London, Oxford, London

[Debra]

I will be in London from Sept. 28-October 7.
Being a forever fan of Insp. Morris and Endeavour, and Lewis and Hathaway, I booked a walking tour in Oxford that will be specifically related to these 3 shows.

I have my train tickets in hand, each direction requiring 2 tickets, one of which says SEAT RESERVN but I find no indication of the exact seat number. Do I just plunk myself down anywhere or am I just not finding the information on the tickets?

Another question re:the tour.
I need to get from the train station in Oxford (leaving Paddington at 7:50 am) to the Visitor Centre by 10:30 a.m. Is this an easy walk I can manage within an hour or so?

 

[Felicity]

Hello Debra,
The walk from the station to the visitor centre in Broad Street is a very easy one. It is virtually straight all the way, once you turn left out of the station. It will take you less than fifeen minutes ( I walk fast, so 10 minutes if you are like me) so, reckoning you will get to Oxford before 9, you will have time for a leisurely coffee along the way and a wander round, perhaps stopping in for a browse in the wonderful Blackwell's bookshop, right on your route.

I looked up the seat reservation conundrum as I thought that was odd too. Apparently if you buy advance tickets you get these even if the train you are travelling on does not reserve seats. (No carriage number, even?). Here is what I found on the National Rail site:

"Advance tickets are issued with reservation tickets and these must be carried when travelling. If the Train Company does not offer seat reservations on the train you are travelling on, the reservation ticket will specify the date and time of travel. In these cases you may sit in any available seat on the specified train, appropriate to the class of your ticket."

So, not a reserved seat really, just a guarantee of a carrying you and you must hold them if you are travelling on an advance ticket.

PS My eldest son was in 'The Infernal Serpent' as a child having a music lesson. They needed someone who could play a Mozart sonata. It was really fun being on set with him at New College!

 

[Debra]

Horrors. I just noticed that I referred to Morse as Morris in my post. My mind was obviously elsewhere.

Felicity, thank you so much for those details, and the hint about the bookshop.
And what an experience it must have been for you and your son. I have the dvd of that show and now I will pay special attention to the music lesson.

I love Barrington Pheloung's theme music, especially the soaring melody towards the end (that somehow manages to get cut off on the Lewis and Endeavour series). I also like the fact that he used "Morse" code for the beginning segment.

Again thanks