Cotswold View Campsite Charlbury: Camping in the Heart of the Cotswolds
- James
- Jul 15
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 28
View at Charlbury cotswolds view
Cotswold View Campsite Quick Summary
Cotswold View is a well-equipped campsite in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, set on 54 acres overlooking Wychwood Forest. Electric hookups on every pitch, an on-site café, and walking distance to Charlbury's pubs and shops.
Campsite Scorecard
Location ⛺⛺⛺⛺
Setting & Views ⛺⛺⛺⛺
Facilities ⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺
Value for Money ⛺⛺⛺
Food & Drink Nearby ⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺
Peace & Quiet ⛺⛺⛺
Price per night: The average price is £37 to £48 for two
Hook up: Yes / electric on all pitches
Dogs welcome: Yes
Campfires: No / raised fire pits above the ground / BBQs off the ground only
Nearest town: Charlbury / 1 mile
Best for: Campervan / Motorhomes / Tent / Couples / Solo / Families / Dog Owners
Open: 27th March to 1st November 2026
Website: cotswoldview.co.uk
Address: Banbury Hill Farm, Enstone Road, Charlbury, OX7 3JH
Phone: 01608810314
The Adventure Starts
Enough was enough, I packed up the campervan gear and set off solo, this time to Cotswold View campsite in Charlbury after reading some good reviews. Good pubs in the village too, The Bull Inn and The Bell, plus The Old Shed Café right there on site. Sounded like exactly what I was after.
Charlbury had been on the radar for a while. The Cotswolds is somewhere I keep coming back to, Wolford Woods, Pebbly, Tobacconist Farm, but this part of Oxfordshire was a new one for me. Cotswold View sits on 54 acres of rolling wooded farmland overlooking Wychwood Forest and the Evenlode Valley. That was enough to get the van loaded.
The Drive, Birmingham to Charlbury, Cotswolds
The drive from Birmingham takes around an hour and twenty through some lovely Oxfordshire countryside. As you know from my previous trips I always like to stop on route if possible, pick up some local produce to cook on the BBQ and find a decent spot for breakfast. This time I stopped at Ellenden Farm Shop on the Evesham Road.
It's a proper family run farm shop, beef and lamb reared on their own farm just seven miles away, fresh eggs from their resident hens, and everything sourced with genuinely low food miles in mind. I picked up a great looking rib-eye steak from the local farmer, along with chorizo and homemade sausages for the evening BBQ, and a couple of bottles of their own locally produced scrumpy cider, made from the apples grown right there in the orchard.
They've also got a lovely café at the back with a nice seating area outside, so I decided to order the large full English as I was starving. Air conditioned in summer, a wood burner in winter, the kind of place that's clearly thought about getting the details right.
Breakfast at Ellenden Farm Shop Café
I went for the large full English, local free range sausages, local free range cured bacon, their own eggs, mushrooms, tomato, hash brown, black pudding, baked beans and toast. A properly massive breakfast, and really well cooked across the board, the only slight miss was the tomato, which was a touch under-cooked. Everything else was spot on though, beans nicely stewed down, bacon fat crispy just how I like it, really good bread for the toast with excellent butter, and top of the range condiments, all Stokes, which tells you they don't cut corners even on the small stuff.
Washed it all down with a flat white. £14.50 for the breakfast, and honestly I'd highly recommend this place, proper quality, proper portions. 8.5 / 10
They also do a ploughman's, salads, sandwiches, cream teas and a good range of other lunch items. The lady behind the counter told me they do a cracking Sunday lunch too, which is clearly popular with locals, by all accounts this place has a proper following in the area and can get very busy.
Full English breakfast at Ellenden farm review
Arriving at Cotswold View Camping
Cotswold View camping sits at Banbury Hill Farm just outside Charlbury, overlooking Wychwood Forest and the Evenlode Valley, 54 acres of rolling wooded farmland with spacious pitches and a genuine sense of space and quiet.
One tip when you arrive, be careful you don't miss the sign like I did. Drove straight past it and ended up in the village of Charlbury before realizing, so had to turn back around. Once you're on the right lane you head up towards a barrier, with reception on the left in a wooden hut. The lady there will open the barrier for you and let you pick your own pitch, so I drove around for a while trying to find a quiet spot with a good outlook before settling on the bottom edge near the woods.
Electric hookup on every pitch meant the Totalcool 45L was running off mains from the moment I arrived, great for keeping the food and ciders from the farm shop properly cold from the get go.
The Site, Cotswold Camping Charlbury
Cotswold View camping is a well-equipped site with proper facilities, dish-washing, free WiFi not very strong, games room, tennis court, picnic area and baby changing. It's a proper family friendly site without feeling like a holiday park, the 54 acres of farmland give it space and breathing room that smaller sites can't match.
After setting up I had a wander round as you do. First impressions were really good, well kept and well maintained, loads of showers and toilets dotted around in different areas, and some glamping pods too if you fancy a bit more comfort. The walk brought me back round to the reception area, where they've got a fridge stocked up with local produce, sausages, bacon, eggs, plus provisions on the shelves. Picked up six Hawkstone ciders and beers for later, along with some ice cream.
No shortage of things to do on site either, disc golf course, tennis court, an animal farm trail, woodland trails, and the Evenlode Valley right on the doorstep for walking.
The Chip Box glamping Reception hut at Charlbury view camping
The Old Shed Café
One of the highlights of Cotswold View is having The Old Shed Café right on site, proper food without having to go anywhere.
I didn't eat in there this time, just grabbed a flat white in the morning, but it looked really good. They do breakfasts, wood-fired pizzas and more, with a nice seating area both inside and out under the canopy. One to properly try next time I'm back.
Th Old Shed cafe outside area The Old Cafe inside area Path back to campiste from Charlbury village
Charlbury Town, The Bull Inn & The Bell
Charlbury is only a short drive or walk from the site, a proper Cotswolds market town with independent shops, pubs and cafés.
After chilling out for a while I decided to walk into Charlbury, a lovely walk through the woods and along the fields into the village. There are four pubs in the village from what I could tell, but I decided on The Bell first, owned by Daylesford, because it was another boiling hot day and I'd heard the beer garden was lovely. It didn't disappoint, a typically English garden setting, benches and chairs dotted around under the trees, and a rope swing at the bottom for the kids to play on.
They've also got an outside bar and a wood-fired pizza oven. Had a couple of ice cold ciders and just relaxed taking it all in, genuinely reminded me of Midsomer Murders, the whole scene.
Walked up the street after to The Bull Inn for a pint and sat in their beer garden too, spoilt for choice really. I'll definitely be coming back to eat at The Bull Inn, the food looks right up my street and it's got a very good reputation form what i can see.
The Bell beer garden The Bull Inn Beer garden The Bull Inn Charlbury
Diddly Squat Farm
Diddly Squat Farm Shop is right on the doorstep from Cotswold View but I didn't fancy tackling it this time around, it gets absolutely rammed, especially in good weather, and I wasn't in the mood for the queues. Maybe next time when I can get there early doors.
Food and Evening at Camp
Once back at the campsite I felt a little tipsy and tired from the walk back, which is mainly uphill, so that'll do it. Should have brought the ebike really, but I'd forgotten it, would have made that walk back a lot easier. Lesson learned for next time.
Got the BBQ going and waited until it was up to the right temperature before putting on the aged rib-eye steak from Ellenden. Cooked it medium rare, let it rest for five minutes, and it came out like butter, genuinely excellent flavour.
Had some chips with it too, they sell them at weekends from a horse Chip box near the reception area, along with other sides and a few other bits. Handy touch if you don't fancy cooking everything yourself.
Spent the rest of the evening just sat there, music on, watching the other campers go about their evening.
After all that I headed to bed, knackered.
Rib eye steak with Hawkstone lager Steak with chorizo sausages review Thw walk to Charlbury village
Morning
After a lie-in I had a shower, packed up, grabbed a coffee at The Old Shed, then set off back home.
The Verdict
Cotswold View is one of the best equipped campsites I've stayed at in the Cotswold's, 54 acres of beautiful farmland, electric hookup on every pitch, The Old Shed Café on site, and some of the best Cotswold's countryside on the doorstep. With Daylesford Organic and Diddly Squat Farm nearby it's a perfect base for a proper field to fork weekend.
That said, I did find it all a bit commercial for my tastes, but everybody's different and I know plenty of people would love that about it. It was quite noisy at times with kids and music around, and some of the pitches are close together which isn't really my thing. As someone travelling solo it's also on the pricier side compared to other campsites I've stayed at, though you do get a lot of facilities included for that.
I would go back for sure.
Overall 8 /10
The Non-Negotiables: Small Kit That Makes a Big Difference
It’s the small details on a trip that make the biggest difference between a smooth setup and a headache. Whether it’s getting proper coffee on the move, avoiding a pitch-black stumble across a quiet campsite at night, or getting a fire roaring without fuss, these are some of the bits of kit I never go camping without:
🔦 Energizer Vision HD+ 260 Lumen Head Torch, Super Bright LED, for the 3am toilet run when the curry's kicking in
☕ AeroPress Original Coffee Press – 3 in 1 Brew Method, 3-in-1 brew method, unbeatable travel coffee kit that permanently lives in the van.
💨 Flextail Portable Air Pump, Not only does it make quick work of topping up the airbed and stoking campfires, but with its built-in light and USB rechargeable battery, it eliminates the need for extra lanterns and bulky manual pumps.
🔥 200 Firelighters – Ecoblaze Natural Firelighters , ands-down the best natural firelighters you can buy for getting the BBQ and fire pit going effortlessly.
Planning a trip?
See how Cotswold View compares in our guide to the best places to camp in the Cotswolds, featuring our top 6 pitches and favorite local food spots.
More Cotswold Campsite Reviews:
Thanks James | Fishing Field Fork
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