Cycling the Lanes
The roads around Ledwell were made for two wheels. Narrow, hedge-lined lanes wind between honey-stone villages with barely a car in sight, and the hills are just steep enough to earn your lunch at a good pub.
The roads around Ledwell were made for two wheels. Narrow, hedge-lined lanes wind between honey-stone villages with barely a car in sight, and the hills are just steep enough to earn your lunch at a good pub.
This is gentle, rolling country rather than anything gruelling. From the cottage you can be on quiet single-track lanes within minutes, riding through Great Tew, over towards Enstone, or looping south through Church Enstone and Cleveley. The terrain is forgiving: long, slow inclines that open out into wide views across the Evenlode valley, then easy descents into the next village. You'll pass dry-stone walls, sheep fields, the occasional pheasant strutting across the road. It's the kind of cycling where you stop often, not because you're tired, but because the view asks you to.
If you don't want to bring your own bikes, Chipping Norton is only ten minutes away and has hire options. Our favourite circuit is a morning ride out to one of the nearby pubs (The Falkland Arms in Great Tew is hard to beat) for a long lunch, then a lazy pedal home. For something more ambitious, you can reach Woodstock and Blenheim in about an hour at a relaxed pace, mostly on back roads. There's no need for Lycra or clipless pedals here; a sturdy hybrid and a decent pair of shoes will do the job perfectly well.
“Honestly, the best rides start with no plan at all. Pick a lane, follow it, and you'll end up somewhere worth stopping.”
All of this on the doorstep, and your own thatched cottage to come home to. Sleeps seven, less than a mile from Soho Farmhouse.