Iona heads to Oxford, Bath and further west….

As indicated at the end of our last update, we were about to visit Oxford, which we did over a day and only scratched the surface! The farm where we pitched was in the northeast of the city and about £20 by taxi away! However, on our first evening, we took a half-hour walk to the local country pub along typical English country lanes, leaving the exploration of the city for the next day. Unfortunately, on arrival at the pub, we saw a note stuck to the front door declaring that the place was shut temporarily, i.e. for that night! So we sat on the bench opposite and studied our options. We soon decided that, seeing that it was a pleasant evening, we would walk the thirty-five minutes to the next ‘local’; however, we phoned ahead to check that it was actually open, and finding it was, we booked a table for dinner. The walk was a tad more arduous than anticipated as we were soon on a B road rather than the previous country lanes. However, the road was not too busy, so it was still an enjoyable experience.

The Talk House pub was another typically inviting English country hostelry. We enjoyed an alfresco pint before settling down inside for dinner, which was very pleasant. A slight downside was that the bill included a pre-added 12.5% tip. Hmmm!

The Talk House Pub

The following day, we booked a taxi and were soon on our way into town, listening to our driver lament the way the local council was closing down various roads for ‘the greater good’! Oh, and you should have heard him on Labour’s intimation that it may be considering the introduction of ‘pence per mile’ taxation!! Once on foot, we found a cafe for breakfast on a pedestrianised street and then searched for some of the more notable parts of the city.

We soon found some colleges, such as Jesus, Wadham, Kibble, and New College, to name a few. We had a very pleasant saunter around the University ‘quarter’ and took in the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre. The visit finally took its toll, and we made our way, wearily, into the nearest pub, the Lamb And Flag on St Giles Road, and found a seat to enjoy our libations and rest our tired limbs! We soon began to notice that some collegiate types, young and old, were arriving, getting a drink at the bar and moving through to an adjacent room, and we wondered what was going on. Later, whilst at the bar, I enquired about the ‘event’ and was told it was the monthly “meeting of AI boffins”! Quite bizarre and yet wildly appropriate for Oxford, I thought!

Next up turned out to be a farm field on the outskirts of Bath, opposite the local Park ‘n Ride bus service, which enabled us to easily access the city. Given our Oxford experience, we decided to stay two days/three nights so that we could spend more time visiting and sightseeing in Bath. On day one, we woke to hefty rain. We decided to start the day slowly before heading into Bath, where we walked around getting our bearings, saw the Cathedral, and visited the Roman Baths and several lovely out-of-the-way courtyards - the next day started again with heavy rain and mist, which eased up at about lunchtime allowing us to venture into Bath again where we visited the Pulteney Bridge and then walked around to end up at the Circus before heading back into town for some shopping before catching the bus back to the farm where we made dinner and settled in for another night of intermittent torrential rain.

So next up is Wales…..