but with a holiday camp, and runs via Montessori principles with a Good rating. Meanwhile <a href="https://www.scampsofbenson.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scamps of Benson</a> is popular for its after and pre school care running 8-5.30pm in term time as well as the holidays. It operates out of a large detached house with a garden area and cooks its meals on site, all of which contribute to its Good rating by Ofsted.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SCHOOLS</h2>



<p>The village primary, <a href="https://www.st-laurence.oxon.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St Laurence Church of England</a> recently transferred to an academy after an &#8216;Inadequate&#8217; rating by Ofsted, but is widely thought to be on the up, with oversubscribed classes, an active PTA and a re-inspection coming up this year. Most kids going onto secondary education in the state sector head to Wallingford School, which has a Good rating.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="480" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/moulsford-rugby--720x480.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-108806" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/moulsford-rugby--720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/moulsford-rugby--300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/moulsford-rugby--150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/moulsford-rugby--787x525.jpg 787w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/09/moulsford-rugby-.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></figure>



<p>For independent schools, you&#8217;re right next to the bus stop that takes kids into Abingdon and Oxford or south towards Reading. For prep, there&#8217;s the superb co-ed <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/moulsford-prep/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moulsford</a> with its Famous Five river setting, natty red blazers and caps and outdoorsy ethos. If you&#8217;re after co-ed, nearby <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/cranford-school-moulsford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cranford</a> is now co-ed throughout and takes kids from 3-18 with a well-equipped campus and nurturing vibe but with impressive results, and there&#8217;s also <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/the-oratory-school-woodcote/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Oratory</a>, which is also now fully co-ed in a gorgeous grand setting near Woodcote. </p>



<p>Over towards Abingdon, there&#8217;s a clutch of superb schools. The highly-rated <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/manor-prep/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Manor Prep</a> is 20 minute&#8217;s drive away from Warborough and has a nurturing vibe but academic rep. It&#8217;s just over the road from two academic powerhouses &#8211; <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/st-helen-st-katharine-school-abingdon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St Helen &amp; St Katherine</a> for girls and <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/abingdon-school-abingdon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Abingdon School</a> for boys, both of which have highly respected sixth forms also. In the town is also <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/our-ladys-abingdon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OLA</a>, a co-ed for 7-18 year olds where there&#8217;s a focus on supportive pastoral care and fees are a slightly below the Oxon average. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>The family who run the village shop sell superb homemade curry, naan and rice dishes every Friday. Get there early to bag your ultimate Friday night takeaway.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">COMMUTE</h2>



<p>You&#8217;re 30 minute&#8217;s drive to either Oxford or Reading and the nearest train stations are Cholsey or Didcot, 15 or 20 minutes away respectively, both with regular services into London Paddington.</p>



<p>View the full&nbsp;<a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top 260 Places to Live</a>.</p>


Best Places to Live: Warborough

See more in Oxfordshire