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A day in Oxford-highlights to see/do?

Oxford is wonderful. Our last visit was on a very rainy day and we just popped into the tourist office to see if there were any recitals/ concerts on in any of the colleges and we had the choice of 3 that very afternoon.
We chose a piano recital in a brand new and fabulous concert hall en route to which we passed through beautiful quads and gardens. We made a modest donation as we left.
Visiting colleges was one of our favourite Oxford pastimes but we also enjoyed searching out the Pre Raphalite works in the city.
The Missing Bean for some of the best espresso/ flat white in town but it's very much aimed at students and is a modest establishment.
We enjoyed afternoon tea at The Old Parsonage Hotel but If all works have now been completed at the Randolph you'd probably find it more atmospheric.
I could write a lot more about Oxford but lots of good suggestions have already been made.
I wholeheartedly endorse a visit to " The Bod " .
Enjoy it !

It should be noted that we met Pauline and Steve there one gorgeous sunny May Day. No doubt Pauline can post the photograph she took of Steve and Richard, my late husband, Morris Dancing !
 
@Cameron while you're shopping for Watercolor paper I want to find a shoe store....interested in Vivobarefoot sneakers. No shoe stores here where I can try them on first before buying. LOL
 
Another place I enjoy in Oxford is the Oxford Covered Market. It is always fun to just walk through and window shop. The building dates back to the 1770’s. Our son-in-law’s mother worked in a butcher shop there as a teenager...she has been a vegetarian ever since!
 
I know Oxford really well as I grew up there. If I just had one day there I would do this:

- Visit the Pitts Rivers Museum and then go for a coffee at the cafe in The Bodleian Library.

- Go and have a browse around Blackwell's bookshop (it's next door).

- Walk along Catte street past the Radcliffe Camera. Pop in to All Soul's College to see the quod and the chapel (or climb the spire of St Mary's Church for a wonderful view of Oxford's spires)

- Cross the road for traditional afternoon tea at the Old Bank Hotel on the High Street. They also do a cream tea. Make sure you book a table at the front of the restaurant for a wonderful view.

Walk to the bus station and catch the bus to Heathrow (much easier than the train).

The best places for dinner by the river are The Folly at Folly Bridge (easy to walk to from the centre) or The Cherwell Boat House restaurant in North Oxford.

Have a wonderful day!
 
It should be noted that we met Pauline and Steve there one gorgeous sunny May Day. No doubt Pauline can post the photograph she took of Steve and Richard, my late husband, Morris Dancing !

morris-dances-4015.jpg
 
Reporting back on our day in Oxford.

We took the train from Moreton-in-Marsh.

We headed for the Tourist Information Office, but it was a bit more of a walk than anticipated for anyone with luggage that's difficult to manage over very rough sidewalks.

It was easy to stow our luggage at the TI Office. They locked it up securely, and I had no concerns over the safety.

We tired out after having lunch, as we'd just had a great week of @Kathy's "Return to the Cotswolds" experience. We toured around the university a bit before lunch, so we decided to hire a car to take us to our Heathrow hotels in the early afternoon, so we could rest up before our flights. For three of us, I think it was £30 each or so for a private car, which was summoned by the staff in the TI Office.

My mistake, I told @PokeyMindy a different Hilton than I booked, but I think we were all fine with the decisions. There's a shuttle bus (for a small fee) for both, but since mine was connected to Terminal 4, I walked to my Terminal 3 departure gate, after having taken the train between 4 and 3. With more luggage than I had, the shuttle is still a better option for anyone with checked baggage. I had one wheeled bag and a small backpack, so I was fine.
 

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