The honey-coloured cottages and bucolic scenes of the Cotswolds aren’t a hard sell, of course, but you can find just as pretty villages, country pubs and beautiful scenery to the south, with the added bonus of being nearer to Didcot for easier run-ins to London. Consider the Vale of White Horse district (yes, its real name), which stretches south-west from Oxford into the pretty countryside of the North Wessex Downs. This late 1930s house exemplifies the area’s attraction perfectly, being in a secluded, rural plot of seven acres, but also only ten miles west of Oxford and only a 15 minute drive from Didcot Parkway – making the capital only an hour and a half away when you factor in parking and a cup of tea at the station. Other nearby spots, like the historic village of Childrey are worth consideration too.
Then, of course, there’s Oxford, the tourist-drawing university town that demands a second look beyond its colleges and pretty cobbled lanes. A little outside the city are leafy neighbourhoods like Headington, where independent shops, cafes and eateries create a village vibe, despite its position three miles from the centre. The area is ideal for working parents, being well-positioned for access to the University departments and the city’s John Radcliffe, Manor and Nuffield Hospitals. The kids are sorted too, given the position inside the catchment areas for several private and state schools including Headington, Magdalen College School, Rye St Antony and the Ofsted ranked ‘Outstanding’, Windmill Primary.
