The pretty Cotswolds village tourists often forget about with cosy cottages and hilarious pub locals

WITH cowpats, daisies and muddy yomps on the doorstep of our holiday cottage, our Cotswolds getaway was just what the doctor ordered for the January detox season.

But slip off your wellies at Daisy Hill Barn and you find yourself in a parallel world of hyper-hipster chic.

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The ancient Rollright Stones date back to 2500BC[/caption]

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The idyllic cottages in the peaceful village of Duns Tew[/caption]

Within its 18th-century Cotswold stone walls, the furnishings and ornaments are as fashion-forward as can be.

Kick back on the retro sofa with flamingo and domino-print cushions, bang on some Netflix on the wall-mounted flatscreen TV then knock up a cocktail or three in the pineapple-shaped shaker and you could soon forget you are in deepest, dampest, darkest Oxfordshire.

The kitchen and two double bedrooms – one en-suite, one with shower – are equally fabulous, with designer tiling and lighting, beams, crazy-shaped bedside tables and no end of novelty books and curios.

The cottage is also dog-friendly and a stylishly furnished garden affords views of the village swing park, tennis/basketball court and adventure play then farm fields beyond.

But it is all dead peaceful here, just the sound of birdsong, in the tiny village of Duns Tew, Bicester.

Located a smidge outside the official Cotswold Conservation Area, this corner of north Oxfordshire is the place to go to escape route-one tourism.

Since the village’s Post Office and one shop shut some years ago, there is little to explore but for St Mary Magdalene Church and the White Horse pub.

Parts of the former date to the 12th Century and its two grade II-listed gravestones are cause for excitement among heritage types, for their mystery carvings and inscriptions obscured by centuries of lichen.

But a visit to the nearby Rollright Stones heritage site, dating to 2500BC, takes you seriously further back in time.

Its three sites, the King’s Stone, King’s Men stone circle and Whispering Knights burial chamber, are said to be named for a king and his army who were turned to stone by a witch.

The White Horse, meanwhile, is famed far and wide for its fine food and wine.

But just as excellent as the steak was the vibe of this 14th-century inn with its open fireplaces, flagstone floors, beamed ceilings and . . . variously curious clientele.

It was hard not to eavesdrop on the two posh old fellas in gilets dining in the corner, while discussing pals in the Peerage.

As the night progressed, we also bore witness to an arm-wrestle between a local sheep-herder and pothole-repair man – and a singer-guitarist so marvellous he not only got the pub dancing but pub guv’nor Michael to the mic for a rousing rendition of AC/DC.

Thank, you, Michael – and that was us Duns Tew’d for the night and off to bed.