Bucks &amp; Oxon


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



<p>This buzzy town is pretty self-contained when it comes to shopping, eating out and things to do, so it&#8217;s great if you want to take baby steps into country living and feel rural, but not cut off. You have Oxford or Cheltenham a reassuring 30 – 45 mins away, and there&#8217;s always loads on, from the weekly farmers market to the <a href="https://witneymusicfestival.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">music festival</a>, so meeting people and getting stuck in isn&#8217;t too daunting. The commute to Oxford can be plagued by traffic issues but the train to London is easy enough and there&#8217;s pretty parts to the town like Church Green, above, with its perfect village green and church spire. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gmail-h-eat">EAT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-13.png" alt="The Edge Eatery, Witney" class="wp-image-172026" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-13.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-13-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-13-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-13-400x267.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Edge Eatery</figcaption></figure>



<p>In town there are several pubs and our pick would be <a href="https://www.fleecewitney.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Fleece</a> for simple pub grub with the odd adventurous option and a warm welcome &#8211; perfect for a family get together. If you&#8217;re looking for something a little more fancy, try the <a href="https://www.artistresidence.co.uk/the-masons-arms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mason&#8217;s Arms</a>, in nearby South Leigh, a gorgeous gastropub with imaginative seasonal food, and dreamy rooms at the Muddy Award-winning <a href="https://www.artistresidence.co.uk/oxfordshire" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artist Residence</a>. Or going west out of town, there&#8217;s <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/uk/hotels-inns/review-minster-mill-burford-cotswolds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Minster Mill</a> at Minster Lovell, which does everything from special occasion dinners to afternoon tea by the river, plus there&#8217;s a newly renovated spa on site, so you could go all out and book in for some serious indulgence.</p>



<p>The town&#8217;s <a href="https://www.theedgeeateryltd.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Edge Eatery</a> is a brunch destination with an Aussie twist &#8211; think sweet potato hash and smashed avocado washed down with the town&#8217;s best flat white. For the sweet of tooth, <a href="https://hunterscakecompany.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hunters Cake Café</a> is legendary for its cookies or if you&#8217;re out and about with the kids/dog at Leys Recreation Ground, pop into <a href="https://www.thecoffeeshed.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Coffee Shed</a> for a top notch latte and a slice of Victoria Sponge. If you want something uniquely Witney, the <a href="https://www.blankethall.co.uk/pieshop-menu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pie Shop</a> at the Witney Blanket Hall (a throwback to the town&#8217;s historic woollen mills) with its pies of the day and cream teas is a one-off &#8211; and you can pick up a natty British wool blanket. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gmail-h-shop">SHOP</h2>



<p>Witney has everything you need (Waitrose, Clarks, WHSmith, Robert Dyas, Just for Pets) and the stuff you don&#8217;t need but want to mooch around anyway (Jigsaw, JoJo Maman Bébé, Waterstones). It&#8217;s also has an independent scene that&#8217;s hanging on in there like the cute Teddy Bears of Witney, Rapture record store (now <a href="https://truckmusic.store/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Truck</a> with a sister store in Oxford), <a href="https://www.theshopwitney.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Shop</a>, which offers a retail space for local makers and brands, plus there&#8217;s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sotagalleryuk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sota Gallery</a> for artworks including ceramics and jewellery from established and emerging artists. </p>



<p>For a treat, the <a href="https://www.1elmfarmshop.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">One Elm Farm Shop</a> sells meat from its own pedigree and rare-breed livestock and has shelves bulging with local, seasonal veg. Want a red wine with your fillet steak? <a href="https://www.eynshamcellars.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eynsham Cellars</a>, 15 mins from Witney, is a well respected independent.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-amp-wellbeing">HEALTH &amp; WELLBEING</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/EstelleManor.jpg" alt="Estelle Manor Eynsham Baths" class="wp-image-169467" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/EstelleManor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/EstelleManor-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/EstelleManor-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/EstelleManor-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Estelle Manor</figcaption></figure>



<p>No excuse not to keep trim in this town! There&#8217;s a <a href="https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/west-oxfordshire/windrush-leisure-centre?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=organic&amp;utm_campaign=google_my_business" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BETTER leisure centre</a> with gym and swimming pool, a Pure Gym, plus <a href="https://www.piratefitness.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pirate Fitness</a> warehouse gym has been going 20 years and is much loved for its PTs as well as&nbsp;yoga and pilates, sports therapy, massage, and martial arts. It&#8217;s also home to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/Bee-Pretty-Beauty-Boutique/100064193916967" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bee Pretty</a> salon for nails, lashes, brows and generally cherry-on-the-top treatments. Minster Mill, has its spa for more serious buffing and fluffing. </p>



<p>If you want to go all out, then the spa opening that&#8217;s created the most buzz this year/decade! is the one at <a href="https://estellemanor.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Estelle Manor</a>, Eynsham Baths, 8 minutes up the road from Witney. Caveat: you&#8217;ll have to book a night in the hotel if you want to try it, or schmooze an Estelle member. Worth the grovelling though. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community">COMMUNITY</h2>



<p>It&#8217;s not hard to fill your boots (and your diary) in Witney, whether that&#8217;s with the weekly <a href="https://www.parkrun.org.uk/witney/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Parkrun</a>, monthly <a href="http://witneyjazz.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jazz</a> club, annual <a href="https://www.eynshamcellars.com/witney-wine-festival" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Witney Wine Festival</a> or the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OxfordshireFunFairs/?locale=en_GB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Witney Feast</a> which doesn&#8217;t actually involve food (unless you count candy floss) and instead is the fun fair that comes to town every September. Then there&#8217;s the summer carnival and <a href="https://www.cornexchangewitney.org.uk/">twice monthly film club</a> – you get the drift.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gmail-h-nearby-attractions">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/3-6.jpg" alt="Moi's Sup School padleboarding on river Oxfordshire" class="wp-image-173224" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/3-6.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/3-6-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/3-6-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/3-6-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Moi&#8217;s SUP School</figcaption></figure>



<p>Walkers will love Witney for its Cotswold countryside and bountiful hiking country including <a href="https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/file/countryside/windrushpathwitneytohardwick.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ambles along the Windrush river to Hardwick</a> or more strenuous trips like the <a href="https://www.visorando.com/en/walk-south-leigh/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">9km circular route</a> to South Leigh. If you’re dreaming of gliding elegantly down a Cotswolds waterway (or at least that’s the idea) then&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/mois-sup-school-newbridge-witney/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moi’s SUP School</a>&nbsp;based at Newbridge near Witney is one for your little black book. With trips, private and group lessons, or regular weekly SUP sessions (think Silver SUP for over 50s and the women’s-only Healing Hour) as well as SUPYoga, that’s every kind of paddler covered.</p>



<p>A great resource in town is <a href="https://www.jessiesartshed.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jessie&#8217;s Art Shed</a>, an airy and bright studio which offers workshops and lessons for adults and kids and sells art supplies and kits. Littlies to amuse? For animal magic, check out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cogges.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cogges Manor Farm</a>. It has ‘Meet the Animals’ experiences at the weekends, pretty gardens to explore, a great café in the old milking shed and an adventure playground. There&#8217;s also your very own Roman site down the road – the <a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/north-leigh-roman-villa/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Leigh Roman Villa</a>, an English Heritage site that&#8217;s free to visit and has a striking mosaic floor and the dramatic ruins of <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/minster-lovell-hall-and-dovecote/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Minster Lovell Hall &amp; Dovecote</a>, a perfect picnic spot. </p>



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



<p>The town&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cornexchangewitney.org.uk/whats-on" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Corn Exchange</a> hosts indie and classic cinema screenings, open mic nights, and live music, and there&#8217;s also a Cineworld cinema in town. For high culture, it&#8217;s a 25-minute drive to Woodstock with its indoor and outdoor exhibitions (and epic adventure playground), or Oxford with its roster of theatres, indie cinemas, galleries and world class museums like the Ashmolean and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gmail-h-average-house-prices">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Properties sold in Witney averaged £334,941 over the last year, though that average is brought down by many sales of flats. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £356,396, though houses in the posh villages around the edge like Woodgreen, Poffley End and the town&#8217;s Woodstock Road, will set you back over £1m for a family home.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gmail-h-hot-property">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="701" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Witney-Hot-Property.png" alt="Best Places to Live Witney" class="wp-image-175855" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Witney-Hot-Property.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Witney-Hot-Property-800x561.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Witney-Hot-Property-400x280.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A substantial old vicarage with swimming pool in the heart of the thriving village of Cassington near Estelle Manor. <a href="https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/cassington-witney-oxfordshire-ox29/oxf012103365" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On the market with Knight Frank for £2.5m</a>.</figcaption></figure>



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



<p>The <a href="https://www.thefarmhousenurseryschool.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Farmhouse Nursery School</a> on pretty Church Green is just what you&#8217;d imagined when moving out of the city with your babe in arms – a rose-clad honey stone building with outside space and a Good Ofsted rating. It takes kids aged 2 – 4 yrs and is open in term time only. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gmail-h-schools">SCHOOLS&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Witney is a large town and conseqently there are five junior schools to choose from, and also two Secondaries, <a href="https://www.wgswitney.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wood Green</a> and <a href="https://www.henrybox.oxon.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Henry Box School</a> &#8211; all rated by Good by Ofsted. The closest independent school to Witney is Cokethorpe, a selective co-ed <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/cokethorpe-school-prep-witney/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prep</a> and <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/cokethorpe-senior-school-witney/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Senior school</a> for 4 – 18 yr olds in 150 stunning acres and a campus feel designed around a series of courtyards. The Oxford schools like <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/doverbroecks-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Headington Rye Oxford</a>, <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/oxford-high-school/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford High</a>, <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/summer-fields-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Summer Fields</a>, <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/doverbroecks-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">d’Overbroeck’s</a>, and <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/wychwood-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wychwood</a> are all options too.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gmail-h-best-kept-secret">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>Keep 5p in the car if you&#8217;re heading towards Oxford or Abingdon as sat nav will sometimes take you over England&#8217;s most lucrative toll bridge at Swinford. The booth on the privately owned bridge isn&#8217;t always manned but it pays to be ready with your small change.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gmail-h-commute">COMMUTE&nbsp;</h2>



<p>It&#8217;s only a few minutes from Witney centre to the A40 or A34 which take you to Cheltenham or Banbury in 45 mins and Oxford or Bicester in 30 mins. If you&#8217;re working in London, there&#8217;s no train station from Witney but Charlbury, 20 mins away, has hourly trains to Paddington that take 90 mins or there&#8217;s Oxford Parkway, 10 miles away, with trains to Marylebone taking 50 mins. There&#8217;s also the Oxford Tube bus serving Oxford and Cheltenham during the week from around 6am to 9pm, which is used by many commuters.</p>



<p><em>View the full&nbsp;<a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top 300 Best Places to Live</a></em>.</p>


Witney

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