Oxfordshire County
(Historic)

Map Reference: (51.861295, -1.338504)

Oxfordshire is an inland county in the Midlands of England. The north-west of the county lies in the Cotswolds. Some of the finest Cotswold towns are to be found here, notably Chipping Norton and Burford. The Rollright Stones, an ancient stone circle, are located on a scarp of the Cotswold Hills. Away from the Cotswolds, northern Oxfordshire is rural in character with a few small towns. Banbury is famed in song and for Banbury cakes. Bicester is a historic market town. Carlbury is a quiet, unspoilt market town. Woodstock is dominated by the nearby Blenheim Palace - the birthplace of Churchill. The south of Oxfordshire lies in the Thames Valley, the Thames forming the whole of Oxfordshire's southern border. This part of the county is a place of idyllic villages. Oxford is the seat of the oldest university in Britain. The ancient colleges and university buildings define and shape the town. At Oxford the river, and thus the county border, takes a sudden turn south. Dorchester on Thames was in Saxon times a major monastic centre. The village of Caversham is now a suburb of Reading. Henley on Thames is famous for its annual regatta. North of Henley the Chilterns begin. The Chilterns are better known in Buckinghamshire, but there are many fine walks to be had in the Oxfordshire hills.