Naila in the local post office really helped today with delivering a book I needed to send to the…read moreother part of the country. Great service, and provided plenty of different options to get it there quickly, and as cheap as possible.

Cropredy is a beautiful, tiny village near Banbury on the banks of the Cherwell. It is an old…read morevillage, dating from before the English civil war, and it looks it (in the quaint, lovely way, rather than the rundown way!) It has a thriving community, including a school, a church, pubs, a doctor's surgery, general store and other small business appropriate to an English village and a rather spiffing website (http://www.cropredyvillage.info/index.htm) . The website will tell you all about the history of the village (including the civil war battle fought here in 1644 and its mention in the Domesday Book), the age of the properties (from really quite old to not really very old at all), the amenities, and its location (the Cherwell valley, three miles north of Banbury and Junction 11 of the M40 Motorway). Do visit the website for loads of useful information. However, I'd like to give you my impressions. It is one of the friendliest places I have ever been. The local residents are of all ages, and welcome visitors with open arms (and, once a year, they get a rather large influx of visitors, but more on that in a minute). The church warden will gladly show visitors around, and discuss the new bells installed a couple of years ago. The residents will recount the age and history of their homes. There is a cricket club, which is quintessentially English. There are moorings on the river and canal for boats. This is a beautiful village, but you might well ask how I, an ex-pat American living in London has found herself there not once but three times. You might also wonder what I am talking about when I mention the annual influx of visitors. Each year, Cropredy plays host to Fairport Conventions annual...well....convention. This is a fabulous folk festival over a weekend in August. There are many, many things that make this different from other festivals - there is only one stage, for a start, the age range tends to be older, it's folk...but what makes this festival unique is that the village positively welcomes the up-to-30,000 visitors the village plays host to. The boy scouts are on litter duty. Local lads sell programmes. The pubs open for breakfast. The cricket club opens for showers. The residents mind the inconvenience (traffic, parking restrictions, smelly festival goers) not a whit. Fairport Convention allocate a ticket to each of the 750 residents to do with as they please. Everyone is happy. An idyllic English village indeed - and one well worth visiting even if you're not a folk music fan...

The friendliest post office I've ever visited! Family run and you can see customer service is…read moreparamount. They always check to make sure you've got the cheapest/best route for your packages/letters too. Highly recommended *

I love having this little post office near by. The two ladys who run the store are lovely and very…read morefriendly. The que can run to near the door at times but its a place some old folk go to have at least one human chat a day. the store sells bits and bobs , sweets , papers and more. a very little post office but worth its weight in gold.

Great food, helpful staff. Please try their scones with butter, preserves, and clotted cream.read more

If you've ever found yourself in the middle of nowhere at a place you can't believe isn't in the…read moremiddle of somewhere you'll understand how I felt about the Blockley Village Shop and Cafe. Walking the Cotswolds Round over the course of 7 days meant never quite knowing where I was, where I was going, or what I'd find there so when I came to the Blockley Cafe and found handsome groups brunching at tables indoors and out with leashed dogs at their feet I was sorry that I was still full from breakfast. Still, there's always room for a latte and carrot cake, especially if it gives one the opportunity to hang out at such an attractively casual spot. The service here is nice if a little a wonky due to the popularity of the place. It mattered little though. Blockley Cafe just has a wonderful vibe. The Village Shop is attached to the Cafe (or vice versa) and it was the sort of market that I enjoy looking through. Prices were very good for specialty foods I'd like to bring back home with me. Blockley's inescapable claim to fame is that the popular BBC series, "Father Brown" is filmed at the church that sits mere steps from the Cafe. So it's somewhat mandatory to visit that before or after a stop at the Cafe.

For years, I would avoid the main post office, especially at peak times, and go to a small local…read moreone. That's before they bought in self service machines and it's probably not overstating that it has changed my life somewhat. It may not be any quicker at the self-service machine, seeing as I'm not a trained PO professional but I pretty quickly learnt the order the questions are going to come up on the big touch-screen in front of me to select what sort of postal service I need. You will be very unlucky if you have to wait in line here as there are plenty of machines that mostly work. If there is anywhere you may have to wait in line is if you need a 'proof of postage' receipt or are sending by any traceable service (recorded deliver, special delivery etc.) but otherwise your stamps are printed along with your receipt in seconds and you pop your post in the box and go. Even better, the post office is now open until 6.30 each week night. It is almost empty for the last hour as no-one knows about late opening. Until now that is.

As Post Offices go... This one is pretty good actually. Ideally situated just off Victoria Square,…read moreI believe it's the largest Post Office in the City Centre. It offers all the services you would need, including a travel money service, a selection of collectable coins/small gifts, insurance/banking and a cash machine. There are a number of counters (and normally plenty of staff), so you WILL have a wait (inevitable these days), but now there is a ticket system in place so you at least have some idea of how long that's going to be. Plus, no more queuing! This branch has installed plenty of seats so you can sit and wait to be called. I popped in to post a parcel to America this week. Obviously, being the festive season... It was packed. I took a ticket and was informed there were 15 people in front of me. When you get your ticket from the automatic machine, you select the service you require (meaning that people waiting for passport/financial services aren't in the same queue as people who just want to post something). Posting things abroad is expensive these days, but the friendly and helpful member of staff I encountered made the pain a little more bearable. Once I was called, I scooted up to the desk to be greeted with a big friendly smile and was asked what I required. I explained I wanted to post a parcel and the guy gave me a sympathetic look and asked me to place my item on the scale. Yes... It was pricey. After going through the American import protocol (filling in the little sticker that pretty much renders any surprise gone for the recipient as you detail EXACTLY what is in the parcel), we had a chat about who I was sending it to and what I was sending. Not in a creepy way, just an interested one. Whilst the exchange was going on, we got to the subject of upcoming travel plans. With two trips abroad planned (so far) for 2014/2015, we got on to the subject of their various financial services for people going on holidays. Now, I am pretty clued up on currency etc - but he had some pretty good information about services I didn't know the Post Office offered (and assured me he wasn't on commission). I left lighter in the wallet, but not too bothered about it. I did everything I needed fairly swiftly and without and hassle. The service I received was pretty fantastic and I left armed with information about things I very well may use in the future. I would definitely use this Post Office again rather than my usual JQ branch if I was headed into town.

another morning woken up at 6.45am because they deliver the papers with the music blaring in their…read morecar no respect for anyone trying to sleep!!!

Very useful Post Office at the bottom of Alcester High Street. The shop itself is a fare size…read morecompared to some however it has been a while since it has been cared for and looks quite run down inside and really could do with a new lick of paint and flooring etc. The staff has a good knowledge of things and the passport check and send service is good. There is also quite a large selection of cards sold here