The Cotswold Guide
A view of Burford
East Cotswolds · Oxfordshire

Burford

Gateway to the Cotswolds

Looking down Burford's long, sloping high street toward the medieval bridge over the Windrush
St John the Baptist Church — its spire dominates the lower end of the high street
The 14th-century Tolsey on the corner of Sheep Street, dressed for the Burford Festival in June

About Burford

Burford's high street tilts dramatically downhill, lined with Tudor and Georgian shopfronts of honey-coloured stone, and finishes at a triple-arched medieval bridge over the River Windrush. For anyone arriving from Oxford or London, it is a perfect first impression of the Cotswolds.

The town has more bookshops, antique dealers and tea rooms per yard than anywhere comparable — and the Cotswold Wildlife Park is a mile south for travellers with children.

The Cotswold Guide view

Burford is a lovely village, centred around its famous sloping high street. Beautiful buildings, lovely shops, chi-chi eating places and hotels. The beautiful wool church is worth a visit. But the traffic is pretty constant in the high street so be careful! For a quieter time, walk along the river flood plains to the east. Really quite magic.

The Cotswold Guide Top Tips

  • There is some on-street parking on the high street so nab a space if you see one as you drive in. The main visitor car park is along Church Lane but be careful! It's narrow and gets very busy.
  • Walk a mile east along the Windrush footpath to St Oswald's at Widford — a tiny medieval church standing alone in fields, with medieval wall paintings inside and a Roman pavement under the chancel floor. Always open.
  • The Cotswold Wildlife Park, 1.5 miles south, is one of the best small zoos in the country — go midweek and allow at least three hours.

Where to eat & drink

  • The Lamb Inn

    Beautiful 15th-century inn on Sheep Street — flagstones, log fires, walled garden.

  • The Bull Hotel

    Right on the high street — Roman walls in the cellar, modern menu upstairs.

  • Huffkins Tearoom

    Cotswold institution; the lardy cake recipe has not changed since 1890.

  • The Swan Inn at Swinbrook

    Two miles east — riverside pub run by the Mitford family.

Getting there

  • By car

    1h30 from London via A40 — the easiest Cotswolds town to reach by road. Parking on the high street and at the top by the church.

  • By train

    Kingham (8 miles); the 233 bus runs hourly Mon–Sat.

Best time to visit

Spring blossom along the Windrush is glorious; September is the connoisseur's choice — soft light, thinning crowds, mellow stone. The Burford Festival in June fills the high street with music.

Find accommodation near Burford

Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages within easy reach of Burford — browse availability for your dates on Booking.com.

Find accommodation near Burford →

Attractions near Burford

Within 10 miles, ordered by distance.

  1. 1

    Wildlife · 2.3 mi · Bradwell Grove, 2 miles south of Burford

    Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens

    160 acres of parkland around a Victorian manor near Burford, home to giraffes, rhinos, lemurs, and 250 other species.

    Read more →
  2. 2

    Pubs · 2.8 mi · Asthall, near Burford — 3 miles east on the B4047

    The Farmer's Dog

    Jeremy Clarkson's country pub — a 17th-century coaching inn at Asthall on the edge of Burford, reopened in August 2024 to serve British-only food and drink.

    Read more →
  3. 3

    Food & Drink · 6.1 mi · Chipping Norton

    Diddly Squat Farm Shop

    Jeremy Clarkson's farm shop on his 1,000-acre farm at Chadlington — a Cotswold attraction in its own right since the Clarkson's Farm television series began in 2021.

    Read more →
  4. 4

    Church · 6.6 mi · Kingham

    St Andrew's Church

    A 13th-century parish church with a Norman font and Victorian restoration; the bells are rung weekly.

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  5. 5

    Family · 6.9 mi · Cogges, on the eastern edge of Witney

    Cogges Manor Farm

    A 13th-century manor house and working historic farm on the edge of Witney — a heritage trust attraction with animals, gardens, and a starring role as Yew Tree Farm in Downton Abbey.

    Read more →

Gallery

  • Looking down Burford's long, sloping high street toward the medieval bridge over the Windrush
  • St John the Baptist Church — its spire dominates the lower end of the high street
  • The 14th-century Tolsey on the corner of Sheep Street, dressed for the Burford Festival in June
  • Taylor's Row — one of several covered passages off the high street leading to small courtyard shops
  • A row of honey-stone cottages set behind a verge on the upper high street
  • More cottages stepping down the high street — typical Cotswold limestone with clipped box hedges
  • Plaque on Reavley Chemist, England's oldest pharmacy — trading on this site since 1734
  • Wisteria framing a glimpse of the high street in late spring
  • An arched stone passage through one of the older houses on the high street
  • Wrought-iron gates with carved Corinthian capitals on a side street off the high street
  • St Oswald's Church at Widford — a small medieval church standing alone in fields a mile east of Burford, framed by trees and a footpath
  • Approaching St Oswald's, Widford, on the footpath from Burford — the isolated church visible across the meadow on a clear afternoon

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The Cotswolds without a car

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