What to do with your group accommodation in Burford
Burford tumbles down a long hill to a medieval bridge over the River Windrush, and the views from the top of the High Street are the first thing everyone talks about. It's 19 miles west of Oxford, right on the A40, and has long been called the gateway to the Cotswolds.
For a big party, group accommodation in Burford puts you within walking distance of proper pubs, tea rooms and antique shops, with the open countryside of the Cotswolds National Landscape starting at the bottom of the hill. Cars can stay parked for most of the weekend.
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
Two miles south of town at Bradwell Grove, the Cotswold Wildlife Park fills its parkland and walled garden with giraffes, rhinos, penguins and big cats. You can wander for hours, stop for lunch in the restaurant and still not see everything. Kids in the party will head straight for the treetop adventure playground, while the grown ups linger in the gardens.
It's set up for groups. The park's own group page offers reduced rates for parties of 20 or more paying guests, listed at £14 an adult and £10 for children and over 65s, booked at least three days ahead. There's free hard standing parking for minibuses too. Big bookings may not be taken in school holidays, so plan a term time visit if you can.
Book a group visit to Cotswold Wildlife Park »
St John the Baptist Church and the Levellers
At the bottom of the hill sits one of the finest wool churches in England. Parts date back to 1125, and the West Door to 1175. In May 1649 Oliver Cromwell locked around 340 mutinous soldiers, the Levellers, inside, and three were shot in the churchyard while the rest watched from the roof. Look closely at the lead rim of the font and you'll still see "Anthony Sedley 1649 Prisner" scratched into it!
Entry is free and the church aims to open from 10am to 4pm daily. If you're coming as a large party, ring the church office first to check times. Time it for the Saturday nearest 17 May and you'll catch Levellers' Day, with music and talks across town.
Plan your visit to Burford Church »
The Windrush walk to The Swan at Swinbrook
Lace up your boots after breakfast and follow the River Windrush east out of Burford, through water meadows and quiet fields. It's about three miles of easy, flat walking. At the end sits The Swan Inn at Swinbrook, a 16th century pub on the riverbank with flagstone floors and log fires. The Mitford sisters are buried in the churchyard up the lane.
The pub takes group and private dining bookings, which matters when there are fourteen of you arriving muddy and hungry. Book well ahead for a Sunday lunch. The Swan also publishes three circular walks from its door, so the fitter ones can add a loop to Asthall while the rest grab a table.
Book a group table at The Swan Inn »
Minster Lovell Hall
Five miles down the valley, the roofless shell of a 15th century manor house stands beside the Windrush. William Lovell built it in the 1430s, and you can still walk through the great hall and tower and peer into the medieval dovecote. It's a superb spot for a picnic on the grass, with the river sliding past and nobody hurrying you along.
Run by English Heritage, it's free and open any reasonable daylight hours, so a group of any size can just turn up. There are no toilets on site. Park at St Kenelm's Church car park, about five minutes' walk away, as the lane itself has no parking.
Plan a visit to Minster Lovell Hall »
Crocodiles of the World
Here's something nobody back home will expect. Just off the Burford Road at Brize Norton is the UK's only crocodile zoo, with species from all over the world basking in warm indoor pools. Feeding displays and keeper talks bring them to life, and there are VIP and keeper experiences if someone in your group fancies getting closer.
It opens seven days a week from 10am, closing only on Christmas Day, which makes it a handy rainy day plan. Parking is free. For a group visit, contact the front desk on the number shown on the zoo's site before you go.
Arrange a group visit to Crocodiles of the World »
Villages near Burford worth the short drive
Some of the prettiest stone villages in West Oxfordshire are within a few minutes of town.
- Fulbrook (under a mile): just over the bridge, close enough to walk to Burford for dinner, and home to Tawny Cottage with its wood fired hot tub.
- Swinbrook (about 2.5 miles): the riverside Swan Inn and the Mitford graves at St Mary's Church.
- Asthall (about 3 miles): a quiet hamlet on the Windrush, reached on one of the circular walks from Swinbrook.
- Shilton (about 3 miles): a ford, a duck pond and lanes of honey coloured cottages south of the A40.
- Windrush (about 4 miles): a tiny village above the river, home to The Malt House with its heated pool from May to September.
- Filkins (about 5 miles): The Five Alls, an 18th century stone coaching inn with a garden, is the place for a long group lunch.
- Bampton (about 8 miles): the real village behind Downton in Downton Abbey, with Church Green and St Mary's Church instantly recognisable.
Where to stay and how to get around
Right in town, Malt Barn sleeps 14 in seven bedrooms, with a hot tub in an outbuilding, an outdoor games area and parking for nine cars. Dolphin House is a Grade II listed townhouse for eight with a walled courtyard, and The Malt House at Windrush sleeps 11 with two dining rooms.
The nearest station is Kingham, on the line from London Paddington, and bus routes 233 and S1 link Burford with Witney and Oxford. Bourton-on-the-Water is around 20 minutes north.
It's easy to turn a stay into a tour. Bibury and its row of weavers' cottages is a short drive west, and Cirencester beyond it has the Roman museum and a big market. Head north to Chipping Norton for the theatre, or further on to the wool town of Chipping Campden. Out towards Stroud, group accommodation in Stonehouse suits groups who'd rather be in the steep western valleys.
Riverside walks, a long table at the pub and a garden big enough for the whole gang: that's what group accommodation in Burford is all about. Browse all our large group cottages in the Cotswolds and get everyone together.