Eleven things to do in and around Witney, prices checked this week: free Roman mosaic open days on 22 August, Cogges from £12, Blenheim cheaper to 1 September.
Four of the eleven places below cost nothing at all, and one of the free ones only opens its best room on six weekends a year. Every price and opening time here was checked against the venue’s own website on 10 August 2026.
In Witney
Cogges Manor Farm
A seventeen-acre manor farm at the end of Church Lane, five minutes’ walk from Market Square, with a walled garden, an orchard, an adventure playground, a sandpit, ride-on tractors, farm animals and a café you can use without buying a ticket. It was Yew Tree Farm in Downton Abbey, which is why a proportion of the visitors are holding phones up at the barn.
Open daily from 9.30am until 1 November 2026. Adult £12, child aged 3 to 16 £9, two-year-olds £2.20, under-2s free, family of two adults and up to three children £41, or £31 for one adult and up to three children. An annual ticket is £32.75 for an adult and £99.75 for a family. Parking is free at OX28 3FR.
Two things worth knowing before you set out. Cogges is closed on 2 and 3 October 2026 for a private event, though the café stays open. And English Heritage members and Gardeners’ World 2-for-1 card holders can buy one adult day ticket online and bring a companion free, on ordinary days but not during special events.
Church Lane, Witney OX28 3LA. cogges.org.uk
Witney and District Museum
Free, volunteer-run, and the quickest way to understand why the town looks the way it does: three centuries of blanket-making, the Witney Blanket Hall, the Buttercross and the wool trade that paid for Church Green. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Donations welcome rather than expected.
Gloucester Court Mews, 75 High Street, Witney OX28 6JA. witneymuseum.org.uk
Witney Lake and Country Park
A Local Nature Reserve on the southern edge of town, owned and managed by Witney Town Council since 1982, with a surfaced footpath round the lake, Snipe Meadow, a restored wetland with a dragonfly habitat, and a community orchard planted by volunteers. Surveys have recorded 110 bird species here. Free, always open.
There is no car park at the lake. The town centre car parks are a five to ten minute walk, and they are free. Witney Town Council
Windrush Leisure Centre
The town’s pool and gym, on Witan Way, run by the charitable social enterprise GLL under the Better brand on behalf of West Oxfordshire District Council. A 25 metre pool for lane swimming, a separate teaching pool for lessons, and a gym. Its own 84-space car park is free.
Witan Way, Witney OX28 4YA. better.org.uk
Within about half an hour
North Leigh Roman Villa
Free, and the timing is the point. This is one of the larger courtyard villas of Roman Britain: at its height in the early fourth century it had three bath suites, at least 19 mosaic floors and 11 rooms with underfloor heating. The open-air site is accessible all year, but the surviving mosaic is kept under protective sheeting and is only uncovered on volunteer open days, 11am to 5pm.
The remaining 2026 dates are 22 and 23 August and 19 and 20 September. Access is along an uneven farm track that gets muddy, and there are five steps down into the Mosaic House, so it is not suitable for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. Dogs on leads are welcome on the site but not in the Mosaic House on open days.
Free, English Heritage. english-heritage.org.uk
Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote
The riverside ruins of a fifteenth-century manor house beside the Windrush, about three miles west of Witney, with a surviving dovecote alongside. Free entry, open any reasonable daylight hours. The dovecote is exterior viewing only. Park in the village and walk down past the church.
Free, English Heritage. english-heritage.org.uk
Crocodiles of the World, Brize Norton
The UK’s only crocodile zoo, with underwater viewing, keeper talks and feeds through the day. Open daily from 10am, last entry 4pm.
Adult (16 and over) £16.00, child aged 3 to 15 £12.50, under-2s free, concessions £14.50 for over-65s, disabled visitors, carers and Blue Light and Armed Forces card holders. Family of two adults and two children £51.00, or £61.00 for two adults and three children. Note that carers are not admitted free and need a concession ticket.
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Burford
160 acres of gardens around a Victorian manor, with rhinos, giraffes, lions and a narrow-gauge railway. About 20 minutes west along the A40.
Gate prices: adult £19.50, child aged 3 to 16 £14.00, over-65 £14.00, under-3s free. Booking online is cheaper, at £17.50 adult and £12.50 child or senior, and the park warns it is likely to sell out during the summer holidays, so entry is not guaranteed without an e-ticket. A family season ticket for two adults and two children is £260.
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock
Ten miles east, and cheaper than usual for another three weeks. Blenheim is passing on a VAT saving on visits booked between 25 June and 1 September 2026:
| Ticket | Regular | To 1 September |
|---|---|---|
| Palace, Park and Gardens, adult | £41.00 | £35.88 |
| Palace, Park and Gardens, child | £24.00 | £21.00 |
| Palace, Park and Gardens, family | £110.00 | £96.25 |
| Park and Gardens only, adult | £31.00 | £27.13 |
| Park and Gardens only, family | £85.00 | £74.38 |
Every one of those tickets converts to a 12-month annual pass at no extra cost, which is what makes Blenheim worth it if you will go more than once. There are over 2,000 acres of parkland, formal gardens, a maze and a butterfly house.
Chipping Norton Lido
A community-run open-air pool twelve miles north, with a heated 25 metre pool and a toddlers’ paddling pool. Open for summer from 11 April to 13 September 2026, so there are five weeks left.
Off-peak, which covers adult and lane swims and term-time weekday sessions: adult £8.75, child 3 to 7 £2.95, child 8 to 17 £5.25, over-65 £7.50. Peak, meaning holiday and weekend family sessions: adult £11.50, child 3 to 7 £4.00, child 8 to 17 £6.50, over-65 £9.30, spectator £5.50. Under-3s free. There is a sauna and cold plunge for over-18s at £15 for 50 minutes, and an over-60s swim on Wednesdays at £6.50 including a hot drink.
The Theatre Chipping Norton
A small producing theatre in a converted Salvation Army hall that also runs as a cinema, so the programme swings between live drama, comedy and film. The daytime box office is open Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 1pm, on 01608 642350.
One that is gone
If you are working from an older list: Wychwood Brewery on Eagle Maltings closed in November 2023 when Carlsberg Marston’s shut the site. The Hobgoblin brand is still brewed, but not in Witney, and the brewery tours have not run since. Do not drive over for one.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Witney for free?
Four of the eleven here cost nothing: Witney and District Museum, Witney Lake and Country Park, Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote and North Leigh Roman Villa. Parking in West Oxfordshire District Council car parks is also free.
What is there to do in Witney with kids?
Cogges Manor Farm is the obvious one, with a playground, sandpit and farm animals for £12 adult and £9 child. Crocodiles of the World at Brize Norton and Cotswold Wildlife Park at Burford are both within about 20 minutes.
How much does Cogges Manor Farm cost?
£12 for an adult, £9 for a child aged 3 to 16 and £41 for a family of two adults and up to three children. It is open daily from 9.30am until 1 November 2026.
Can you see the mosaics at North Leigh Roman Villa?
Only on volunteer open days, 11am to 5pm. The remaining 2026 dates are 22 and 23 August and 19 and 20 September. The open-air site itself is free and accessible all year.
Is Blenheim Palace cheaper at the moment?
Yes, on visits booked between 25 June and 1 September 2026. An adult Palace, Park and Gardens ticket is £35.88 instead of £41.00, and it still converts to a 12-month pass.
Is Chipping Norton Lido still open?
Yes, until 13 September 2026. Off-peak adult entry is £8.75 and peak is £11.50.
Sources
Each venue’s own website, checked on 10 August 2026: Cogges Manor Farm, Witney and District Museum, Witney Town Council, Windrush Leisure Centre, North Leigh Roman Villa, Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote, Crocodiles of the World, Cotswold Wildlife Park, Blenheim Palace, Chipping Norton Lido and The Theatre Chipping Norton. The Wychwood Brewery closure is from Carlsberg Marston’s own announcement.
Prices and opening times change. Confirm with the venue before travelling.
Driving anywhere from Witney means the A40 and, this month, a northbound-only High Street. Witney roadworks and travel has what is open and where to park.
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