I had the opportunity to take a little trip to Oxford last weekend. It’s always nice to have an excuse to see a new corner of the UK, and Oxford did not disappoint. It reminded me quite a lot of Bath, with the grand golden stone Georgian buildings, unspoilt high street and leafy avenues.
I was pleased to find it quite compact and easy to get around by foot – my preferred method of exploring any new city. On arriving we (I went with my sister) walked from the train station to our hotel via the high street, taking in the covered market on the way. It was a Sunday so not everything was open, but as it was the bank holiday weekend it was quite busy with people anyway.
We took a detour around some of the many university buildings dotted around the city, and the grand Bodleian Library. Can you imagine being a student here… in my head it’d be like a cross between Harry Potter (parts of which were filmed here) and the Secret History.
Found a sewing shop, but it was closed – darn it, indeed :(
We went to the Foodies Festival for lunch, which was quite small and non-eclectic by London market standards but I found a tasty samosa chat to eat, followed by tasty Purbecks ice cream as it was a nice warm day.
Oxford is filled with meadows and streams (mostly owned by the colleges but open to the public), which makes for some lovely serene walking routes. We meandered up to the north of the city…
…to the Natural History and Pitt Rivers museums. Both in the same building, the Pitt Rivers is an anthropology museum, which rather reminded me of some of the museums I went to in Ecuador as it carries much of the same ceramics, totems and textiles.
Quite taken with this inuit outfit, reindeer skin codpiece and all.
Sewing stuff!
In the Natural History museum part, I mostly enjoyed the animal skeletons and these beautiful mineral samples.
We took another pre-dinner stroll down the canal, meeting a sweet kitty on the way.
We had a really nice dinner at Jamie’s Italian – I hadn’t been to one before but was impressed, would go back to try more as there were plenty of veggie options.
The next day was the bank holiday Monday and as is traditional, was pissing with rain. We popped back to the Bodleian to have a look inside – only the reading room was open but it was pretty stunning.
We dodged the rain the rest of the morning at the Ashmolean Museum which was luckily open. There’s loads to see – again, owls and textiles mostly caught my eye – so it definitely provided a good diversion until the train home. At only an hour from London, what a nice city to have a little staycation in.
My trip was sponsored by the Mercure Eastgate Hotel, Oxford. Thank you!
Comments (18)
Katy
August 29th 2014 at 4:58 pm
Gorgeous photography Katie!
I’ve not been to Oxford before but it’s definitely on my list of places to visit. The architechture is STUNNING! xx
Little Miss Katy | UK Lifestyle & Fashion
Anca
August 29th 2014 at 5:44 pm
Such a beautiful place, love it.
Anca @ ancaslifestyle | UK
Laura
August 29th 2014 at 5:57 pm
Your photography is absolutely stunning!
I actually visited Oxford a couple of weeks back too! I’d love it if you checked out my post http://keepingupwithblake.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/oxford.html xxx
Kat
August 29th 2014 at 9:46 pm
I love Oxford – such a lovely city! Beautiful photos too.
Kat | http://thelondonplaybook.wordpress.com
Katie B
August 29th 2014 at 9:58 pm
Looks like a wonderful trip, those river boats are so lovely! Fantastic photos as always!
April
August 29th 2014 at 10:49 pm
Such lovely photos! We visited for the first time last year, and I just loved walking around by the river as it was just so busy in the centre when we went. Have you been to Cambridge before? I love it there – especially with all the punts and uni gardens!
Have a lovely weekend!
xo April Everyday
Katie
September 3rd 2014 at 4:32 pm
Nope, but I’ll add it to my list!
Laura
August 29th 2014 at 11:23 pm
I love your photos – especially all the cute storefronts. Oxford looks like a lovely town to escape to!
Emma
August 31st 2014 at 9:49 am
Oooh, I live in Oxford, but it’s always nice to see the city through visitors eyes, encourages me to play tourist more myself! Really beautiful photography, and looks like you fitted a lot in. I’ve been a fan of your blogs, for a while but particularly your sewing one! As I’m starting a dressmaking course in a few weeks, I’ve been scrolling through your archives for inspo. It’s awesome to hear you talking about improving and learning over time; there’s hope for me! x
Katie
September 3rd 2014 at 4:32 pm
Oh definitely – as I always say the first step to being good at something is being bad at it. Hope you enjoy the course!
Rachel
August 31st 2014 at 4:07 pm
I love oxford, haven’t been for a while but your photos remind me how pretty it is. X
Laura
September 2nd 2014 at 9:13 pm
Really glad you enjoyed your visit to my home city! Such lovely photos. It’s well worth another trip to Oxford to visit Darn It & Stitch, such a perfect little shop! Laura x
http://hellomistermagpie.com/
Katie
September 3rd 2014 at 4:31 pm
Oh, if you insist :))
Nancy
September 3rd 2014 at 11:17 am
Beautiful pictures, so crisp and bright! I definitely want to visit Oxford some day – it always makes me think of this wonderful old series “Brideshead Revisited”…
Rachel Walker
September 5th 2014 at 9:28 am
I went back to Oxford last weekend (camping – not Mercure Eastgate Hotel). I haven’t been back since I finished uni there years ago. Had forgotten what a stunning city it was, and fell in love all over again!
So glad you made it to The Pitt Rivers Museum, one of my favourites! Did you see the shrunken heads?!
Kath Warren
September 5th 2014 at 10:40 pm
Hey! I just stumbled across your blog and have been scrolling through for nearly half an hour now, hehe. I love the pictures in this post, so beautiful. My family live in the South of England so I think a trip to Oxford might be on the cards next time I visit! Kath x
http://thosevintagethoughts.com
mjjohnson
November 3rd 2014 at 9:17 pm
In from H. airport, onto a bus…last stop was Oxford….at midnight…
I begged the YMCA to let me in and stay…
they asked if I had money….I did….
wonderful to wake up in a safe bed in Oxford…birds singin, sunshine..lovely.
A trip to Oxford : What Katie Does – Travels
August 8th 2016 at 10:45 pm
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