Often described as the gateway to the Cotswolds, Burford is the quintessential British countryside destination. I was lucky to visit the market town earlier this year and want to share my practical recommendations and memories.
Friday 7 May
We found a magical weekend accommodation at Greyhounds, hosted by Michael, a resident (via Airbnb). Not knowing what to expect, we walked a few yards from the bus stop to our destination and called our host as we arrived in front of the giant wooden double doors. It was as the doors were pushed open for us that we realised our luck... We walked through a long corridor which had a view to a walled garden and was bordered by all kinds of plants, sculptures, and vintage accessories. After dropping our luggage by our door, we were given a garden tour, which extended far back, on a hill, giving us a stunning rooftop view of the neighbourhood – old Cotswold stone houses. Whilst waiting for our room to be done we ventured out to a local bakery to buy lunch at Lynwood & Co Café which we had spotted on our way to the accommodation. The works exclusively works with local and independent producers and lists the food miles of all their products – all very close to 0! We were able to enjoy our lunch in the garden, a unique experience thanks to the breath-taking setting.
Rating: 4.5/5
What to eat: any sandwich made with their succulent sourdough bread.
After lunch, we were recommended a few local walks, and since the weather was pleasant, we headed for a circuit walk of about 3 or 4 miles. Through old farms and churches, fields, valleys and alongside the Windrush river, we really enjoyed the many stunning views.
Our dinner reservation was at a local pub, The Cotswold Arms, where live music was provided by a local and very talented artist, Leigh Chambers.
Rating: 4/5
What to eat: the pub classics we had were tasty, not to a gastro pub standard, but good for a relatively affordable menu.
Saturday 8 May
Our host kindly put together a breakfast tray for us, but Burford’s bakeries would have been a solid option if not…
Later, and as it was an especially rainy day, we decided to explore Burford’s high street. We started by going down the street, stopping at the shops that appealed the most to us. We scouted several shops for local products and made a note to come back later to sample some of them. From clothes to antique shops, jewellery to home gifts boutiques, we spent most of our morning having a lovely ‘mooch around’. For lunch, we headed to Bakery on the Hill for some cheese and onion pasties, the staff were all friendly. We took our lunch back to our B&B’s drawing room to stay dry and warm!
Rating: 3.5/5
What to eat: the cheese and onion pasties were good, although we found the ingredients ratio slightly unbalanced with too many onions.
In the afternoon, I found a rather gorgeous bookshop where I spotted some of my team’s books and bought a vintage-looking notebook to journal over the weekend. After choosing a few presents for our families, we went back to the farm shop and local deli to buy our buffet dinner items.
List of shops to visit:
Books: Madhatter Bookshop
Home & Antiques: At Home with The Rudds, Manfred Schotten Antiques, Jane Fyson Antiques, Antiques at The George
Food: The Burford Farm Shop
Jewellery: Lynne's Shop
Gift: Three French Hens
Kitchen: The Cookshop
Sweets: The Sweet Shop Burford, Shahbaz Chocolate Shop
Crafts & Pottery: Craft & Curious, Burford Woodcraft
On our way back to our room, our host offered us a lift to the local garden centre, Burford Garden Company, which was worth the trip according to him. Without much surprise on my behalf, I had a fantastic time mooching around the home section and was ecstatic when I found a bookshop!
Our final dinner display, courtesy of local shops:
Sourdough bread from Lynwood & Co Café
Smoked salmon
Olives
Rosemary roasted almonds
Windrush Goat’s Cheese with chives
Oak smoked cheddar
Cheese biscuits
Cheese board chutney
… wine, gently gifted by our host
Later, we explored the library on the mezzanine – full of character with wooden beams and vintage furniture. Our host’s parents used to own a bookshop, and on closing, gifted a great number of books to the B&B, a very wide selection to suit all tastes.
Sunday 9 May
On our final half day, we decided to head on another local walk. We ended up getting lost in the middle of some fields, not able to find the correct footpath, and decided to use the same loop as the previous day. We really enjoyed exploring the nearby villages and countryside once more! We went back via the town centre to buy ourselves a quick lunch from the deli, Mrs Bumbles Delicatessen.
Rating: 4.5/5
What to eat: home-made quiches and tarts.
Although we really enjoyed visiting Burford in May, it would make an ideal Autumnal or Christmassy countryside weekend break.
