'Quaint' English places to take visitors

[usernametaken]

A bit of a last minute change of plan, but I need somewhere in the South to take some American visitors (no kids) for the day. I need somewhere within an hour or two (max) of Oxford. I was thinking maybe a pretty south coast village for fish n'chips and a sandy beach, but am stuck for ideas on where. Perhaps a Cotswold village with a lovely pub...or ???? Anywhere that is typically English would be excellent!

Any ideas, please! Many thanks!

Winchester?

What about stratford upon avon? or Bath which is very very English and the americans love it.

Bourton on the Water (or Burford as a back-up option). Both are quintessential Cotswoldy typically Englishy villages. I'd lean towards Bourton because there's more to see and do there (including a nice model village), but if you want to potter in antique shops then Burford might be better.

Chipping Norton / Moreton in the Marsh / Cirencester all good for American images of what England "should" be like - and all very accessible from Oxford.

have a look [[http://www.cotswoldswebsite.com/moretoninmarsh.htm here]?

bother - link again

evesham

Waddesdon Manor.

New Forest.

Winchcombe - you can also show them Sudely Castle. Very pretty streets.

Stow on the Wold and Bourton are all on the Oxford side of the Cotswolds as well.

Broadway in Worcestershire (just over the border, about 25 mins drive north of Cheltenham) is beautiful, nice tea room there.

Also Chedworth in the Cotswolds (halfway between Cheltenham and Cirencester) is lovely, there is a Roman Villa there and also in a nearby village called Withington there is a lovely pub called the Mill - very old fashioned and Englishy quaint.

Actually what I w ould do is go up Cleeve Hill (just outside Cheltenham), have a drink in the Rising Sun pub (beautiful views of the Malverns and Cotswolds), go to Winchcombe (about 7 miles) and have a look, then go to Broadway (about 20 ish miles), then after that it is only another 20 minutes or so to Stratfors upon Avon. I did this with DP when I first moved to Gloucesterhire and it is lovely, not too far a drive really, and you really see some nice villages.

HTH

What about Windsor or Warwick castles? Might be pricey though.

Or got to the coast in Dorset where you can look for Fossils (I have absolutely no idea where it is, or how far from oxford it is!) - it is called the Jurassic Coast (google it).

Excellent!
Thank you so much for your (super quick) replies!

Dorset coast to Oxford is significantly more than two hours (FIL in Dorset, MIL in Oxford, so have driven between the two a few times). As is Winchester, unless you totally ignore the speed limits and have a very good run...

Henley, Windsor and Eton?