Luggage

No lockers or storage facilities at the railway station.

The Oxford backpackers hostel on the road into the centre (Hythe Bridge St) used to take in non residents bags for a fee but I'd check with them to confirm they still do so. oxford@hostels.co.uk

The Ashmolean Museum has a cloakroom for visitors which has lockers that can take reasonable size bags but not large suitcases.

Thanks, the Oxford Hostel will hold the bags for fee.

Could I ask a daft question? Why are a lot of American tourists going to more ton on the marsh? Not a criticism just an observation? I know the area and just wondered why there in particular it sounds like it's mentioned in a book or guide...is it in one of ricks guides?

Yes, it is in the guide.

After talking to Rick recently, I found out one of his BIGGEST frustrations is that people are taking his advice literally and not understanding the reasoning behind his recommendations. Because millions of Americans, in their frenzy to avoid what I call the THREE BIG FEARS (see below), and their laziness, are following Rick's recommendations to the letter and swamping/ruining the very places he loves so much because they are not swamped or ruined. He created a dragon, now he's trying to slay it in his new book.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Americans' (bless our hearts) have what I call the THREE BIG FEARS in Europe:

1. They will miss something or someplace interesting. Conversely, they fear something they plan to see or do will turn out to be "not worth it" in terms of dollars or interest.

2. Someone is going to pay less than they did for the same thing and lord it over them on their return.

3. They will have to deal with a hotel, city, or tourist attraction that doesn't meet "American standards" of cleanliness, cost, or convenience.

Most Americans are going to get "let down" in some way by Europe, since logically it is impossible to see or do something that is American but not American, see everything and miss nothing, and pay the absolutely lowest prices possible for everything.

Rick's new book, Europe through the Backdoor, attempts to slay the dragon that he has created in his previous travel books by giving a methodology for travel rather than pinpoint specific places and attractions you must see. By teaching Americans how to find the hidden gems of travel, he is stepping away from his "see this/do this" advice of the past.

...because if he gets any more popular, he will end up screwing-up the very things he wants you to see and do in Europe.

The guide is also why there are so many requests about how to get to Bath from Heathrow.

There are large parts of England that don't get a mention - anything between York and London the last time I looked for example.

And the whole east coast. And . . . . . And . . . .

Could I ask a daft question? Why are a lot of American tourists going to moreton on the marsh?

Because there is a train station there. If you want to get to the Cotswolds by train, you don't have a lot of choices.

Please don't judge us all. Some of us try to get off the beaten path.

Howie & Sweetie, the "new" ETBD provides the same message about independent travel that he's been saying since the first edition in the early '80s. Its just lost in the web-driven desire to eliminate uncertainty and take shortcuts on research.