Half term break

I have just returned from a lovely half term break in the Oxfordshire/Cotswolds area.
My husband couldn’t take any more time off work so I booked a short Monday to Friday break with my parents and 2 children.
The cottage was a beautiful grade 2 listed property that had been restored to a very high standard in the middle of a village called Bampton. The village has been used for filming of Downton Abbey and is a picturesque little village with a few shops, tearoom and 3 pubs.
One of the reasons for choosing the property was that it was in the middle of a village so we could go out during the day and come back and enjoy a few drinks over dinner in the local pubs without anyone having to worry about driving.
However it didn’t quite work out that way as only 1 of the pubs served food and it wasn’t very good food at that. It wasn’t a problem we just had stopped for a meal on our way back instead.
I love the Cotswolds. The whole family used to go for a weekend every year to a village called Chipping Norton so we went back to see what had changed and have a drink in the hotel we always stayed at. It was busier than it used to be with more shops and restaurants but still a lovely place to visit. My favourite place is Bourton on the Water. This has been voted as one of the prettiest villages in England and it is easy to see why. This has hardly changed from our previous visits and even my 2 children enjoyed it here.

The following day we took them into Oxford. I think they had seen enough countryside and were ready for some fun. They went shopping and after spending all of their pocket money we went ice skating. They love ice skating so this was the highlight of their short break.
Bampton was a great place to stay because half and hour one way takes you into the beautiful Cotswolds and half and hour the other way takes you into Oxford so a great break for families with different age groups.