1. The Greyhound Inn, Letcombe Regis, Oxfordshire

Enjoy a sleepy village setting below the Berkshire Downs for this revamped pub, popular with walkers and foodies for local beers and modern British pub food.

Tucked away in pretty Letcombe Regis beneath the Berkshire Downs, the Greyhound Inn has been transformed into a vibrant village local offering an impressive choice of real ales, delicious modern British pub food and cosy rooms. There's a rambling bar and a series of cosy dining rooms, where wood floors, scrubbed and old dining tables, and a vast inglenook fireplace and a wood-burner combine to create a comfortable and very relaxing atmosphere. Imaginative daily menus brim with quality local and seasonal ingredients.

2. The Royal Oak, Ramsden, Oxfordshire

Stylishly revamped in 2020 - cosy snugs and fires in classic bar; contemporary dining room; modern pub food; local art; five rooms oozing comfort and detail touches.

The Royal Oak is a prosperous-looking 17th-century coaching inn set in the heart of the picture-book Ramsden deep in rolling Oxfordshire countryside. The Grade II listed building has been restored and refreshed throughout whilst retaining the essence of a traditional, local village pub - rustic wooden floors, blazing winter log fires, and candles on scrubbed tables in cosy corners. The interesting monthly menu evolves seasonally and focuses on delivering contemporary pub classics, alongside well-chosen wines, in the most charming of pub settings. Comfortable bedrooms complete the pleasing picture.

1. The Greyhound Inn, Oxfordshire

Built for the Queen of Bohemia in the 17th century and remotely situated in windswept downland country near Lambourn in Berkshire, the National Trust property of Ashdown House looks like an elegant dolls' house. With an intimate feel and striking staircase hung with fine 17th-century paintings, Ashdown is a great option for those seeking a little local culture.

Situated in a converted piggery on a working farm, Saddleback Farm Shop & Cafe is owned by the Whidbourne family since the 1940s. This thriving farm shop has a butchery selling farm-reared beef, wild venison and game, a deli and an excellent tearoom, where you can tuck in fresh Aga-baked scones.

About 2km along the Ridgeway from the Uffington White Horse, Wayland's Smithy is a brilliantly atmospheric Neolithic chambered tomb. Its name comes from the story that the Saxon smith god, Wayland, lived there and would shoe any horse left with a coin overnight. Constructed between 3,460 and 3,400 BC and with dramatic entrance stones, it's well worth a visit when exploring part of the 87-mile Ridgeway, which passes through ancient landscapes and has been used since prehistoric times by travellers, soldiers and herdsmen.

2. The Royal Oak, Oxfordshire

One of Britain's largest and most famous stately homes, Blenheim Palace offers a host of treasures to discover. There are guided tours of the staterooms and a chance to explore the estate's sumptuous parkland. The Winston Churchill Memorial Garden and Footsteps Trail takes you on a journey through the key achievements in the great statesman's extraordinary life and his early years in this area. Churchill's grave can be seen in the churchyard at nearby Bladon.

Explore the spires of one of the oldest, most famously beautiful English cities in the world - Oxford. Visit the University Colleges, have a picnic and go punting down the River Cherwell and enjoy the arts of the theatres, galleries and Ashmolean Museum.

Known locally as 'Fortnams in the field' Daylesford Organic is so much more than an award-winning farm shop, with a cookery school, cafe, clothes shop and spa. The farm shop offers the best in organic and food produced with the best environmental and livestock husbandry credentials. They have their own bakery and serve up vegetables from their own market garden.