Start the morning with a lovely drive to the border of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, where a collection of striking Mesolithic monuments known as the Rollright Stones stand in open fields 700 feet above sea level, where they have stood for some 5,000 years. (Some span the same construction period as that of Stonehenge, from 3,500 BC to 1,500 BC)

Stroll through the rolling hills to the market town of Chipping Norton, which has prehistoric origins and the remains of a Norman motte and bailey. It also has a modern reputation as an upscale rural retreat for politicians and celebrities, collectively known as the 'Chipping Norton Set,' from David Cameron to former Top Gear presenter and now farmer, Jeremy Clarkson.

After perusing the town, roll on to a well-earned break for locally sourced lunch and shopping on your own at Daylesford Organic, the pretty farm shop opened in 2002 by Baroness Carole Bamford, OBE. The family owns organic farms in Staffordshire and Oxfordshire and at Daylesford you can find home & garden gifts galore. This is a great place to pick up something special.

After lunch, we will tour Sezincote, a family-owned 3,500-acre estate set high on the Cotswold escarpment above the river Evenlode, with a somewhat startling house built in what might be termed the Anglo-Mughal style. It was designed by Samuel Pepys Cockerell for his older brother, Charles, who made his fortune in the British East India Company. Its glorious gardens were rescued in the 1960s and also show a distinct Indian influence, while living up to their utterly English name, meaning 'dwelling place by the oaks.'

Back at the Lords of the Manor, relax on the lawn and tuck into dinner. 

LORDS OF THE MANOR (B, D)