Witney is often considered as the gateway to the Cotswolds. It is also fast becoming a satellite town that attracts many people who have been priced out of living in Oxford and it can only be hoped that this won’t disfigure the town too much.

Having lived here for the past 3 years, I can say it is very enjoyable as the town centre has a charm reminiscent of all the pretty Cotswolds villages while shopping, dining out and parking commodities make it convenient and pleasant to visit.

At the moment, the town is a successful cohabitation of old and new, suburban and rural, English and cosmopolitan. If you are a tourist, I would say it is more a base that would allow you to visit the Cotswolds than a place to visit for itself though a few hours wandering round the town and the rural lanes that go towards the Thames would not be wasted.

Here are just a few pictures to showcase the buttercross (a medieval market where people used to buy butter and eggs) and the town centre.

Witney is accessible from Oxford by bus S1. Alternatively, the two main large car parks are free, as it is the case everywhere in West Oxfordshire.