Blenheim Field

For country-style entertainment and some fresh local food, start out at Millets Farm Centre (10 minutes' drive), a large outdoor estate where (depending on the season) you can pick your own fruit and veg or walk through colourful fields of pumpkins. There's also a restaurant here, plus a large play area for kids looking to burn off a bit of steam. Oxford city centre and its dreaming spires are around half an hour away (a convenient park and ride takes around 20 minutes to reach). Many of the university's colleges (some of which are free to enter) are open to visitors during the daylight hours, while at dusk you can head to watch sunset over Christchurch Meadow before sipping on pints in century-old pubs. To see Churchill's childhood home and all its splendid grounds, drive to Blenheim Palace (30 minutes); there are also popular jousting tournaments here throughout the high season. Finally, if animal-themed day trips are called for, there's Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens (30 minutes), where you can admire rhinos, lemurs and other beasts strolling the lawns of an old manor house.