Oxfordshire’s Best Bits

This guest post was written by Jo Woodcock.

Oxfordshire is a beautiful county in the heart of England. The city of Oxford is famous for its University, historic buildings, rich culture and being where Harry Potter was filmed. The city is surrounded by beautiful countryside and picture postcard villages. Weekly Home provides short let accommodation in and around Oxford, people come from far and wide to visit Oxfordshire and they do not leave disappointed. On the Weekly Home blog we share hints and tips of what to do in Oxfordshire, here are our top five places to visit in the county.

The Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean museum was founded in 1683 and was Britain's first public museum. It has recently been revamped and the new building takes you on a journey over five floors through 39 galleries. The galleries take you on a journey of how civilisations in the east and west have developed. There is so much to see in the 39 galleries, highlights include drawings by Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci, watercolours by Turner, a mask of Oliver Cromwell’s, Guy Fawkes’ lantern, the Abingdon Sword and the new gallery about ancient Egypt.

Weekly Home’s tip for visiting the Ashmolean is after visiting the exhibitions you will need to rest your feet so why not have cream tea in the beautiful dining room on the top floor. The dining room is absolutely stunning, the tea is excellent and the scone with clotted cream and jam is delicious. If this was quintessentially British enough then it all comes served in Wedgewood pottery!

Punting on the River Thames

A punt is a flat bottomed boat that is propelled through the water using a long pole. It became popular in Britain in the 1900’s. Punting is very famous in Oxford and you can punt along the river Cherwell and the Isis. It is a very lovely way to take in the beauty of Oxford. Many people take picnics with them when they go out punting and make a day of it stopping along the way. Don’t forget to take your Pimms and lemonade.

Weekly Home’s tip is that if you have the money then hire someone to take you punting. This way you get all of the beauty and tranquility without having to learn how to punt yourself!

St Giles Café for Breakfast

 

A traditional English breakfast is a must if you are visiting England; in Oxford we recommend breakfast at the St Giles Café.

The St Giles Café's interior has booths and is like an American diner but the pictures of Oxfordshire on the walls and the food is very British. The café serves various combinations of classic English breakfast ingredients: bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, chips and beans. The portions are generous—this is not the place to go if you are looking for a healthy alternative.

The reason we love St Giles Café at Weekly Home is because a little bit of English tradition survives here and there are not many places like that in Oxford. There is nothing fancy about the St Giles Café but the food is well presented, well cooked, and the coffee is great. Everything about the café is simple but effective and you can still get a breakfast for under £5.

Blenheim Palace - Air View (Postcard), a photo by roger4336 on Flickr.

Bleinheim Palace

Eight miles from Oxford city centre is the Cotswold village of Woodstock. In Woodstock you will find the offices of Weekly Home and slightly more famously: Bleinheim Palace. Blenheim Palace was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and is now a World Heritage Site. The palace was built between 1705 and 1724 for the 1st Duke of Malborough as a gift from the nation in return for military triumph. And what an amazing gift it was; Bleinheim’s 187 rooms and 2,000 acres of grounds will absolutely take your breath away.

Weekly Home’s tip is to check out what events are going on at Bleinheim Palace and plan your trip accordingly. They have afternoons of classical music, seasonal events and fairs such as antique fairs.

The Market Town of Abingdon-on-Thames

Abingdon is a market town six miles from the city of Oxford. It is Britain’s oldest town. A lot of its history is related to the Abingdon Abbey, founded in 675 and claimed to be Britain’s first monastery. In 1084, William the Conqueror celebrated Easter at the Abbey and then left his son, the future Henry I, to be educated there. The Abbey was not popular with the town’s people as it controlled their markets and they tried to burn it down in 1327. The Abbey was eventually dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. There is nothing to see now of the Abbey’s church, and do not be fooled by the ‘ruinous' arches in the 'Abbey Gardens' as this is a folly built in 1920.

Weekly Home’s tip is that despite the ruinous arches being a folly, Abbey meadows is a delightful park to visit and spend a little downtime. You can take a stroll along the Thames, play a game of crazy golf, or in the summer take a swim in the heated outdoor pool. The park is linked to the national cycle network and Abingdon makes a great destination from Oxford as the route takes you along the Thames and through English villages.

About Weekly Home

Based in historic Woodstock, Weekly Home is a well-established company providing high quality serviced and short let accommodation in and around Oxford.

If you are thinking of visiting Oxford and need accommodation please contact us: info@weeklyhome.com www.weeklyhome.com