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Buscot and Coleshill Estates
Villages and countryside criss-crossed with trails
Coleshill, near Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 7PT
Important notice
We are reviewing our estate walks, and way markers for the Coleshill Purple and Brown walks and all Buscot walks are being removed.
Opening times for 12 July 2025
Asset Opening time The Buscot and Coleshill Estates Dawn - Dusk Mill and Replica Bunker Closed Coleshill Village Open Days (including Mill, Bunker and Farm Tours), take place every second Sunday of the month, April-October, 2pm-5pm (see Things to see and do page). Estate open for walking year round. Please note the car park at Coleshill estate office closes at 4.45pm.
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Ticket type With Gift Aid Without Gift Aid Adult (18+) £7.50 Child (5-17) under 5s free £3.00 Family (2 Adults and up to 3 children) £15.00 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
- Available for functions
- Bookshop
- Café
in Buscot village and in Coleshill Carpenters Yard.
- Car park
at Buscot car park, and Coleshill Car Park.
- Dogs allowed
welcome on leads near livestock and under close control at all times.
- Pub
in Coleshill Village
- Toilet
Dogs must be kept on leads near livestock and kept under close control at all times. Accessible toilets in the Carpenters Yard. Toilets near the tea-room in Buscot Village. Baby-changing facilities.
- Accessible toilet
Accessible toilet in Carpenters' Yard, Coleshill.
- Ramped access/slopes
- Steps/uneven terrain
- By road
Coleshill village on B4019 between Faringdon and Highworth. Buscot village on A417 between Faringdon and Lechlade. At Buscot village in the National Trust car park, National Trust members park free and for non-members it costs £4 per day or £2 for up to 2 hours. To drive between Buscot and Coleshill village it can take up to 10 minutes.
Parking: at Buscot village; Coleshill estate office
- By train
Swindon 10 miles
Planning your visit
Article
Visiting the Buscot and Coleshill Estates with your dog
Buscot and Coleshill Estates is a one pawprint rated place. Before you arrive with your dog, please read these guidelines to ensure a safe walk for you and for others.
Article
School visits at the Buscot and Coleshill Estates
Discover exciting interactive days out for school children, covering nature, the environment and history – and a chance for teachers to design their own course.
Highlights
Coleshill Heritage and Rural Skills Centre
Learn heritage conservation skills via beginners’ courses, book a space for your local group or rent a unit if you are a professional craftsperson seeking a community environment.
Coleshill Model Farm
Farm buildings built in the 1850s showcase intensive-farming techniques.
Villages
The two villages of Buscot and Coleshill sit in the middle of 7,000 acres of traditionally-farmed estates.
Eating
Blake's Kitchen at Coleshill offers a selection of cakes and savouries, sandwiches and hot food to order. You can also find refreshment at the Radnor Arms in Coleshill or Buscot Tea Room.
Second-hand bookshop
The Wheelrights second-hand bookshop at Coleshill offers a selection of pre-loved books.
Things to see and do
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Things to do at the Buscot and Coleshill Estates
Walk farm tracks and landscaped parkland, picnic by tranquil sections of the Thames, admire historic house Buscot Park and discover a watermill and wartime secrets in Coleshill.
Courses at the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre
We're sharing and developing heritage conservation skills through the National Trust Heritage and Rural Skills Centre based at Coleshill. We offer a programme of courses for professionals, beginners and hobbyists - take a look at our upcoming events to find out more and book.
Top trails
Trail
Green walk: Cuckoo Pen
Try this walk for a flat walk along lanes, footpaths through fields and parkland and farm tracks. Delve into the family history of the village's former first family, the Pleydell-Bouverie's, and catch a glimpse of its secret Second World War past.
Trail
Orange walk: Badbury and Great Coxwell Barn
Take a gentle circular walk along the orange route on the Coleshill Estate from Badbury to Great Coxwell Barn to spot wildlife and wander through two picturesque working farms.
Trail
Red walk: Coleshill
Coleshill's red walk is a great way to get some gentle exercise, starting at the estate yard, formerly a Victorian model farm, then onto a 'Capability' Brown-style 18th century parkland.
Eating and shopping
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Eating and shopping at the Buscot and Coleshill Estates
The two estates and their villages offer convenient spots for refreshments, lunch or cream teas, a cosy country pub and a smattering of local shops.
Places to stay
Lock Cottage
A charming and cosy Thames-side cottage with a pretty garden close to the Thames Path.
Old Slaughter House
A charming cottage that’s perfect for a simple country break.
Upcoming events
Event
Guided Tours: Secrets of Coleshill
17 April to 11 October, 1pm and 2.30pm Thursdays and Saturdays: find out more about some of the lesser-known chapters of the estate’s history and look behind the scenes of the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre.
Event
Village Open Day
13 July, 10 August, 12 October: discover what Coleshill has to offer on one of our Village Open Days.
Event
Second World War Walk
Monthly from April to November: discover Coleshill's hidden Second World War history on this informative guided walk through village, woods and parkland at the home of the British Resistance.
Event
Family Activity Morning: Organic Garden
29 July: learn about growing fruit and vegetables, then mix your own nature paints.
Event
Nature's Estate
Discover more about the nature and wildlife that call the Buscot and Coleshill Estate home, including a tour of newly-created wetland areas and Coleshill park.
Event
Family Activity Morning: Rivers
19 August: spend the afternoon exploring the River Cole, river dipping and weaving fish out of willow.
Event
Family Activity Morning: Secrets & Spies
26 August: learn all about Coleshill's Second World War history, with a chance to try code breaking and explore a secret bunker.
Event
Coleshill 1940s Day
Find out more about Coleshill's unique wartime history, complete with re-enactors, displays, pop-up museum and plenty of 1940s themed activities.
About Buscot and Coleshill Estates
These two very English villages and their surrounding patchwork quilt of fields, woodland spinney, water meadow and parkland, are just perfect for relaxing and exploring.
Perched on the West Oxfordshire border, these traditionally farmed estates spanning 7,000 acres are criss-crossed by miles of circular walks and family trails for you to discover.
Settled on one of the most tranquil and unspoilt stretches of the River Thames, Buscot is a haven for wildlife with the chance to glimpse kingfishers, otters and more. Dating back to the Domesday Book, Coleshill, now home of the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre, is a rural place of innovation, swathed in history. Nearby, woodland copses give way to sweeping fields and parkland with far-reaching views.
Eleven let farms and 850 acres of woodland form a major part of the estates, alongside Blake's Kitchen in Coleshill, the Radnor Arms in Coleshill and Buscot Village Tea Room.
Our work
Buscot and Coleshill: Nature's Estate conservation project
Find out about our plans for a more vibrant, varied and sustainable estate where wildlife and farming thrive together and people have better access to nature.
History
Article
History of the Buscot and Coleshill Estates
During the Second World War, Coleshill was the HQ for a secret band of saboteurs known as the Auxiliers, trained to fight back ruthlessly if the Germans invaded.
Support us
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Volunteering at the Buscot and Coleshill estates
Discover volunteering opportunities at the Buscot and Coleshill estates, including White Horse Hill and the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre.
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Supporter groups in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds
The Buscot and Coleshill estates are generously supported by the work of National Trust volunteering and supporter groups in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. You can join to support us and other local places.
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Supporter groups in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire
The Buscot and Coleshill estates are generously supported by the work of National Trust volunteering and supporter groups in Oxfordshire, Buckingham and Berkshire. You can join to support us and other local places.