Find a mutual home exchange near you
Homes to swap in Faringdon, Vale of White Horse
1 council and housing association home within 15 miles
Faringdon is a small Oxfordshire market town of about 7,121 people in the Vale of White Horse, with a proper town centre, old stone buildings and open countryside on every side. It suits people who want a quieter, friendly-sized place rather than a city, and families in particular. The Town Park and Faringdon Library are both a couple of minutes from the square. Read the full guide →
- About 7,100 people live in Faringdon
- 3 schools within 3 miles
- 6 parks and green spaces
- 1 bus station
- 6 supermarkets close by
- 10 gyms, cinemas and pubs
More about living in Faringdon
What it's like to live in Faringdon
Life tends to revolve around the centre. The Old Town Hall, the Pump House and the Corn Exchange all host community activity, and there is a cluster of pubs including The Folly Inn, The Swan and The Wheatsheaf. Everything is close enough that you bump into people you know.
The trade-off is scale. Faringdon has the essentials and little more, so bigger shopping trips, specialist appointments and a wider choice of work usually mean travelling out. Plenty of people here are perfectly happy with that; others find it limiting. Be honest with yourself about which you are before you commit to a swap.
Getting around
Faringdon has no railway station of its own, so the town is served by buses. The main stop is at Station Road, about a five-minute walk from the centre, and that is where longer journeys start for anyone without a car. Check the current timetables for the routes and times you would actually need, especially evenings and Sundays, before you decide.
On foot, the town works well. The library, the square, the pubs, the pharmacies and the Town Park are all within a few minutes of each other, and the Tesco Superstore is about a third of a mile out. ALDI and the retail park are under a mile, which is a walkable trip for some and a bus or lift for others.
A car makes Faringdon much easier, and many households here have one. If you do not drive, it is still doable, but you will want to be confident about the bus links to the places you travel to most.
Schools and family life
The Elms Primary School sits right in the town, around 0.2 miles from the centre, which is a short walk for most Faringdon addresses. Further out there is Shellingford C of E Primary School at 2.3 miles and St Hugh's School at 2.7 miles. Check the latest inspection reports and admissions arrangements yourself, as catchments and places change year to year.
For younger children and weekends, there is plenty of green space. Town Park is on the doorstep, with Tucker Park, Humpty Hill, the Clos Mêlois Boules Park and the Bellmount View viewpoint all within a mile. Faringdon Leisure Centre is under a mile from the centre.
Across the wider Vale of White Horse, 18.9% of residents are under 16, broadly in line with England. It is a reasonably family-heavy area without feeling dominated by any one age group, and 19.8% of people are 65 or over.
Things to do
Most of what there is happens in or near the town centre. The Corn Exchange, the Old Town Hall and the Pump House are the places to watch for clubs, classes and community events, and the Pump House Project runs from the same part of town. Faringdon Library is a two-minute walk away and useful well beyond books.
For eating and drinking there is a decent handful of options for a town this size: The Folly Inn, The Swan, The Wheatsheaf, LasChicas and Sudbury House Hotel. For exercise, Faringdon Leisure Centre is the main venue, with Mission Fitness UK's 24/7 gym and Lumen Training closer in, and Pilates classes out at Little Coxwell.
The real draw is outdoors. Bellmount View gives you a view over the surrounding countryside, and the parks and footpaths around the town are free and on your doorstep. If you like walking, you will not run out quickly.
Work and the local economy
The Vale of White Horse is a working area. Across the council area, 63% of adults are in work, above the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment sits at 2.1% against 3.5% nationally. In August 2026, 2% of 16 to 64 year olds were claiming unemployment-related benefits, half the England rate of 4%.
Within Faringdon itself, the jobs you can walk to are mainly in shops, schools, care, hospitality and services: the supermarkets, the retail park, the pubs and hotel, the leisure centre and the medical practices all employ locally.
Beyond that, most people commute. With no station in town, that usually means driving or taking a bus to work elsewhere in Oxfordshire or across the county boundary. If your job is fixed to one place, work out that journey carefully before swapping. If you work from home or your hours are flexible, Faringdon is an easier fit.
Housing and who lives here
Housing in the Vale of White Horse is heavily owner-occupied: 68.2% own their home, 15.7% rent privately and 14.3% rent socially, a little below the England figure of 17.1%. Social renting is mostly through housing associations rather than the council, at 12.1% against 2.2%.
The biggest social landlord by far is Sovereign Network Group with 6,682 homes, followed by Soha Housing with 988, GreenSquareAccord with 604, Stonewater with 390 and Clarion with 316. If you swap here, there is a good chance your new landlord will be one of those.
Average weekly social rents across the council area in 2024/25 were £111 for a one bed, £127 for two beds and £146 for three. Ask for the exact rent and service charge on any home you are considering. For context on demand, the council's housing register held 2,904 households at the end of March 2025, and 714 social homes were let through the council in 2024-25.
Tell me when a home appears near Faringdon
One email, the first time a council or housing association home is listed within your chosen distance. No newsletter, no spam.
Place guides near Faringdon
Widen your search. Each guide shows the homes to swap there, what it's like to live there, and who the local social landlords are.