Day Trip to Oxford

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A little over a week after getting back from Munich, I had a visitor come to London for the weekend on their way home back to Australia. Again, a bit of a surprise having Michael come visit whilst I’m over here, definitely unexpected but it was really good to have him here. I enjoyed showing him around this city that I currently call home and hope that he also enjoyed his stay here. Leading up to the weekend, Michael had expressed his interest in doing a day trip outside of London and so we decided on heading to Oxford for the day. As much as I love London, it’s also really nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city every now and then, and I’d been planning to go out to Oxford so this worked out nicely.

On Sunday 15^th October, we met at Victoria Station to catch the Oxford Tube coach, which at £18 return is probably the cheapest and easiest way to get to Oxford. The coach runs 24 hours a day and tickets can be bought direct from the driver. Approximately an hour and a half later, we were dropped off on the High Street in Oxford. It’s an adorable little town revolving around Oxford University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and was perfect for a day trip. Although quite busy with various tour groups it didn’t feel too overly crowded. We bought a map from one of the souvenir shops to help us get around and so we knew what buildings and things we were looking at. We came across the Bodleian Library which featured in the first Harry Potter movie however they weren’t letting anyone in unless you bought a ticket or were with a tour. Unfortunately, I was unable to convince Michael to take a Harry Potter guided tour – there’s a few filming locations in Oxford and I may or may not have done a little research of where to find them). As it was close to lunch time, we found a pub and stopped for lunch. We shared some delicious pork nachos as a starter and I got a Sunday roast. After lunch, we strolled around town and ended up at Oxford Castle, a medieval castle which was also used as a prison. We walked up the mound outside the castle, which gave a nice view over the city. Once we had snapped a few photos, we headed back down and towards Christ Church. Here, we bought a ticket to go into the buildings and I’m really glad we did because like most of the university buildings in Oxford, it was stunning. It was also here that they gained inspiration for the Great Hall in Hogwarts. It didn’t take too long for us to walk around the rest of buildings. We then aimlessly wandered around town before going into a random hole in the wall which opened into a large park area so we chilled here for a bit as we’d been walking around for most the afternoon. We then headed to New College which was nearby and went to the cloisters, which was where Malfoy was turned into a ferret. With my Harry Potter cup full and the sun starting to set, we slowly made our way back to the bus stop to catch the coach back to London. But not before stopping into a souvenir store so I could pick up my magnet.

Oxford was a wonderful little day trip to make to get out of London. It was also a wonderful way to spend a Sunday and I’m very glad we took the trek out there.

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Photos

'You're a wizard Haylee'
Standing in the Great Hall at Christ Church, the inspiration for the Great Hall at Hogwarts