Bucks &amp; Oxon


<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/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T153140.624.jpg" alt="Katie Bishop, The Girls of Summer" class="wp-image-145474" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T153140.624.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T153140.624-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T153140.624-400x266.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T153140.624-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Katie Bishop spent many years living and working in Oxford (at Oxford University Press, no less), and now with the buzz swirling about her brand new debut novel we&#8217;ve nobbled her for her favourite pubs, walks, cafes, shops and more across the city and beyond. Take it away, Katie.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kazbar-oxford"><strong><a href="https://kazbar.co.uk/">Kazbar</a>, Oxford&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;</h2>



<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/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T142843.430.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-145462" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T142843.430.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T142843.430-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T142843.430-400x266.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Untitled-design-2023-05-16T142843.430-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>I spent most of my twenties in Oxford, and a big chunk of that time living in a house-share just off the Cowley Road, which is the best place in the city for bar hopping. It was the perfect location during a time when I was partying a lot, dating a lot, and just generally muddling my way through, and Kazbar was one of my favourite haunts. It very much feels like you’ve wandered off Cowley Road and into a Moroccan souk. I can highly recommend their white wine sangria, which is fabulous, ideally soaked up with a few plates of their delicious tapas.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://www.oxford.gov.uk/shotover">Shotover Country Park</a>, Headington</strong></h2>



<p>There are so many parks in and around Oxford that it’s hard to pick a favourite, but I feel like Shotover Country Park never gets as much attention as it deserves. It’s full of hills and valleys and woodlands, and if you get right to the highest point you’re rewarded with incredible views of Oxford. The history is fascinating too &#8211; it used to be on the route between Oxford and London, and apparently the woods were a prime hiding place for highwaymen looking for stagecoaches to rob.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://www.theswanswinbrook.co.uk/">The Swan Inn</a>, Swinbrook</strong>&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1128" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Swan-Inn.jpg" alt="The Swan Inn, Swinbrook" class="wp-image-145658" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Swan-Inn.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Swan-Inn-800x602.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Swan-Inn-1000x752.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Swan-Inn-400x301.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Swan-Inn-698x525.jpg 698w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>In Oxfordshire you’re completely spoiled for choice when it comes to gorgeous country pubs &#8211; I used to love walking through Port Meadow and stopping off at The Perch or The Trout &#8211; but you’d be hard-pressed to beat The Swan Inn. It’s an idyllic Cotswold pub close to Burford, and it’s brilliant for a Sunday roast followed by a long country walk.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://www.lastbookshopoxford.com/">The Last Bookshop</a>, Jericho</strong>&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Last-Bookshop.jpg" alt="The Last Bookshop" class="wp-image-145659" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Last-Bookshop.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Last-Bookshop-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Last-Bookshop-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Last-Bookshop-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/The-Last-Bookshop-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>I spent most of my time living in Oxford working at Oxford University Press. One of the best things about working there was the location, in upmarket Jericho just north of the city centre. It&#8217;s packed full of brilliant independents, and one of my favourites is The Last Bookshop. A tiny, quirky second-hand bookshop that does any two books for a fiver, you could often find me wiling away my lunchbreaks in here.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://barefootoxford.co.uk/">Barefoot Bakery</a>, Jericho</strong>&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Barefoot-Jericho.jpg" alt="Barefoot Bakery Jericho" class="wp-image-145660" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Barefoot-Jericho.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Barefoot-Jericho-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Barefoot-Jericho-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Barefoot-Jericho-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Barefoot-Jericho-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Barefoot-Jericho-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Barefoot-Jericho-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Another Jericho independent close to my heart is Barefoot Bakery. It’s a tiny artisan bakery that sells absolutely beautiful cakes and some of the best brownies I’ve ever eaten. They have a second location in Summertown now too, but the Jericho shop is still my favourite because it has so many memories of coffee dates with friends and colleagues, griping about work over a doorstop slice of cake.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bagley Wood, Kennington</strong>&nbsp;</h2>



<p>I spent a lot of lockdown exploring places around Oxford that I’d never been to before, and Bagley Wood was probably my favourite discovery. It was a good hour’s walk from where I lived &#8211; but then, what else did I have to do at the time? If you time it right, the entire woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells. It’s a completely breathtaking sight.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://www.pierrevictoire.co.uk/">Pierre Victoire</a>, Oxford</strong>&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1296" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Pierre-Victoire.jpg" alt="Pierre Victoire" class="wp-image-145661" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Pierre-Victoire.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Pierre-Victoire-800x691.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Pierre-Victoire-1000x864.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Pierre-Victoire-400x346.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Pierre-Victoire-608x525.jpg 608w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>I always loved this little independent French bistro, but nowadays it has a special place in my heart because it’s where me and my partner went on our first official date. We’d been friends for years, and I remember us drinking a lot of red wine to try and circumnavigate the weirdness of the whole situation. The food is always fantastic at Pierre Victoire, and they do a very reasonably priced fixed menu, even on weekends.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/day-trips/best-beaches-norfolk-essex-suffolk-east-anglia/">Wells-Next-The-Sea</a>, Norfolk</strong>&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/wells-beach-huts.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



<p>A bit further afield, one of my absolute favourite places is Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. Not only because it’s gorgeous, with a big broad beach backing onto trees and rows of prettily-painted beach huts, but also because it’s where I was when I got the phone call to say that a publisher had made an offer on my book. It sparked a bit of a frenzy of publishers making offers over the next few hours, so I remember sitting on the beach waiting for my agent to call me back and knowing that my entire world was about to change. But if you’re going to have a totally life-changing moment, there’s really not many more beautiful places you could have it in.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Find out more about <a href="https://www.katiebishopwrites.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Katie&#8217;s upcoming novel, <em>The Girls of Summer</em>, here</a>. </strong></p>


My favourite places: author Katie Bishop

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