Discover Thame: History, Nature and Special Walking Tours

Thame combines a well-preserved medieval town plan with unusual insights into English history, short walks through nature and special themed walking tours. Those planning a trip with different interests can combine culture, landscape and local discoveries here. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home in Thame, it is therefore worth first considering the desired mix of historical impressions, activity and relaxing days.

A history of the town spanning several centuries

A good introduction to Thame’s history is the Main Gallery of Thame Museum. It is housed in the large chamber of the former Magistrates’ Court and takes visitors through the history of the town from prehistory and early history through the Roman and Saxon periods to the Elizabethan era, the Civil War and the 20th century. The exhibition therefore provides a broad chronological perspective rather than focusing on just one era.

The same museum is home to the Elizabethan Wall Paintings Gallery, which features exceptionally well-preserved examples from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. A completely different but equally distinctive collection is the permanent Robin Gibb Gallery. It focuses on the Bee Gees and displays artefacts, photographs and other memorabilia from the personal archive of Dwina, Robin Gibb’s widow. For your travel planning, this means that both older local history and 20th-century music history can form part of a day of culture in Thame.

Historic buildings in the townscape

Church of St Mary offers several specific points of interest for travellers interested in history. Construction began in the 13th century at the instigation of the Bishop of Lincoln, Robert Grosseteste. Surviving details include the windows of the side aisles, dating from the early 14th century. The church also contains the tomb of Lord Williams of Thame and his first wife, Elizabeth. The building’s historic identity and individual architectural features can be combined well with a walk through the surviving medieval town plan.

Next to the Barns Centre, the original building of Lord Williams’s School, completed in 1571, can still be seen. The Prebendal is also part of the town’s older architectural history: the house dates from the 13th century and was restored in 1836. It is associated with a prebend established by the Bishop of Lincoln around 1140.

Nature and walking tours to suit your schedule

Cuttle Brook Nature Reserve offers two options of different lengths for spending time outdoors. A circular walk takes only around 20 minutes. The network of paths is also suitable for visits lasting an hour or longer. Depending on your plans for the day, you can therefore include a short nature break or devote considerably more time to the reserve. The approximate duration of the short circular walk remains a practical guide for planning.

The Historic Town Trail (1), an approximately one-hour walking tour, begins at the Town Hall in the centre of Thame. It combines exercise with exploring the town without requiring a full day to be set aside. Another option is the Midsomer Murders Trail. This self-guided walk takes no more than an hour and includes filming locations from Midsomer Murders in and around Thame. Families or travel groups with different preferences can therefore choose between nature, local history and a popular-culture theme without limiting the trip to just one type of experience.

Local impressions and suitable travel planning

The Thame Local Produce Market takes place on the second Tuesday of every month. This regular date can be taken into account when planning your schedule if regional produce and a local market are to be part of your stay. Together with the museum galleries, historic buildings and paths, it creates a varied programme that can be spread across different days or individual time slots within a day.

Accommodation in Thame is particularly well suited to your plans if you do not want to separate cultural discoveries from ideas for enjoying nature or going for walks. When searching for a holiday apartment or holiday home, consider above all which activities are important to you and when you will be travelling. The monthly market, the approximately one-hour walking tours and the short route in Cuttle Brook Nature Reserve each offer a different focus. This allows you to choose Thame based on the pace of holiday you want, without having to commit to a single travel theme.

More places for your travel planning

If you would like to extend your search beyond Thame, you can find more places here: Letcombe Regis, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Chadlington, Church Handborough, Woodstock, Kingston Bagpuze, Bampton and Benson.

For the higher-level travel overview: Oxfordshire.