Last week we made the most of the bank holiday with a trip to Oxfordshire.
We stayed at The Long House at Goosey Wick, around 20 minutes outside Oxford.
We found the house through Alastair Sawdays, which we have used a few times before and the properties have always been gorgeous – this was no exception.
The house felt immediately welcoming as there was soft music playing, candles burning and a hamper of local food including a huge homemade Victoria sponge. 
The owner Lesley had thought of everything, there were even little toiletry kits in the bathroom in case you had forgotten something.
The honesty gin bar was a fun addition and we discovered a new favourite, Monkey 47. 
On the Friday afternoon we enjoyed a cream tea at the Grand Cafe in Oxford, allegedly England’s oldest coffee shop.
In the evening we made the most of the house and had a cosy night in with pizzas and a soak in the huge copper bathtub.
On Saturday we spent the day exploring Oxford.
We visited the covered market where we bought chocolate and ginger cookies from the infamous Ben’s Cookies. They were so good we can see why this tiny shop is such a big draw. 
We had lunch at Quod, a bustling restaurant in a former bank. 
From there we visited the nearby Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library and Bridge of Sighs.
We wandered past colleges, peeping through their iron gates before reaching the Pitt Rivers Museum.
This houses one man’s collection of oddities from around the world and was fascinating. There are hundreds of glass cases crammed full of treasures, each labled meticulously in Pitt River’s own hand.
The exhibit drawing the biggest crowd was a rather gruesome case of shrunken human heads! 
After all that sightseeing we needed to refuel and stopped at The Vaults for a cup of tea.
We spent another evening relaxing in the house and ordered takeaway from Hanney Spice in Wantage, one we would definitely recommend.
On Sunday we drove into the Cotswolds, stopping first at Burford Garden Company. It’s much more than a garden centre and we could have easily spent a few hours there browsing the deli and shops. 
We then went into Burford itself and wandered down the main street, peeping into the honey stoned cottages. 
From there we drove through pretty Stow-on-the-Wold before stopping at Daylesford farm for lunch.
On our final day we visited Blenheim Palace, along with thousands of others enjoying a good old British bank holiday.
After touring the magnificent house we were all set to explore the extensive gardens, before a downpour scuppered our plans. However we weren’t too fed up as we had a slice of that delicious Victoria sponge waiting for us in the car!
