Thame

Ten-pound notes flutter from cash machines onto cobblestones that have seen centuries of market traders. This isn't Oxford's tourist crush - Thame operates at a proper English market town pace, where locals still know each other's names and the weekly market on Tuesday brings proper farmers selling actual vegetables.

The 13th-century parish church of St Nicholas dominates the market square with its magnificent spire, while the town's medieval layout remains largely intact. Markets have run here since 1215, and you can feel that continuity walking down the wide high street on a quiet Wednesday morning. The almshouses and coaching inns tell stories of stagecoach days when this was a vital stop between London and the Cotswolds.

Cycling country spreads in every direction. Long Crendon, just three miles north, rewards the short journey with its stunning 14th-century courthouse and village green that looks lifted from a period drama. Haddenham and Thame Parkway connects you to London in under an hour, but most visitors come to escape the capital rather than return to it.

The surrounding Chilterns offer gentle walking through beech woods and chalk downs. Larch Plantation provides woodland walks right on the doorstep, while the Vale of Aylesbury stretches northward in a patchwork of hedgerows and honey-coloured stone villages.

Staying at one of the local holiday parks makes perfect sense for exploring this corner of Oxfordshire. You're within striking distance of both the Cotswolds and the Thames Path, yet far enough from Oxford's crowds to enjoy proper countryside peace. Common Leys Farm and similar sites offer touring pitches with easy access to footpaths and cycle routes that connect Thame to dozens of picture-book villages.