Blogs from Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

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Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford July 6th 2023

Reunited in Reading, Jeff was exhausted by the time he got back with his passport. It was a late dinner (Afghan Restaurant) and then turn in for the night. when on his own yesterday, Jeff worked out he could navigate using the MapMe App without a WiFi signal and so today Jeff would be leading and doing the navigating. We left the Abbey Motel at 8:30am, destination Oxford, some 55kms away. The route via MapMe took us onto an overgrown dirt track just outside Reading, which was a little damp. We had only gone about 80 meters where our path was blocked by a fallen tree with no getting past. Some ladies walking in the opposite direction advised we could push out through the bushes into an adjoining golf course and ride past the obstruction and ... read more
Quaint Pub
This is a well that can be locked so water isn't stolen
Home with thatched roof

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Banbury June 23rd 2023

It was so great to see my brother and sister in law on arrival in the UK! Also my other family members plus my good old friend from my high school days. What a reunion. Pete and I had an absolute ball and definitely drank and ate too much but who cares! The weather to date has been brilliant so all going well so far. Our hire car is great and we have been cruising around the country from Manchester to Mablethorpe to Banbury. Mablethorpe is like a mini Blackpool with it's funfair, sandy beach and bingo and brought back childhood memories of my family holidays as a child! Banbury is a historic town in Oxfordshire with a canal with many narrow boats cruising through the centre. There are also heaps of little villages dotted around ... read more
Nearby village pub
White lady on a white horse. Banbury!
Petersborough Cathedral

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford December 28th 2022

What a stressful start to the adventure . Who was to know when you book a seat with BA that you can be put on standby , not a care in the world that you have a connection…. Thank goodness some passengers didn’t make it so we were able to get on the flight ! ... read more

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford December 27th 2022

And so it begins... so excited for this adventure though have never travelled with so little in all my life so heres hoping I have everything! Background to Fitflopfriends - Fiona and I have been friends for many years and when the kids were younger we used to camp in the summer together and had some amazing times and made some amazing memories. In the last few years we have lost a couple of friends, much too young, and we decided that life is too short, so we have decided, when possible to go on some worldwide adventures because you never know whats around the corner. I have to say this is the biggest adventure to date - Vietnam north to south flying early tomorrow. My children would say two grannies on tour.. (neither of us ... read more

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire December 14th 2022

The sun always shines on TV. There has never been a statement more true in the last 4 weeks or so. Qatar 2022. The winter World Cup. We are used to the usual spectacle in the warmer summer months, but here we are with the football calendar completely turned upside down. Whilst we settle down to watch a few upsets in front of audiences who often don't seem to have a clue what is going on, the temperatures at home are falling. Nosediving in some cases. The current price of energy courtesy of Vlad in some ways makes the hefty price tag of beer in Qatar almost seem appealing. Well, maybe just for a moment at least. We head south to deliver pressies in Cheltenham and possibly some Christmas cheer. The conflicting geography means you can't ... read more
Chipping Norton Recording Studios
Chipping Norton
Burford

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford October 11th 2022

After our usual lovely breakfast (yes, Heinz beans again), we hopped in the car and headed south to Bletchley Park. Unfortunately, almost 2 hours into the drive, I realized I left myKindle behind! This led to a mad scramble to contact the castle to make no arrangements to have it posted to us at our last stop in London. It should all work out - fingers crossed! Having read about Bletchley Park (on the aforementioned Kindle), this was a highlight of our trip for me. I was looking forward to seeing where the code breaking all took place and where women were able to play such an important role in the war effort. It did not disappoint. Not only did the historical society do a great job with the restoration and displayed, the site itself was ... read more
Cottage where Alan Turing and this team developed the Bombe machine to crack Enigma
Room in one of the huts where the women code breakers worked on manually deciphering messages. .
Our AirBNB on second floor.

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire August 16th 2022

Been planning, been training, been undergrounding, been escalating, been lifting, been walking and really been enough. We are both ready for the last car trip into Simonsbath and it’s that not far away. Just waiting for our train and because McScrooge booked the cheaper non-transferable ticket we have actually seen a train depart that could have taken us to Taunton and to our new mum and dad. But it did give me time to Facechat Lee and because I haven’t had time to do anything wrong or misbehave in any way I’m at least temporarily in the good books. It was 28 real degrees (not those American ones, Capt Matt) here at 7 o’clock in the morning. Bizarre. The locals don’t think it will last and I’m hoping it won’t! We are prepared for rain and ... read more
Waiting for the train to Taunton.
From the window of our room at Sandy and Francis’s Rose Cottage.

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford May 14th 2022

After our night in Stratford, and some difficulty finding a place for dinner without prior reservations, we set out early to see the Shakespearean sights. There is evidence of Roman settlements in the general area of the town, and then subsequently the area was inhabited by the Britons and then the Anglo-Saxons. It was an important place to ford the Avon River (Stratford = street ford). In 1196 the king granted the town the right to hold a regular market, and this designation as a market town allowed it to assume greater local prominence. Located on the north fringe of the Cotswolds with its large sheep production, Stratford naturally became a center for tanning. A side effect was the emergence of various trades using the tanned hides. One such trade was glove-making, and one of the ... read more
Stratford 002 Stratford-upon-Avon UK 051322
Shakespeare birthplace 010 Stratford-upon-Avon UK 051422
Shakespeare birthplace 026 Stratford-upon-Avon UK 051422

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Banbury April 6th 2022

Day 1 Woke up early . We are not due on the tunnel until tomorrow but Gabby is all packed up ready to go. She has been washed and provisioned . Although the provisioning did not take long due to the new Brexit rules whereby we cannot take dairy back into the EU. It feels odd to have nothing in the fridge and the larder very . We made a late decision to head off south on the day before our train crossing and booked one night at Fir Tree Falconry . The lady who took the booking offered us a night for £15 . I should have remembered that we I got there but I didn't . Too much on my mind . The neighbour was looking after the cat for us and Sunday driving ... read more
The view from Gabby
Gabby hiding close to a caravan

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Burford February 5th 2021

http://www.heygo.com 5th February- Burford We started our tour by the three arched medieval bridge over the River Windrush Burford was one of the first towns to receive a Market Charter. Cotswold sheep were known as the basis of the English wool trade and were nicknamed ‘Cotswold Lions’ for their shaggy long coats that had a hint of golden tone. The Cotswolds was famous for being one of the largest outputs for wool during Medieval times. We made our way down the High Street with ancient houses, pubs and shops on both sides of the street. As we walked our guide told the story about the hotel frequented by King Charles and Nell Gwynn. Unlike Charles' other mistresses, Nell never received a title herself, but she obtained a title for her son. When Charles Beauclerk was six ... read more




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