YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS IN OXFORD
Jan 17th, 2014, 07:10 AM
#21
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One thing I loved doing in Oxford was to take the footpath along the river north - a really bucolic setting - a few miles up is a country pub - so for a nice walk along the canal - looks like a canal anyway - head out of town a bit and savor an English country pub and its grub!
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Oxfor...ed=0CCoQ8gEwAA
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Oxfor...ed=0CCoQ8gEwAA
Jan 17th, 2014, 09:16 AM
#22
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Building on the last two suggestions to do with countryside
You need to tell us a bit about what you're asking about. Oxford's got reasonably exotic wildlife (and wilddeath): Magdalen's gardens include a fully populated deer park, cattle graze most of the time on Christ Church meadow in the middle of town and the Natural History Museum, which re-opens next week, includes THE dodo that inspired Lewis Carroll.
Many English towns have greenways: all-pedestrian routes, almost entirely separated from traffic, from the city centre out to the countryside, then connecting with our immense network of open footpaths. Oxford has more than most - and they don't go through the miles of deindustrialised wasteland their equivalents elsewhere do. PalQ's idea takes you along the Thames slightly west of the town, across Port Meadow (when it's not flooded to the Trout Inn at Wolvercote (and then, ultimately, anywhere in England), but there are similar pathways in most other directions, hinted at at http://www.oxfordcityguide.com/ee2/i.../ParksMeadows/
The knee-jerk reaction to your countryside question might be "get a tour to the Cotswolds", but you might not care for that. Problem is that the 7-8 mile walk (or bus) to Woodstock, the nearest pretty village (though its townfolk are easily riled if you don't call it a town, since they achieved the status as recently as the 1470s, so still haven't got over it) is also pretty dull.
The Cotswolds - undulating landscape, Cotswold lion sheep, honey-coloured buildings and general cuddliness - start at the other side of Woodstock.
One possibility is to get the train to Charlbury (hourly: 15 mins), then walk the 7 miles across undulating fields, stuffed with right kind of sheep, through villages and the grounds of Blenheim Palace to Woodstock, whence a 30 min, every 30 min, bus back to Oxford.
As everywhere else in the world, the sun sets round Oxford about 6 pm, God's time, (and rise around 6 am) in the last week of March. That natural 6 am/pm becomes 7 when our clocks go forward on March 30. You can do this Charlbury/Woodstock thing in about 5 hours, central Oxford to central Oxford.
You need to tell us a bit about what you're asking about. Oxford's got reasonably exotic wildlife (and wilddeath): Magdalen's gardens include a fully populated deer park, cattle graze most of the time on Christ Church meadow in the middle of town and the Natural History Museum, which re-opens next week, includes THE dodo that inspired Lewis Carroll.
Many English towns have greenways: all-pedestrian routes, almost entirely separated from traffic, from the city centre out to the countryside, then connecting with our immense network of open footpaths. Oxford has more than most - and they don't go through the miles of deindustrialised wasteland their equivalents elsewhere do. PalQ's idea takes you along the Thames slightly west of the town, across Port Meadow (when it's not flooded to the Trout Inn at Wolvercote (and then, ultimately, anywhere in England), but there are similar pathways in most other directions, hinted at at http://www.oxfordcityguide.com/ee2/i.../ParksMeadows/
The knee-jerk reaction to your countryside question might be "get a tour to the Cotswolds", but you might not care for that. Problem is that the 7-8 mile walk (or bus) to Woodstock, the nearest pretty village (though its townfolk are easily riled if you don't call it a town, since they achieved the status as recently as the 1470s, so still haven't got over it) is also pretty dull.
The Cotswolds - undulating landscape, Cotswold lion sheep, honey-coloured buildings and general cuddliness - start at the other side of Woodstock.
One possibility is to get the train to Charlbury (hourly: 15 mins), then walk the 7 miles across undulating fields, stuffed with right kind of sheep, through villages and the grounds of Blenheim Palace to Woodstock, whence a 30 min, every 30 min, bus back to Oxford.
As everywhere else in the world, the sun sets round Oxford about 6 pm, God's time, (and rise around 6 am) in the last week of March. That natural 6 am/pm becomes 7 when our clocks go forward on March 30. You can do this Charlbury/Woodstock thing in about 5 hours, central Oxford to central Oxford.
Jan 17th, 2014, 10:59 AM
#23
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Another great walk is along the Thames (Isis) to St. Mary's Church at Iffley. Go down St. Aldate's pass Christ Church and over Folly Bridge, take an immediate left and follow the path to the Iffley Locks, cross the locks then turn right up the hill to the church. St. Mary's is a wonderful example of Norman architecture and a Romanesque jewel. This is one of my favorite churches in England and a nice walk too. There is a pub along the way if you need to stop for refreshment.
Jan 17th, 2014, 01:11 PM
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http://www.thetroutoxford.co.uk/home/
Yes indeed flanner it was the Trout Inn I ended my first half of walk at and though I did not have the pub grub advertised on the home page I did have a pint of bitter... or two .... or three - seems to be a traditional if upscale country pub but looks can be deceiving to the casual tourist.
Yes indeed flanner it was the Trout Inn I ended my first half of walk at and though I did not have the pub grub advertised on the home page I did have a pint of bitter... or two .... or three - seems to be a traditional if upscale country pub but looks can be deceiving to the casual tourist.
Jan 17th, 2014, 01:44 PM
#26
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Kovsie, I'm one of the Tolkien fans who visited Oxford. I wrote about it in my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...b-may-2007.cfm
We visited Merton College, where Tolkien taught, walked past Christ Church and Magdalen but couldn't go in, went a ways down Addison's Walk, had lunch at the Eagle and Child, and visited Tolkien's grave at Wolvercote Cemetery.
Unfortunately, I can't find the site I used to plan where we went in Oxford, but this one covers some of the same sites. http://www.tourinaday.com/oxford/jr-tolkien-tour.php
Lee Ann
We visited Merton College, where Tolkien taught, walked past Christ Church and Magdalen but couldn't go in, went a ways down Addison's Walk, had lunch at the Eagle and Child, and visited Tolkien's grave at Wolvercote Cemetery.
Unfortunately, I can't find the site I used to plan where we went in Oxford, but this one covers some of the same sites. http://www.tourinaday.com/oxford/jr-tolkien-tour.php
Lee Ann
Jan 17th, 2014, 05:39 PM
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Lee Ann - I read right through your 2007 trip report. Great stuff! Thanks for taking time to write it, and for posting the link. I was wondering about going to Blenheim - but you convinced me rather not to spend some my precious time there. I do not do 'ostentatious' very well.
Jan 18th, 2014, 12:01 AM
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OH MY! Now I am looking forward to this trip even more. Thank you flanner and bilboburgler and everybody else. These are wonderful suggestions. Let me do some homework - then come back to you.
Flanner, the idea of a hike is so great. Just because of time constraints I want to ask: is there a shorter route - sort of a 'cotswolds lite' for this time?
Flanner, the idea of a hike is so great. Just because of time constraints I want to ask: is there a shorter route - sort of a 'cotswolds lite' for this time?
Jan 18th, 2014, 04:14 AM
#29
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"You can do this Charlbury/Woodstock thing in about 5 hours, central Oxford to central Oxford."
flanner: I have read your post again, and see that I misunderstood the first time - it is 5 hours in total, not a 5 hour walk. If the weather agrees, this is something I would love to do. Are the paths marked? I do not want to get lost among all those sheep (although I have grown up on a sheep farm in Africa ...). Still, in light of limited time a shorter walk may make more sense this time.
Historytraveller: =- how long did your walk take?
PalenQ: a walk with a definite aim (food) makes for motivation! How far is it?
I assume I will have to choose one good walk only.
flanner: I have read your post again, and see that I misunderstood the first time - it is 5 hours in total, not a 5 hour walk. If the weather agrees, this is something I would love to do. Are the paths marked? I do not want to get lost among all those sheep (although I have grown up on a sheep farm in Africa ...). Still, in light of limited time a shorter walk may make more sense this time.
Historytraveller: =- how long did your walk take?
PalenQ: a walk with a definite aim (food) makes for motivation! How far is it?
I assume I will have to choose one good walk only.
Jan 18th, 2014, 05:53 AM
#30
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Reading this thread, now I want to go to Oxford.
Kovsie, Spring in England is beautiful, and late March - mid May is my favourite time to visit. I'd second the outdoor activities and country walks if you can fit any in.
Kovsie, Spring in England is beautiful, and late March - mid May is my favourite time to visit. I'd second the outdoor activities and country walks if you can fit any in.
Jan 18th, 2014, 06:27 AM
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When I'm in the area and have free time on a Sunday I love to go to the coffee concerts at the Holywell Music Room. A beautiful space, great acoustics and great music. See http://www.coffeeconcerts.co.uk . Follow that with a browse in Blackwells book shop at 48-51 Broad Street (if wet) or the Botanic Gardens (if dry) and I'm set up for the week.
Jan 18th, 2014, 06:30 AM
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My daughter and I walked from Bakewell to Haddon Hall a few years ago, and it was a highlight despite unmarked trail and stinging nettle overgrowing the path for 50 yards, us in knee length skirts. The Bakewell TI office didn't have a clue about local walking paths, but luckily our B&B had an old pamphlet with directions like: "Past the second stile walk along fence towards the river." It was an adventure that we loved.
Oxford paths are better trodden, I bet, and I'm putting that walk on my list for next month.
Oxford paths are better trodden, I bet, and I'm putting that walk on my list for next month.
Jan 18th, 2014, 07:21 AM
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What about a side trip to Cambridge? Those of you who live there, would that be manageable?
DH and I lined up along the Thames to see the Oxford-Cambridge race. The Bodlian was part of our tour. We, as non-students, were not allowed in the various colleges--has that changed?
DH and I lined up along the Thames to see the Oxford-Cambridge race. The Bodlian was part of our tour. We, as non-students, were not allowed in the various colleges--has that changed?
Jan 18th, 2014, 07:55 AM
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TDudette: oooo I have enough trouble deciding what to enjoy in Oxford! I will have so little free time - Cambridge will have to wait for the next time. But it can always go on the 'dream list'.
Mathieu: I assumed that spring will still be far off while I am there ... maybe I will see the very first signs. This is one of the things I really crave here in Dubai - the change of seasons.
Stokebailey: please tell us all next month how your walk went!
Grindeldoo: Blackwell's is on the list for 'definite do'! The coffee concert sounds lovely.
Mathieu: I assumed that spring will still be far off while I am there ... maybe I will see the very first signs. This is one of the things I really crave here in Dubai - the change of seasons.
Stokebailey: please tell us all next month how your walk went!
Grindeldoo: Blackwell's is on the list for 'definite do'! The coffee concert sounds lovely.
Jan 18th, 2014, 09:02 AM
#36
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<b> "ain't the Thames called the "Isis" up in Oggsford country?"</b>
No.
It's called "the river" (to distinguish it from the canal). Sometimes, when clarity is needed (to distinguish it from its local tributaries), The Thames.
Tourist guides, I'm told, still say it's called the Isis - as it seems to have been (at least by some) when Brideshead Revisited was a reasonably accurate guide to daily life, and young gentlemen at the Varsity (you'll notice there are no women at the university in Brideshead) used a deliberately opaque language: they played footer and rugger (though that's only part of the reason most were called rugger buggers) and walked along streets called The Broad and The Giler.
As I understand it, practically all those terms are now avoided by both the city's full-time inhabitants and by its resident undergraduates. You can date alumni and Fellows almost precisely by which, if any, bits of the old dialect they still use.
<b>"Are the paths marked? "</b>
Yes, but not necessarily in any way you might easily understand.
If you decide you've got time once you're here, come back to this forum and I'll refer you to a site with clear directions. Or find a way of emailing you a copy of the relevant bit of a guide I'm producing.
<b> "We, as non-students, were not allowed in the various colleges </b>
As written, not the case. Access to colleges is restricted (they're people's residences and places of study), varies across the year and tightly restricted at exam time, but only a couple have ever banned non-members altogether, and all sorts of people have cards for less restricted entry. General details at: http://www.ox.ac.uk/visitors_friends..._the_colleges/
<b> I assumed that spring will still be far off </b>
Of course not: you've visiting the real Oxford, not the one in Missouri. Except after the kind of very severe winters only Americans usually get, the first signs of spring appear here around Candelmas (Feb 2), which roughly coincides with Snowdrop Sunday when we all go and look at huge drifts of flowering snowdrops. This year's been so warm, we're all worried too much has already come out too soon, so a late frost might wipe a lot of premature flowers out.
If we avoid that, Lady Day (March 25) will be high spring the way we're currently going
No.
It's called "the river" (to distinguish it from the canal). Sometimes, when clarity is needed (to distinguish it from its local tributaries), The Thames.
Tourist guides, I'm told, still say it's called the Isis - as it seems to have been (at least by some) when Brideshead Revisited was a reasonably accurate guide to daily life, and young gentlemen at the Varsity (you'll notice there are no women at the university in Brideshead) used a deliberately opaque language: they played footer and rugger (though that's only part of the reason most were called rugger buggers) and walked along streets called The Broad and The Giler.
As I understand it, practically all those terms are now avoided by both the city's full-time inhabitants and by its resident undergraduates. You can date alumni and Fellows almost precisely by which, if any, bits of the old dialect they still use.
<b>"Are the paths marked? "</b>
Yes, but not necessarily in any way you might easily understand.
If you decide you've got time once you're here, come back to this forum and I'll refer you to a site with clear directions. Or find a way of emailing you a copy of the relevant bit of a guide I'm producing.
<b> "We, as non-students, were not allowed in the various colleges </b>
As written, not the case. Access to colleges is restricted (they're people's residences and places of study), varies across the year and tightly restricted at exam time, but only a couple have ever banned non-members altogether, and all sorts of people have cards for less restricted entry. General details at: http://www.ox.ac.uk/visitors_friends..._the_colleges/
<b> I assumed that spring will still be far off </b>
Of course not: you've visiting the real Oxford, not the one in Missouri. Except after the kind of very severe winters only Americans usually get, the first signs of spring appear here around Candelmas (Feb 2), which roughly coincides with Snowdrop Sunday when we all go and look at huge drifts of flowering snowdrops. This year's been so warm, we're all worried too much has already come out too soon, so a late frost might wipe a lot of premature flowers out.
If we avoid that, Lady Day (March 25) will be high spring the way we're currently going
Jan 18th, 2014, 11:25 AM
#37
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Kovsie, as Flanner has indicated, you should be slap dash in the midst of Spring at the time of your visit in a normal year.
Here in S.Ontario (Canada), we have either snow or freezing temps well into April, so no hint of Spring blooms other than Crocus and Snowdrops until late April. However my relatives in various parts of the UK send us pictures (to gloat at us) of blooming Rhododendrons from as early as late January / beginning of February.
I've visited England three times between mid-March and mid-May and there's always been plenty of floral colour to see. From the common early spring bulbs and swathes of Daffodils and Bluebells in March, to bands of the bright chartreuse of rape seed fields and bunches of Wisteria hanging from twisted old boughs in May. Very beautiful.
Having lived most of my early life in Africa where everything grows all the time only varying on rainfall, and where now treasured garden plants were once weeds to us, I've come to love the more obvious seasonal aspect of nature, and I suspect you do too.
Here in S.Ontario (Canada), we have either snow or freezing temps well into April, so no hint of Spring blooms other than Crocus and Snowdrops until late April. However my relatives in various parts of the UK send us pictures (to gloat at us) of blooming Rhododendrons from as early as late January / beginning of February.
I've visited England three times between mid-March and mid-May and there's always been plenty of floral colour to see. From the common early spring bulbs and swathes of Daffodils and Bluebells in March, to bands of the bright chartreuse of rape seed fields and bunches of Wisteria hanging from twisted old boughs in May. Very beautiful.
Having lived most of my early life in Africa where everything grows all the time only varying on rainfall, and where now treasured garden plants were once weeds to us, I've come to love the more obvious seasonal aspect of nature, and I suspect you do too.
Jan 18th, 2014, 05:40 PM
#38
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How nice to be wrong (about spring time in England)!
I just saw the temperatures (between 2 and 7C) with 5 hours sunlight per day - it sounded exactly like Prague over Christmas (although the good people of Prague did mutter about how warm it was).
I just saw the temperatures (between 2 and 7C) with 5 hours sunlight per day - it sounded exactly like Prague over Christmas (although the good people of Prague did mutter about how warm it was).
Jan 18th, 2014, 07:58 PM
#39
>>with 5 hours sunlight per day<<
Where ever did you see anything like that? Daylight hours at the end of March are nearly 13 hours per day.
Now, of course there could be an entire overcast day w/ no sun'shine' at all. But even a rainy day will usually have periods of sun.
Where ever did you see anything like that? Daylight hours at the end of March are nearly 13 hours per day.
Now, of course there could be an entire overcast day w/ no sun'shine' at all. But even a rainy day will usually have periods of sun.
Jan 18th, 2014, 08:42 PM
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Janis, I consulted this one:
http://www.holiday-weather.com/oxford/averages/march/
Again: I am glad this is wrong.
http://www.holiday-weather.com/oxford/averages/march/
Again: I am glad this is wrong.
