Wandering around Oxford
April 17, 2007
I settled into my room, which was fine, and relaxed for a while, before showering and heading down to the hotel's restaurant for a bit of grub. I had bruschetta and "posh" fish and chips (same as fish and chips, but with monkfish rather than cod), and is was decent, the service was good too. For the duration of my meal I was forced to listen to an american man who I couldn't see (he was in the opposite side of the restaurant) shout about Jesus and God.
I got a wake up call at 7am, but didn't manage to get up till after 8. The fan kept me nice and cool through the night, and the room was icy cold when I woke up (much nicer than it being like a blast furnance anyway!) I showered, grabbed my camera and headed off for the city centre to do a bit of exploring. En route I stopped off in the restaurant for a bit of breakfast. The full English wasn't nearly as good as a full Irish, with some strange flavoured sausage, and the lack of pudding was disappointing too! The tea was extremely weak, but they had delicious fresh orange juice, which went down well! I walked into the city centre, and it only took about 20 minutes.
I must admit I loved just walking through the streets of Oxford, it felt like time goes more slowly for some reason. Everyone is calm and seems to be care free! I stopped off in a bookshop and bought a guidebook to Oxford, which I have yet to read! So far, I've gotten around armed with my CitySightseeing Tours map! I loved "The High" (High Street), the Botanic garden and the view from Carfax Tower. All Souls college is simply amazing, as is Radcliffe camera. The Bodleian Library looks more like an ancient cathedral than a library from the outside. I enjoyed a nice lunch in "Bonjour" on High St, and drifted into some shops on Cornmarket St, Magdalen St, Clarendon Shopping Centre and Westgate Shopping Centre.
I had an appointment at 3pm so didn't have much time to burn, but the time I was brilliant. I returned at about 5pm to do a quick spot of shopping and got a bite to eat. I walked back to the hotel for the third time in the day, with blisters burning my feet. I was never so happy to get back to my room! The plan for tonight is to go down to the hotel bar, hopefully watch Man United beat Sheffield United, and then relax in front of the TV before heading to sleep! Another 7am wakeup call has been booked for tomorrow, I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of the other side of Oxford in the morning before I head back to Gatwick for my flight home!
I've taken plenty more photos, but the Wi-Fi in the hotel is terrible, so I'll upload them when I get back to Ireland!
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If you're travelling to Oxford, there is a bus that goes directly from Gatwick Airport (both North and South terminals) to Oxford. The last stop is Gloucester Green, which is the bus station in the city centre. The trip takes around two hours, so bring an iPod or book!
The bus leaves hourly during the day and also runs late at night. It costs 21 pounds one-way, 28 pounds return, 26 pounds next day return. You can buy tickets online or from the driver. When you arrive at Gloucester Green, there is a taxi rank just around the corner.
More info (timetables, etc.) available on http://www.theairline.info
The bus leaves hourly during the day and also runs late at night. It costs 21 pounds one-way, 28 pounds return, 26 pounds next day return. You can buy tickets online or from the driver. When you arrive at Gloucester Green, there is a taxi rank just around the corner.
More info (timetables, etc.) available on http://www.theairline.info
The Carfax tower is a good place to get a view over the city of Oxford. It's not quite the view you'll get in a big city, but the view in the direction of "the High" is particularly nice. It's only 2 pounds to go up, and you'll get some nice photos from up there. The stairs are windy and there's only room for a single file, so try not to get dizzy! The viewing scope is useless, you'll see more using the zoom on your camera, so don't waste your time with it! The nicest thing about the tower is the exterior view of it, which is very attractive.
The tower is all that's left of St. Martin's church, built in the 13th century. A road widening scheme in 1896 resulted in the church being knocked down. There are quarterboys on the tower which ring bells every 15 minutes, and the original church clock is also on the tower. I'll post pictures of the view and of the quarterboys soon!
The tower is all that's left of St. Martin's church, built in the 13th century. A road widening scheme in 1896 resulted in the church being knocked down. There are quarterboys on the tower which ring bells every 15 minutes, and the original church clock is also on the tower. I'll post pictures of the view and of the quarterboys soon!
Exterior view of Carfax Tower
The Best Western Linton Lodge hotel is situated on Linton Rd in Oxford, UK. It takes about 15-25 minutes (depending on pace) to walk to and from the city centre from the hotel. The interior reception area, restaurant and bar area are nicely decorated, in an old style. The bar is a typical bar for a small hotel in the UK. They have Sky TV in there, although it wasn't working for most of the time I was in there. The restaurant serves decent food, with a reasonable variety on offer. You can also get food from the bar, which may be more attractive if you want quick service and a more relaxed atmosphere.
I booked a single room, at a cost of 60 pounds sterling per night (including all taxes), which is about US$120. This is a reasonable enough rate for a hotel. It may be expensive for those from the U.S. due to the strength of the pound compared to the dollar, but so will all other hotels in Oxford. The room was a good size, with plenty of space, good wardrobe space, an armchair, a reasonable desk area, a TV, and a generous "single" bed. It was more like a small double bed than a single (or as the Americans call them: twin) bed. There was a decent number of channels on the TV, including Sky Sports News which I very much enjoyed! The room was very warm, but there was a fan which eased this problem nicely. Also supplied was an ironing board and iron, a kettle, some coffee and tea, biscuits, a decent en-suite bathroom with a hairdryer, and two good sized mirrors in the main bedroom.
While I was staying in the hotel, they were having trouble with the Wi-Fi internet access, which was quite irritating as this was one of the main features I wanted from the hotel! It worked intermittently, and the speed was quite poor. It was certainly not good enough to be advertised as "Free High Speed Internet Access". I suspect that some of these issues may be resolved soon though, as there has been a local computer repair company's van parked outside all day! It was also irritating that the Sky TV in the hotel bar wasn't working, as I was looking forward to watching Manchester United playing Sheffield United, whereas instead I had to resort to listening to people talk about it on Sky Sports News in my room!
The only real fault I can find with the room is the annoying creaky floors, that are a feature throughout the room! It could be argued that the room was warm enough to warrant proper air conditioning, but the supplied fan did the job for me! If you want a reasonably priced hotel that's in a decent location (you will find plenty of more expensive hotels in the city centre) this is a decent offering. The staff are helpful and friendly, and the hotel is nice inside (although it is quite ugly outside courtesy of the horrible best western sign over the door). If you can afford it, stay in the city centre!
I booked a single room, at a cost of 60 pounds sterling per night (including all taxes), which is about US$120. This is a reasonable enough rate for a hotel. It may be expensive for those from the U.S. due to the strength of the pound compared to the dollar, but so will all other hotels in Oxford. The room was a good size, with plenty of space, good wardrobe space, an armchair, a reasonable desk area, a TV, and a generous "single" bed. It was more like a small double bed than a single (or as the Americans call them: twin) bed. There was a decent number of channels on the TV, including Sky Sports News which I very much enjoyed! The room was very warm, but there was a fan which eased this problem nicely. Also supplied was an ironing board and iron, a kettle, some coffee and tea, biscuits, a decent en-suite bathroom with a hairdryer, and two good sized mirrors in the main bedroom.
While I was staying in the hotel, they were having trouble with the Wi-Fi internet access, which was quite irritating as this was one of the main features I wanted from the hotel! It worked intermittently, and the speed was quite poor. It was certainly not good enough to be advertised as "Free High Speed Internet Access". I suspect that some of these issues may be resolved soon though, as there has been a local computer repair company's van parked outside all day! It was also irritating that the Sky TV in the hotel bar wasn't working, as I was looking forward to watching Manchester United playing Sheffield United, whereas instead I had to resort to listening to people talk about it on Sky Sports News in my room!
The only real fault I can find with the room is the annoying creaky floors, that are a feature throughout the room! It could be argued that the room was warm enough to warrant proper air conditioning, but the supplied fan did the job for me! If you want a reasonably priced hotel that's in a decent location (you will find plenty of more expensive hotels in the city centre) this is a decent offering. The staff are helpful and friendly, and the hotel is nice inside (although it is quite ugly outside courtesy of the horrible best western sign over the door). If you can afford it, stay in the city centre!
Outside view of the Linton Lodge…
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