Surrounded by beautiful countryside and filled with amazing independent shops, I was lucky enough to visit the pretty UK town known as the ‘gateway to the Cotswolds’. The charming high street is almost frozen in time with its old pubs and buildings dating back centuries, but one annoying thing spoils it.

The town of Burford is located in the Cotswold hills in West Oxfordshire, it’s roughly two miles from where the county of Gloucestershire begins – and 18 miles from the city of Oxford. The place is steeped in history and character and Burford’s popular high street leads downhill towards the River Windrush – here you cross the water via a pretty three-arched medieval bridge. But there’s one thing that makes a visit to this town – and even crossing the ancient bridge on foot quite stressful – the relentless traffic flow up and down the high street.

Both sides of the street are “flanked by an unbroken line of ancient houses and shops” reports Discover Burford on the Cotswolds website – and this is certainly true, but crossing the road can be tricky.

Burford High Street is timeless and pretty, however, lorries, cars and full-size SUVs whizz up and down the road – and where it narrows, leading into the medieval bridge, can be particularly precarious if you are a pedestrian.

Further up the high street there are so many amazing shops, tea rooms, pubs and restaurants all set in eye-catching ancient buildings. I particularly loved the La Bulle handbag shop which sells Italian leather goods as well as some fabulous clothes.

However, crossing from one side of the high street to the other can be difficult due to the relentless traffic. There are pedestrian crossings to use – and this really is the best way and only way to safely cross the high street.

It was August when I visited Burford and it really is a memorable place where you can really imagine times gone by, as apart from the modern-day traffic congestion, not much else has changed.

Cotswolds Discover Burford page described the town: “Little has changed over the centuries, Burford is popular with visitors, both for its beauty and history but also for its shopping, especially antiques, and for the wide variety of places to eat, with restaurants, pubs and teashops.

“Here you can stay in a hotel frequented by King Charles and Nell Gwynn, dine where Nelson dined – or visit England’s oldest pharmacy, a chemist since 1734.

“There are wonderful alleyways and side streets just waiting to be explored and next to a set of medieval almshouses stands St John’s church, a permanent memorial to Burford’s medieval wealth.”

If you want a break from Burford’s shopping and the traffic, nearby walking trails take you into the Windrush Valley where you’ll saunter through fields, pretty villages and even come across a 13th century church in a field.

The tiny St Olwald’s church (in Widford) is a peaceful retreat for a few hours, surrounded by rural land and nature, the 13th century church was built on the site of an earlier Roman villa – and it can only be reached by foot.