Bath or Oxford for a day trip?

I'm sorry you haven't had any other answers yet.

I don't usually get involved in either/or questions because it is so difficult to get into another's head - and here I have to get into 7 heads!!

Well I'm prejudiced because of Oxford's location so close to my childhood memories.

Both towns are built a long time ago of oolithic limestone, beautiful, but you will have seen plenty of Cotswold limestone already. Other than that they are very different, a totally different experience. Oxford is a University town, Bath is a spa town, a large market town. Bath is of Roman origins but primarily Regency (late 18th century). Oxford has very early origins, most of the college buildings were built earlier than Regency, but because they are colleges (lots of colleges) there have been many new buildings put up over the centuries, right to the current day.

In terms of your two less able walkers, Bath is much more hilly.

If you want to get into any of the colleges at Oxford you will have more luck mid week, in the early afternoons when exams are not being sat.

Bath does have its Regency crescent, but - less famous - there is a similar crescent in Cheltenham.

Two other things are near Bath, but a stretch in a day trip which already includes a long drive and Bath.

Castle Coombe in Wiltshire has the most picturesque village, maybe one of the best in England, and on certain days the adjacent motor racing circuit is busy.

Lacock is where a lot of period costume dramas are filmed. It is kept as it would have been anywhere from the 16th to 19th century - with no visible aerials or wires or double glazing. The whole village is owned by the National Trust and also has an old photo studio with plenty of good information. Bits of Harry Potter were filmed at the adjacent very atmospheric Lacock Abbey (National Trust).

I hope you are guided to the right decision.

I was not that crazy about Bath or Oxford (I do agree with Nigel on Castle Coombe and Lacock!). If I had to choose one, I would choose Oxford. The museum there is quite nice if you like museums, which we do, and there's more variety in the town. We parked outside the town and took the park & ride in which was quite easy.

Thank you both!

Right now our plan is to just stay in the Cotswolds, with plenty to see. But, just in case we need a plan B I want to have another idea. I can't see too many villages, but I don't know about the rest of the family.

Thanks for the feedback!

Oh, I'm going to throw my two cents in here. I loved Bath and think there is enough diversity there to please anyone. The most abvious is, of course, the Roman baths which have been extensively excavated and the self-guided tour you can take covers so much. I found it fascinating and spent several hours in there. The city itself is very pretty to just wander through, the river and river walk are quite pretty. There is a museum dedicated to fashion, both old and current and is really very interesting with a revolving display of period pieces. You can spend as much time there as you want. There is also a small museum housed in a former manor home and forgive me, I can't remember the name, but it is at the end of a nice walk, small enough to spend just the right amount of time without getting burned out and it has a lovely park behind it. Go and enjoy.

Lisa might be thinking of No. 1 Royal Crescent for the house museum. It is a historically listed house but they do have a lot of information on accessibility. It is well-furnished and has well-informed docents in each area.

http://no1royalcrescent.org.uk/planning-your-visit/access-2/general-access-information/

I, too, love Bath and will spend 2 nights there before meeting up with Rick's Best of England tour (with 3 more nights in Bath, lol!). As Nigel indicates, Bath is hilly and it is uphill from the station/Roman Bath area to get to either the Royal Crescent (Georgian Buildings) or the Circus (another set of Georgian Buildings) or the Fashion Museum/Assembly Rooms.

Pam, yes! Thanks, that is the museum I was remembering.

We have not been to Oxford, but did visit Bath for about 1.5 days, before touring the Cotswald area. LOVED it. We stayed at a bnb just outside of the main historic area, and it was still an easy walk. If you're interested in the Roman Baths, do that first thing in the am. It becomes much more crowded as the day goes on, and I assume tour busses arrive. We also took a walking tour hosted by Bath residents. They are free, and would not accept any contributions. Very informative.

OK David....spill the beans...

Oxford has the Ashmolean Museum which is terrific. Egyptian artifacts, Roman Britain artifacts. Drawings by Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Paintings by Turner, Van Dyke, Rubens, Picasso, Pissarro, Cezanne. Smaller than the British Museum, but just as interesting. They have a cafe onsite.

Perhaps David is referring to the many Harry Potter filming locations around Oxford. Here's a page from VisitOxford that pictures three of the locations you can go and see, if that interests you.
http://www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com/see-and-do/harry_potter.aspx

Thanks again for all the feedback! Not sure what we will do yet, but I have lots of info to use!