Harpsden Hall

Harpsden Hall is located in the gorgeous Harpsden valley in the village of Harpsden. It is a wonderful area, popular with the rich and famous and labelled Oxfordshire’s ‘poshest village’ by The Telegraph. It sits just outside the gorgeous ancient market town of Henley-on-Thames. Henley-on-Thames is the international home of rowing, sitting on a picturesque stretch of the River Thames and enjoying a wonderful sprinkling of shops, restaurants and cafes. Henley is famous for its prestigious events, the Henley Royal Regatta, the Thames Traditional Boat Festival and the Festival of Music and Art. Thousands of visitors head to the town during the five day Henley Royal Regatta to watch Olympians compete in the two hundred plus races. The Thames Traditional Boat Festival first took place thirty seven years ago. It is a fun day out for the whole family with Punch and Judy puppet shows, a pop up pub, stalls offering trades and crafts from days gone by and much more. Henley enjoys beautiful riverside walks and plenty of boating opportunities. The town’s own artisan gin, Mr Hobbs Gin, stems back to 1879 when Mr Harry Hobbs, founder of Hobbs and Sons (now Hobbs of Henley) and publican of The Ship Hotel was often seen about the town with his high-spirited nature and flamboyant beard or on his punt at 11am enjoying his home-distilled gin. He held parties along the banks of the river and hired out his boasts for like-minded locals to host their own gatherings. To mark the 150th anniversary of the family business, the family started to look at local botanicals and embarked on creating their own gin in honour of the man that started it all. The town is also famous as a location used in the popular series Midsomer Murders. Fans will recognise some of the locations used such as Gabriel Machin’s butcher shop, Tudor House Antiques and the Argyll pub.

Not far away is the university city of Oxford where you can tour the hallowed halls of Britain’s oldest and most famous university and follow in the footsteps of famous poets and Prime Ministers. Several scenes from Harry Potter were filmed at various sites in the town including Oxford University’s Bodleian Library which is known to fans as Hogwarts Library. Visitors enjoy hop-on hop-off bus tours to explore the town’s architecture, its culture and its museums. The ancient Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum are all very interesting. Visitors can step back in history among the Norman ruins of Oxford Castle, wander beneath the Bridge of Sighs or simply enjoy the town’s fantastic array of eateries and bars. Oxford offers meandering waterways, lush green spaces and an outstanding shopping experience.

Thame is another very pretty, thriving market town within easy reach. It is situated at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, just 14 miles from Oxford. Thame boasts fascinating historical buildings, beautiful parks, a museum, a theatre, excellent shopping and a wonderful array of restaurants and bars. Thame grew from Anglo-Saxon roots to become a very characterful town with plenty of medieval buildings standing aside those from the Georgian and Victorian periods. Thame enjoys an iconic boat-shaped high street and a buzzy market place. It is also frequently used as a filming location for ‘Midsomer Murders’. Thame hosts regular markets and arts and crafts fairs in the town hall. The town’s programme of events includes their Easter Country Show, music festivals in May and July, a bustling carnival and fete in June, the Towersey Festival in August, the Horse and Country Show, a food festival and fun fair in, the Arts and Literature Festival in October and a fun-filled Christmas lights fair.

Within, very easy reach, the Cotswolds is a stunning area brimming with super attractive towns and villages including Chipping Norton, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tetbury and Chipping Campden. Many of the picturesque market towns are old wool towns with amazing architecture, much of which features the gorgeous honey coloured Cotswold stone. Bourton-on-the-Water, like most of the Cotswolds, lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is the Venice of the Cotswolds with beautiful bridges crossing the River Windrush. Gorgeous cosy cafes line the pretty streets together with attractive houses. Stow-on-the-Wold is a delightful market town, one of the highest of the Cotswold towns, exposed on the 800 feet high Stow Hill at the crossroads with the Roman Fosse Way. The town boasts a fascinating history. At the height of the Cotswolds wool industry, it held annual fairs where as many as 20000 sheep were sold at one time. The Market Square is very attractive with its ancient cross, town stocks and an elegant array of Cotswold town houses and shops. You will find many fine antique shops, art galleries, gift and craft shops. Tetbury is another historic wool town. It is an architectural gem with many of the wool merchant’s houses remaining the same as they were in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Parish Church of St Mary’s has one of the tallest and most elegant spires in the UK. Tetbury is popular for its independent shops including antique shops, vintage and interior shops, exclusive boutiques and the Highgrove shop. Tetbury holds many regular events including the May Day Wacky Races, the Spring Bank Holiday Woolsack Races when contestants carry 65lb woolsacks up and down the 1 in 4 hill, the August Summer Show, the September Food and Drink Festival, the October Tetbury Music Festival and the Christmas Lights Switch-on. Close to Chipping Norton, you can visit Soho Farmhouse. Spread across 100 acres of Oxfordshire countryside, it offers many attractions including fabulous eateries from Japanese grill dishes at Pen Yen to Hay Barn’s delicious wood oven pizzas, horse riding, tennis, a fantastic spa, the Soho Health Club, an indoor-outdoor pool, clay pigeon shooting, boating on the lake and lots more. Daylesford Organic Farm is also very popular with its clover-rich pastures and organic animals roaming freely. You can buy fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs which are picked daily from the market garden and visit the award-winning farmshop and cafe. Beyond the farmshop is the Bamford Barn, Wellness Spa, Workshop, Cookery School and several options for indoor and outdoor dining.