Nine Hours in Oxford

The Captain surprised me with a day trip to Oxford. He thought I would like to visit some Harry Potter filming locations and explore the rest of the city. He was right! It was a lovely trip despite the 5 minute downpour in the late afternoon and the huge gap between when the city shuts down and our return tickets. Our first trip outside London since my big move and a learning experience for both of us.

We learned two major lessons on this trip. One, not all cities are London and can close down earlier than we are used to. In this case Oxford was mostly closed down by 6pm. There were still pubs and restaurants open, so we grabbed a leisurely dinner, and the mall, which we lapped a couple times before making our way to the station for our 8.40 train back to London. Our second lesson, check what time to attractions close. I missed out on seeing the "Great Hall" at Christ Church Cathedral and the "Restricted Section" at Duke Humfrey's Library.

We made a circle around the city to make the trip more efficient and to ensure we visited all the places on our list. We first visited the Ashmolean Museum and had our packed lunch in the courtyard, where Morris Dancers were providing the entertainment and ended at Oxford Castle.

You can see all of the places we visited and attempted to visit and a few tips on the Google map I created here.

The Mound by Oxford Castle. When you get to the top you get beautiful views and a nice place to relax. Ignore that guy, I didn't see him in the shot until we were on the train. He was in all of them.

Despite those two hiccups, we had a lovely time. I will definitely return to finish my list and spend more time just wandering around and go punting along the river.

If you plan to visit Oxford, don't forget to check out the map I've made. It has tips and tricks.

xx

Mariam