Three Men On Tour: 16

Burford is referred to by its tourist board as the Gateway to the Cotswolds. Situated on the River Windrush about 20 miles west of Oxford it is, to be fair, a perfect example of the area’s sleepy beauty. Standing as if untouched by history, the village consists of wood timbered shops, horse troughs and the lone tolling of a church bell to mark the lack of hustle or bustle. With a history in the wool trade, the town is populated by low stone cottages, built in the 15th century to service the burgeoning industry and provide housing for the sheep workers, and it is this snapshot of the past that has led to it being voted the sixth most idyllic place to live in Europe.

Most famous of these houses is a row of weavers’ cottages, marked in the yellows and greys of the local Cotswold stone and facing onto the Lamb Inn, a go to destination for any who wish to experience the manners of a bygone age. Here you may pass a leisurely afternoon reading a paper by the fire, while at your shoulder a genteel staff wait unnoticed to ply you with an endless sea of tea and cakes.

The area is not without its legend. Local stories tell of two dragons, one red and one gold, that came to Burford to fight over a mound of treasure. This treasure stood outside the town, thick with the divots of those who had tried unsuccessfully to dig into it, and some said it was full of rubies, while others said it was full of coins, and both dragons said it was theirs by wont of the colour of their skin and their lust for wealth.

Long the two dragons fought, scoring great gouges in each other’s sides and turning the air black with smoke and the scent of blood. Till finally, both lay panting on the hillside, neither able to raise a head nor lift a claw to strike the other.

After some time, red spoke in a still mighty voice saying ‘perhaps we should share the treasure, before we die in our attempts to own it.’ But when the air had cleared and the dragons had lumbered to their feet, the mound was gone. Instead lay the marks of battle, great gouges from the dragons’ teeth, great scars from the dragons’ fire, and all that remained of the treasure was ash and scorched earth.