Hi all.
Not much to say about me really. I'm just an ordinary bloke that likes ordinary things. ...
Hi all.
Not much to say about me really. I'm just an ordinary bloke that likes ordinary things. I'm fairly new to this but I like to think my reviews will be fair.
Most of all I hope you will all enjoy reading them.
Brian
Member since:05.02.2003
Reviews:10
I'll start this review like the one I did about Bath - don't stay in Oxford - stay in Swindon. Same reason applies in that the Swindon hotels are half the price. In case I upset salem witch I'll say that Swindon is great - the Delta Business Park Ibis is top notch.
To get to Oxford take the bus from Swindon. It takes about an hour and the fare is around £5.00. Buses are about a one hour journey, leave every hour, and the Oxford bus station is near the centre of town. There's not much to say about the terminus itself - big, concrete and lots of buses. You could be anywhere.
Once you get out of there, the whole place changes - you're obviously in a busy but pretty city with prices to match. We had breakfast in a little creperie (to anyone else it's a pancake place but hey - this is Oxford). Once breakfast was finished and we had a few valium to get over the bill we got presented with, we headed into the main shopping area. Every major chain is represented and if you look hard enough there are some lovely little market places behind the usual Debenhams etc. My friend bought a jacket that said on it "Born To Fcuk". At £55 I thought he was mad but I realised things were worse than I thought when it dawned on me we were staying in Paddington the next day. Talk about baiting the trap???
Once you've done the usual shoppy stuff, most of the University areas are a short walk away. There are so many to see that I would advise a walking tour. We took a ghost tour, which I suppose it was to a certain extent, although we seemed to stop and look at a lot of the gatemen guys outside the colleges. Possibly they weren't part of the tour but I suspect we were being shown them because, by the looks of them, they couldn't possibly be mortal. I dare you to try get past one of them.
After the guided tour we set off around all the colleges on our own. There are some really beautiful buildings around and little back streets. I was a bit disappointed when I discovered a lot of the colleges had big ugly modern bits added. The Oxford University Natural History Museum was wonderful - and free. We must have spent 3 hours in there alone. It's about a 20 minute walk from the main shopping area. Other must sees are the Bridge of Sighs and Radcliffe Square and camera. Apart from those recommendations just spend your time wandering around - theres a lot to see. I would recommend giving yourself a full day here if you want to see the main sights properly.
The other thing the got to me were the students with their college scarves thrown over their shoulders. I mean - "hellooo...where's your stylist???" If you want to see fashionable students and not ones that look as if daddy has put them into an Oxford college as an early retirement home, just visit a Starbucks or Cafe Nero. They're all full of Japanese and Chinese students. Considering the friend I was with is Chinese too, I was beginning to wonder if I had got on the wrong bus from Swindon, one that goes via Hong Kong.
Anyway, I digress. Oxford was a nice place that I enjoyed very much. I will probably go back some day to see anything I missed. If I want something reasonable and filling to eat next time then I'll use one of the big pub chains that do lunch/dinner specials.
Next time I'll take stout walking shoes and a few bundles of Vogue magazine to leave strategically lying around for anyone with a stripey scarf to have a look at. I would certainly recommend a visit here.
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Advantages: A few minutes away from M4 and A34, busy market town, very central for touring the area Disadvantages: Good accommodation may be hard to find unless you book ahead
jonathan-wild 08.09.2000 ·
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