The city of Oxford is not all that far from our new home, it's about 40 minutes along the M4 and A34 or a train ride from nearby Reading.
Park and Ride
There are multiple options, with there being more than one Park and Ride for visitors to use and in this instance we parked at Redbridge. For just over £6 we parked for as long as we needed and caught the bus into the city centre.
For those of you who've followed me for awhile, you'll know we drive an EV, so it's exciting to see that FastNED are constructing the largest charging hub in the UK to date and we saw it today.
For more details, check out this article it certainly is exciting because many people will wish to charge their vehicles at a place like this and more so in the future.
Right! Let's catch that bus!
Where to eat?
There are many places of course and we needed some breakfast! We headed for the Covered Market and found Sofi de France for a cooked breakfast, which cost just shy of £12 for both of us. We had similar recently elsewhere and it cost us twice as much, so this was amazing value for money! It was really nice too!
The Covered Market
Bridge of Sighs
Hertford Bridge, also known as "The Bridge of Sighs" connects both sides of Hertford College above New College Lane, the famous Oxford landmark resembles it's namesakes in Cambridge and Venice, but unlike it's counterparts, it spans a street rather than a river.
It is just opposite the entrance to The Bodleian Library and was never intended to be a replica of the Bridge of Sighs, in fact to be honest it more closely resembles The Rialto Bridge in the same city.
Cambridge's Bridge of Sighs is almost 100 years older than this Oxford landmark, as it was built in 1831.
Doorways of Oxford
Doors appeal a great deal to photographers and I know some have published books of such photographs. I've spotted a few in Oxford, so here are a few of them for you to enjoy. Always room for a more extensive project, not just of Oxford but everywhere!
Radcliffe Camera
Designed by James Gibbs in a Neo-Classical style and built between 1737-49 to house the Radcliffe Science Library. It was funded by the estate of Physician John Radcliffe, who left £40,000 when he died in 1714. "Camera" is derived from the Latin word for Room. Nowadays the "Rad Cam" (as it's lovingly known) is used as the reading room for the Bodleian libraries.
Bodleian Library
The library serves as the main research library for the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest of it's kind in Europe. It takes it's name from it's founder Sir Thomas Bodley. It contains some 13 million printed items and is second largest to the British Library in London.
The general public can freely access the courtyard and other external areas but aren't permitted to go inside, unless in the company of a professional tour guide.
The Old School Quad is a large area from where if you stand in it's centre can take in the majesty of the buildings surrounding you.
Above many of the doors are a number of figureheads, that I'd love to know more about. I've tried various searched but couldn't find an answer.
The statue of William Herbert, The 3rd Earl of Pembroke stands outside the entrance to the Bodleian LIbrary. Herbert served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford and founded Pembroke College together with King James I. He was later appointed warden of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, Constable of St Briavels, 1608. In 1609 he became Governor of Portsmouth. Incredibly he maintained all of these roles until his death.
Punts
Bicycles
Oxford is famous for it's bicycles and people park them all over the city when not in use. Guess how many bicycles there are in Oxford? I've no idea but recently it has been estimated that bike journeys in Oxford are triple the UK average, which is quite something!
Botany
Oxford just like Cambridge, Edinburgh and other top University cities has it's own Botanical garden. It is well worth a visit, it is something of an outdoor Museum, as the gardens are divided up into various areas.
Our greatest academics over the centuries have included a number of Botanists, who would have made Oxford, as well as other centres of academia their home.
The Oxford Botanic is the oldest of it's kind in Britain and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the World. It was founded in 1621 as a physic garden, elements of which still remain to this day. It's a great place to explore the 5000 plant species over an area of 1.8 hectares.
Streets
Finally I share some general photos I took (all of which are my own in this post) taken using Halide on my iPhone, with very little editing later on. Halide is a great app, if you've not used it, I recommend trying it out.
The fresh green leaves are starting to spring out all over our area now. The season is a little bit ahead of itself this year I think.
Walking along New College Street in between the two sections of Hertford College. We had this street to ourselves, we passed nobody along the way at all.
I was fascinated by these bricked in widows, assuming that's what they were originally. You probably all remember learning about window tax in your history lessons at school!
What a splash of glorious colour. It had a fabulous scent too!
Tina, my wife walking into the frame...
That's it! There is more of Oxford to see and we will go back when we can.