I fell in love with Oxfordshire in 1990 when I was lucky enough to attend university in Oxford. Back then, Mic Young, the superb runner of Lincoln College’s bar, used to organise trips to the Oxfordshire countryside to visit real ale pubs, and it was on these trips that I was struck by the beauty of places such as Finstock, Great Milton and Long Wittenham. After I left university I lived in Dorking, Surrey for seven years, right opposite Denbies Vineyard, which is one of England’s largest. I always remember having a burning desire to stay at their onsite B&B despite living only 200 yards away.

For around 20 years, I used to make annual visits to France with my brother and a friend. We’d cycle around the different wine regions, then fill up the car with as much wine as we could from the producers we had met along the way. One year, all of us pressed for time, we decided to have a short weekend near Hastings, instead cycling around a handful of small producers in Kent and Sussex. We were amazed by the quality of the wines we tasted, and it was on that trip that I first realised just how good English wine could be, as well as how many vineyards were springing up around the country.

After a few years in Buckinghamshire, I moved back to Oxfordshire in 2010 and have since lived in Witney, Minster Lovell, Charlbury and Wallingford. Wherever I live, I’ve loved exploring the beautiful Cotswold and Chiltern Hills on my bicycle, and it has always motivated me to know that I can find a good pint of ale en route at a pub or a brewery. But increasingly, a chilled glass of wine at a local winery or vineyard has become an option too, and what an enjoyable one it is. 

When not writing or cycling, I spend a lot of time guiding tourists around Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. Local vineyards are featuring more and more on my tours, and I hope to see you at one soon.