Things to do · Bicester
Sky Wave Gin Distillery, Bicester Motion
A small-batch gin and vodka distillery in the North Tanker Sheds at Bicester Motion, the former RAF Bicester, with 75-minute tours and tastings on Fridays and Saturdays, a weekday shop and an indoor bar at weekends.
One of the few ways for a visitor to get inside Bicester Motion outside its event days, and a well-filled hour for anyone who likes gin. Four gin and tonics come with the ticket, so come by taxi or with a driver who takes the drivers' pack.
- Good: Tour and tutored tasting for £26, with four gin and tonics
- Good: Shop and bottle refills on weekdays; indoor bar on Friday and Saturday evenings
- Good: Drivers' packs for those not drinking
- Worth knowing: Over-18s only, strictly: no children or babies, even as spectators
- Worth knowing: Use the main Bicester Motion gate on Buckingham Road, not the airfield entrance
About
The Sky Wave Distilling Company makes gin and vodka in the North Tanker Sheds, building 105, at Bicester Motion, the former RAF Bicester on Buckingham Road. Its founders, Rachel Hicks, once a BBC reporter, and Andy Parsons, once an Army officer and now the master distiller, named it after the big skies and big seas of their adventures. It says no batch is larger than 500 bottles.
The Distillery Experience lasts 75 minutes, on Fridays at 4pm, Saturdays at 12.30pm and 4pm, and occasional Sundays at 3pm. It costs £26 a person and includes a behind-the-scenes look with a distillery host, a tutored tasting, four gin and tonics and 10% off purchases over £30 on the day; drivers can ask for a drivers' pack. It is strictly for over-18s, with no children or babies even as spectators. Bookings can be moved or refunded if you tell Sky Wave more than 48 hours ahead; refunds lose the payment provider's small fee. A Cocktail Masterclass for eight or fewer, on selected Thursdays at 7.30pm, costs £42 a person.
The shop opens from Monday to Friday, 11am to 2.30pm, and refills Sky Wave gin bottles from 11am to 2pm, and the indoor Sky Wave Bar from 6pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Come in by the main Bicester Motion gate on Buckingham Road and tell the gate staff you are visiting Sky Wave; the distillery is about 200 metres up the central avenue, on the left.
Opening hours and season
Shop
| Monday | 11:00 to 14:30 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 11:00 to 14:30 |
| Wednesday | 11:00 to 14:30 |
| Thursday | 11:00 to 14:30 |
| Friday | 11:00 to 14:30 |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Distillery shop; bottle refills from 11am to 2pm.
Bar
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | Closed |
| Friday | 18:00 to 23:00 |
| Saturday | 18:00 to 23:00 |
| Sunday | Closed |
The indoor Sky Wave Bar. Bar 101, outdoors, is closed for the winter.
Tours: Fridays 4pm, Saturdays 12.30pm and 4pm, occasional Sundays 3pm. Cocktail masterclasses on selected Thursdays at 7.30pm. Over-18s only.
The details
- Time to allow
- 75 minutes for the tour and tasting
- Features
- Bar · Shop · Guided tours
- Without a car
- Bicester North about 5 minutes and Bicester Village station about 10 minutes by taxi (Sky Wave).
Photos
A copper still at the distillery 
A gin tasting laid out 
Liberation gin by the still
Location
Places to stay nearby
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The Crew Rooms at Bicester Motion
Self-catering · Bicester
Four en-suite rooms and suites in Building 82, the 1926 Power House on the Technical Site of the old RAF Bicester, now Bicester Motion, each named after a station commander and booked only through Red Kite Stays.
Verified Nov 2026
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Travelodge Bicester
Hotel · Bicester
A budget chain hotel on Pioneer Square in the middle of Bicester, under half a mile from Bicester North station and within walking distance of Bicester Village, with family, accessible and pet-friendly rooms but no car park of its own.
Dog-friendly · Car-free
Verified Nov 2026
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The Littlebury Hotel, Bicester
Hotel · Bicester
A family-run hotel on Kings End in Bicester since 1959, with 35 en-suite rooms, breakfast included, a lounge bar, gardens and a large car park, within walking distance of the town centre and Bicester Village.
Family-friendly · Wedding venues
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- The Crew Rooms at Bicester Motion
- Everyman Driving Experiences at Bicester Heritage 0.2 km away
- Clip 'n Climb Bicester 1.9 km away
- Mizu Japanese Izakaya, Bicester 2.0 km away
Sights nearby
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Bicester Heritage (RAF Bicester)
Sight · Historic building · Bicester
The technical site of RAF Bicester, which Historic England calls the best preserved of the bomber bases built in the RAF's expansion from 1923, now home to firms restoring historic cars. Its listed hangars and workshops open to the public on event days such as the Scrambles.
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Bure Park Nature Reserve, Bicester
Sight · Nature reserve · Bicester
A local nature reserve of 8.4 hectares on the north side of Bicester: meadow, young woodland, hedges and scrub along the little River Bure, with a pond that holds great crested newts. Free, small and local, a ten-minute walk from the town centre.
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Bicester Market Square
Sight · Historic building · Bicester
The old market place at the centre of Bicester, where the town's market was granted in 1239, lined with listed houses such as No. 47 of 1698 with its oval-windowed tower. The Friday market is on Sheep Street beside it, and the square is due to be remade.
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Garth Park, Bicester
Sight · Common or park · Bicester
Bicester's town park: about 9 acres of lawns, specimen trees and formal beds round Garth House, a Victorian hunting lodge given to the town in 1946. It has the 1732 bell of the old Town Hall, a bandstand, a café and play areas, a few minutes from Market Square.