Woodstock and Blenheim Palace

One of our recent outings was to Woodstock, a charming, picturesque village 8 or 10 miles north of Oxford. It's a very old village with a Norman church that retains a few of its original features, lots of quaint shops and tearooms, and two or three interesting little hotels.

Woodstock's best-known feature is Blenheim Palace, one of England's great country homes. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, designed in the early 18th century. Queen Anne gave the money and land for Blenheim to John Churchill (Duke of Marlborough) after his victory in the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim in 1874. The palace doesn't open for the season until mid-February, but we took a long walk around the grounds, which were landscaped by the famous architect "Capability" Brown. The lawns, woods, and lake are beautiful.

As we do in nearly every village we visit, after our walk we found a pleasant little tearoom for our ritual tea and scones.