Bucks &amp; Oxon


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



<p>Oxford&#8217;s northerly suburb of Wolvercote is a perfect balance for those who aren&#8217;t ready to be cut off from the convenience of city bus routes and Uber Eats, but still want rural. On the edge of Oxford&#8217;s greenbelt and only a couple of miles from the city centre, you have the best of both worlds as well as access to some of the most highly sought-after schools in the country without the daunting task of tackling the hellish Oxford traffic.</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-18.png" alt="The Trout, Wolvercote, Oxon" class="wp-image-172142" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-18.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-18-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-18-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-18-400x267.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Trout Inn</figcaption></figure>



<p><a href="https://www.thetroutoxford.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Trout Inn</a>&nbsp;is your nearest pub, an Oxford institution with its riverside terrace overlooking the Thames and pretty pale stone exterior. It&#8217;s great for sundowners, all-day dining and a crowd-pleasing menu. There&#8217;s also a community pub&nbsp;<a href="https://whitehartwolvercote.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The White Hart&nbsp;</a>that hosts the Wolvercote Community Market every Sunday and Wednesday Warm Space (10-1pm) for those in need. A walk across Port Meadow for 15 minutes will land you at the fabulous thatched Perch pub in Binsey with its lovely outdoor area in summer and cosy, Cotswold stone and log fire interiors for winter.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For more cosmopolitan dining options, there&#8217;s a huge amount of choice if you drive &#8211; or do like the locals and cycle/walk – to Summertown, 1.5 miles away. The bistro/deli,&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/restaurants/review-kitchen-food-company-summertown-north-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kitchen Food Company</a>, is a dead cert for brunch with quality produce, or there&#8217;s restaurant/wine bar&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pompetterestaurant.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pompette</a>, new small plates and cocktail joint&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bia38.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bia</a>, hidden gem&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kopitiam.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kopitiam</a>&nbsp;serving Malay dishes and name dropped by food critic Tom Parker Bowles as one of the best cheap eats in the country.</p>



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



<p>For a pint of milk there&#8217;s a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wolvercotesuperstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">local convenience store</a>&nbsp;or small Waitrose by the A34 junction but for anything more substantial (or fun) you&#8217;ll want to pop into Summertown or beyond to Oxford city centre. Super easy by bus or bike. Summertown&#8217;s lovely for pottering with&nbsp;<a href="https://summertown.dauntbooks.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Daunt Books</a>, Oliver Bonas and the essentials. Meanwhile Oxford&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href="https://oxford-coveredmarket.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Covered Market</a>&nbsp;is a little gem of indies with high end chocolate, collegiate style sportswear, Jellycat toys, hats and candles among the variety of wares on offer from its cute shops as well as the city&#8217;s finest cheesemonger, greengrocer and butchers plus elevated hardware store,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.objectsofuse.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Objects of Use</a>. For John Lewis and all the big high street names &#8211; Zara, H&amp;M et al, head to the&nbsp;<a href="https://westgateoxford.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Westgate</a>&nbsp;shopping centre with its many shops and rooftop dining, cinema and escape rooms.</p>



<p>If you head the other way out of town, the rather gentile outpost,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yarntonhomegarden.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yarnton Home &amp; Garden</a>, is a few minute&#8217;s drive and worth it for the lovely browsing. It has a Burford-esque garden centre with plants, gifts and a deli, plus a posh pet shop, e-bike shop, antique store and some. A 15 minute drive will land you in Woodstock and its wealth of independent shops.</p>



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



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-19-1000x667.png" alt="Wytham Woods Oxford" class="wp-image-172141" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-19-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-19-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-19-400x267.png 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-19.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wytham Woods</figcaption></figure>



<p>The countryside is on your doorstep, with the glorious city a few minute&#8217;s the other way.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wythamwoods.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wytham Woods</a>, a few minutes away, is owned by the University of Oxford and is one of the most studied pieces of woodland in the world and its 1,000 acres are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. You need a permit to walk there, which is free and lasts three years but stipulates no cycling and no dogs. There&#8217;s also <a href="https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory-record/673/port-meadow" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Port Meadow</a> to play in &#8211; a cool 300 acres of grazing land that featured in the Doomsday Book. Wild swimmer? Wolvercote Bathing Area is right there. If you prefer being on the water, there&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hinkseysculling.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hinksey Skulling Club</a> in Wolvercote.</p>



<p>For land-based sports, with a few minute&#8217;s drive are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oxfordcricketclub.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford Cricket Club</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northoxfordgolf.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Oxford Golf Club</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://noltc.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Oxford Law Tennis Club</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://oxfordhawks.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford Hawks Hockey Club</a>. For your weekly workouts, excellent boutique gym&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fitlife.co.uk/summertown">FitLife</a>&nbsp;has an outpost in Summertown with classes including reformer pilates and yoga, plus PTs or there&#8217;s the well regarded&nbsp;<a href="https://yogavenue.co.uk/yv-summertown-oxford-studio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YogaVenue</a>&nbsp;with 35 classes a week, workshops and reformer pilates.</p>



<p>Time for a spruce up? There&#8217;s hairdressers and salons galore in north Oxford, Pophams and Idlewild among them. Meanwhile&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cannellemedispa.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cannelle Medispa</a>in Summertown is a step up offering tweakments as well as standard facials and massages across its massive 11 treatment rooms.</p>



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



<p>Wolvercote very much has its own vibe that&#8217;s separate to Oxford with much-loved Midsummer Festival in June as well as Art Weeks, community markets, quizzes and Apple Day in October, as well as shared community spaces like the Community Orchard and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewolvercotemill.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wolvercote Mill</a>, a centre that offers co-working, art classes and exercise classes.</p>



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



<p>Godstow Abbey ruins, reportedly the burial place of &#8216;Fair Rosamund&#8217; de Clifford, Henry II&#8217;s mistress, sit beside the Thames in Wolvercote and make a relaxed walking or picnic spot. If that&#8217;s not quite enough stimulation, a few minute&#8217;s drive away,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory-record/48/cutteslowe-and-sunnymead-park" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park</a>with its playground, miniature railway, splash park, playing fields should please the kids in the house. Further into Oxford still, the nearest punting is at&nbsp;<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/Dukiymm2i7CPhxvJ9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cherwell Boathouse</a>&nbsp;&#8211; a must for anyone in the city and the bonus of taking one out here is that it&#8217;s not too much poling to reach the Victoria Arms for a pint or a pub lunch before a hazy drift back down the river.</p>



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



<p>By the bucketload! The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thenorthwall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Wall Arts Centre</a>&nbsp;in Summertown offers cutting edge and thought-provoking shows, exhibitions and workshops (especially good for teens). Stop for a pre-theatre drink at&nbsp;<a href="https://summertownwinebar.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Summertown Wine Bar&nbsp;</a>or for an easy breezy dinner at the brand-new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pizzaexpress.com/oxford-summertown" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PizzaExpress</a>. Meanwhile&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford Playhouse</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-theatre-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Theatre</a>&nbsp;are your go-to&#8217;s for the big-hitter shows;&nbsp;and the brilliant Oxford-based&nbsp;<a href="https://www.creationtheatre.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Creation Theatre</a>&nbsp;puts on productions in quirky locations across the city (Blackwell’s bookshop, the escalators at Westgate Oxford et al.).</p>



<p>A&nbsp;bus ride into town takes you to the pleasures of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Modern Art Oxford</a>&nbsp;which hosts exhibitions from both up-and-coming and established contemporary artists and photographers, all for free. If you love the classics, try the lovely&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/gallery" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christchurch Picture Gallery</a>&nbsp;next to Christchurch Meadows with its collection of old masters drawings.</p>



<p>For world-beating museums, Oxford is right up there –&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/the-story-museum-oxford/">Story Museum</a>&nbsp;celebrates the city’s literary history and is great for kids, ditto&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/">Pitt Rivers</a>&nbsp;for its bonkers collections and Oxford’s own&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oumnh.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Museum of Natural History&nbsp;</a>next door and the grand old dame,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ashmolean.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Ashmolean</a>.&nbsp;Then there’s the lesser known spots like the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bate.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bates Museum</a>&nbsp;of Musical Instruments which houses Handel’s harpsichord&nbsp;(Muddy&#8217;s played it &#8211; badly!) and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Museum of the History of Science</a>&nbsp;where you can see&nbsp;Einstein’s blackboard and Lewis Carrol’s photographic equipment.&nbsp;</p>



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



<p>Properties in Wolvercote sold for an average £535,687 last year with detached homes averaging £535,000.</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="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-17.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172140" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-17.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-17-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-17-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Untitled-design-17-400x267.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A gorgeous 6 bed, 3 bath cottage right in the heart of Wolvercote. <a href="https://www.knightfrank.com/properties/residential/for-sale/godstow-road-wolvercote-oxford-ox2/oxf012408546" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On the market with Knight Frank for £1.15m</a>.</figcaption></figure>



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



<p>Wolvercote has its own&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oxfordmontessori.co.uk/wolvercote-montessori-nursery-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Montessori nursery school</a>&nbsp;for up to 26 children aged 2 – 4 yrs in a bright and large space with lovely garden. It&#8217;s open in school term times, 8.30am – 3pm and rated Ofsted Outstanding. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wolvercoteprimary.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">local Wolvercote Primary</a>&nbsp;also has a nursery for ages 3+ yrs.</p>



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



<p>Co-educational state school&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wolvercoteprimary.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wolvercote Primary</a>&nbsp;(3-11 years) has Good rating by Ofsted, and you&#8217;re also in catchment for the Outstanding state secondary,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cherwell School</a>&nbsp;For independent options you could almost walk &#8211; and certainly cycle &#8211; to&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/st-edwards-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St Edward&#8217;s School</a>&nbsp;from much of Wolvercote. The co-ed for 13 – 18 yr olds has half of its Sixth Form taking IB instead of A Level and is known for its stellar campus and sports facilities. Alternatively there&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/st-clares-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St Clare&#8217;s</a>, a hugely international and academically successful school, or the progressive&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/doverbroecks-oxford/">d’Overbroeck’s</a>, equally high achieving, and newly co-ed and nurturing&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/wychwood-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wychwood School</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A well respected, academically strong girls school is&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/oxford-high-school/">Oxford High</a>, for ages 4 – 18 yrs and also reputed for its drama and sport. For Prep, there&#8217;s co-ed&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/the-dragon-school-oxford/">The Dragon</a>&nbsp;a few minute&#8217;s away, one of the country&#8217;s largest and most sought after Preps for 4 – 13 yrs year olds.&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/summer-fields-oxford/">Summer Fields</a>&nbsp;takes boys 4 &#8211; 13 yrs in an impressive 70 acres of grounds.</p>



<p>On the other side of town there&#8217;s <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/magdalen-college/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Magdalen College School</a> for boys 7 – 18 yrs and girls 16 – 18 yrs, <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/christ-church-cathedral/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christ Church Cathedral School</a>, a beautifully positioned school in the centre of the spires, catering mostly to choir boys and the musically gifted. Or <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/headington-rye-oxford-school/">Headington Rye Oxford</a> for girls aged 3 – 18 yrs, with a new separate prep and senior site, expanding its already impressive facilities.</p>



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



<p>If you like your cold water swimming in peace, hit the Wolvercote Mill Stream (which recently received bathing status) early to avoid the crowds.</p>



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



<p>Easy peasy, Oxford Parkway station on the Chilterns line is a 10-minute drive or bus from Wolvercote. Trains to London Marylebone go every 30 mins and take an hour. If you want Paddington, the main Oxford station is 15 – 30 mins by bus or cycle and trains with the sae frequency of trains and journey time as Parkway. If you&#8217;re driving, Wolvercote is less than a mile from the A34 junction with links to the M4 and M40.</p>



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


Wolvercote

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