England Guide
Oxfordshire, the Chilterns and the Cotswolds
Arching around the peripheries of London, beyond the orbital M25, the "Home Counties" of England form London's commuter belt. Beyond the suburban sprawl, however, there is plenty to entice, not least the handsome university city of Oxford and the quintessential English villages and countryside of the Chilterns and the Cotswolds.
The northwestern Home Counties – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire – are at their most appealing amidst the Chiltern Hills, a picturesque band of chalk uplands whose wooded ridges rise near Luton, beside the M1, and stretch southwest. The hills provide an exclusive setting for many of the capital's wealthiest commuters, but for the casual visitor the obvious target is Henley-on-Thames, an attractive old town famous for its Regatta, and the nearby village of Cookham, site of the Stanley Spencer gallery.
Traversing the Chilterns is the 85-mile-long Ridgeway, a prehistoric track – and now a national trail possessing a string of prehistoric sites, the most extraordinary being the gigantic chalk horse that gives the Vale of White Horse its name. The Vale is dotted with pleasant villages, though the star is the nearby university city of Oxford, with its superb architecture, museums and lively student population. Nearby Blenheim Palace is one of England's most imposing country homes.
The rolling hills and ridges of the Cotswolds cover much of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Dotted with picturesque villages made from the local honey-coloured stone, the Cotswolds became rich from the medieval wool trade, whose evidence is all around in a multitude of beautiful old churches and handsome mansions. Be sure to visit the engaging market town of Chipping Campden, the delightful village of Northleach and bustling Cirencester. Ultimately, however, the Cotswolds' subtle charms only really reveal themselves when you take to the hills and valleys along its dense network of trails, in particular the Cotswold Way, a hundred-mile national trail that runs from Chipping Campden in the northeast to Bath in the southwest. At the western edge of the Cotswolds is Cheltenham, an appealing Regency spa town famous for its horse racing.
Highlights
1 Chiltern Hills The best base for exploring the lovely wooded scenery of the Chiltern Hills is Henley-on-Thames, site of the famous Henley Regatta.
2 The Vale of White Horse Takes its name from the huge, prehistoric horse cut into the chalk of the Berkshire Downs.
3 Christ Church College, Oxford Oxford boasts many beautiful old buildings, with Christ Church holding several of the most fascinating.
4 Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire Perhaps the most handsome of the Cotswolds towns, with honey-coloured stone houses flanking the superb church of St James.
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