The Great Tew estate is threaded with quiet bridleways that wind through some of the prettiest countryside in Oxfordshire. Whether you're a seasoned rider or putting a foot in the stirrup for the first time, local stables can set you up with a hack that suits.
There is something about seeing the Cotswolds from horseback that a car window or even a footpath can't quite replicate. The land around Ledwell and Great Tew rolls gently enough to feel relaxing yet varied enough to stay interesting: old stone walls, copses of beech, long views across the Evenlode valley. Miles of bridleways criss-cross the estate, many of them soft and well-drained, so even after rain the going is good. Several local stables offer accompanied hacks for visitors, from short hour-long loops to half-day rides that reach the higher ground above Enstone. Lessons are easy to arrange too, and the instructors around here tend to be patient, encouraging, and genuinely passionate about the landscape they ride through every day.
For families staying at the cottage, a morning ride followed by lunch in one of the nearby pubs makes a particularly good day. Children as young as four or five can usually be matched with a gentle pony and a calm lead-rein walk, while confident teenagers and adults can push on to a trot or canter across open fields. If you'd like recommendations for a specific yard, just ask; we've tried a few and are happy to point you in the right direction.
“Riding out across the Tew estate on a clear morning is one of the finest things you can do around here. The kids loved it, and honestly, so did I.”
All of this on the doorstep, and your own thatched cottage to come home to. Sleeps seven, less than a mile from Soho Farmhouse.