Taking week Course at Oxford in Aug. Must sees

First question: what are your interests?

Second question: will you have a car?

Third question: how many days or part days will you have for sightseeing?

Another question; what research have you done?

Book a tour of the Bodlean Library, preferably the full, 90 minute (I think) one.

Great questions 😊
We will have a car. We have partial days during the week and all day Sunday before we lv. Interested in quaint English countryside and lifestyle. Not big city’s or shopping malls. Local stores yes and Experiences. Interested in Bletchley House.

Do you have somewhere to park the car? Oxford has more or less declared war on the car and parking anywhere close to the center is expensive and hard to find.

By “Bletchley House”, did you mean Bletchley Park the WW2 code breaking center? It’s a bit over an hour’s drive from central Oxford so you may want to go there on the full day you have free.

I'd be over to Woodstock, it will tick boxes.

Blenheim is a privately owned palace if interested in Churchill history - not cheap - and there is a gardens only ticket too. A short walk away, or a quick run around by the car is Winston Churchill's grave at Bladon. If you were to try to drive to the church in Bladon be aware parking is extremely tight, the lanes very very narrow and steep.

Woodstock is a beautiful village.

Regarding Bletchley Park - by the time of your trip the new train between Oxford and Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central should be operating. The work is all finished and all the approvals are in but there is an industrial dispute between the operator (Chiltern) and the Guards' union over safety critical operating procedures. When they do get moving it will be by far the easiest and fastest way to Bletchley Park. Bletchley station is 5 minutes walk to Bletchley Park. Plan for several hours to see a really interesting and well presented place - have lunch at the canteen.

Are you taking your course through Smithsonian? I'm very interested in this, but Smithsonian requires you stay in the dorms at Oxford...been there, done that. Do you or anyone else have any idea who Smithsonian uses as their tour operator for this trip?

Thanks so much,

Denise

Denise:
Try the Oxford summer school for adults. One week class. You can stay at your own accommodations.

https://lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/about/oxford-experience?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22841298239&gbraid=0AAAABAMd3-R9YBLxlv4jN9AdBM803Ck1G

Denise,

Oxford colleges don’t have dorms. Students live in rooms, usually either single occupancy or shared (two bedrooms off a large sitting room). Summer schools normally put their students in the most modern single rooms some of which have en suite shower rooms.

Derek, those classes look wonderful! There are a several that really pique my interest and it seems they are popular as they are filled. For future reference, do you know when they release the upcoming year’s offerings/schedule?

I would absolutely go to Blenheim regardless of whether you're a Churchill fan. It's an amazing look into a grand English home. The grounds, particularly that time of year, should be beautiful. In the Cotswold, Borton-on-the Water is a lovely little town, with a river running right through town, but is very crowded. We stayed in Chipping Campden, a RS recommendation, and found it delightful and not crowded. The view from Dover's Hill, a short drive or hike on the Cotswold Way, is great. We could see the highrises of the midlands. If you're into gardens, Kiftsgate and Hidcote, are nice. And, of course, Stratford is close by too.

Not too long ago I did a very random walk from Moreton in Marsh to Blockley. It was a very nice walk and I mention this because you could get to MiM from Oxford.

We are fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and Inspector Morse, and thoroughly enjoyed our time in Oxford.

For Tolkien, you can visit his grave not far from Oxford, its a nice walk from the town center. We also did a trip out to Fairfield, stayed at The Bull hotel & hiked where Tolkien and Lewis walked. Unfortunately, the Eagle and Child is closed for remodeling, maybe check if its open by time you arrive?

For Morse, we mainly did pub crawls (just like in the show). Start at the Randolph and just about any pub within walking distance was featured in the show.

We enjoyed the Ashmolean , History of Science Museum, and of course the Bodleian tour.