Bucks &amp; Oxon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Bus_High_Street.jpg" alt="Oxford Sightseeing tour" class="wp-image-168357" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Bus_High_Street.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Bus_High_Street-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Bus_High_Street-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown"><strong>THE LOWDOWN</strong></h2>



<p>Oxford has been phasing out cars from the city centre for some years now, as a way of preserving its historic architecture and managing the crowds of tourists who flock here all year round to ogle its many charms. Enter buses – the most practical way to tour Oxford these days, so leave the motor at the Park and Ride and head to the City Sightseeing HQ opposite University College near Queens Lane. Their distinctive red double-deckers leave every 15 mins and the show-round takes about an hour (but you can hop on and off at each of the 20 stops if something takes your fancy for closer inspection). I took my two children on one of the live tours, which meant we had entertaining running commentary from Peter, a cheery ex-policeman. Let’s go!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-bus-tour"><strong>THE BUS TOUR</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="572" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Guide.jpg" alt="Oxford Sightseeing " class="wp-image-168359" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Guide.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Guide-800x458.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Guide-400x229.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Peter the Policeman</figcaption></figure>



<p>We set off from HQ and settled in to listen to Policeman Pete as he pointed out the sights. We sat in the open air on the top deck, but if you’re further away from the guide you can plug in headphones to listen to the recorded audio tour, loud and clear. There was a lot to take in – as a Bucks local, I certainly learnt a lot. So, here’s a whistlestop summary. You sitting comfortably?</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="567" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Bus_Passengers_Sheldonian.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-168358" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Bus_Passengers_Sheldonian.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Bus_Passengers_Sheldonian-800x454.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Bus_Passengers_Sheldonian-400x227.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>First off, we trundled across The Cherwell – watch out for people punting/falling in – and on to the lovely Magdalen Bridge, the scene of many a May Day frivolity as well-refreshed grads congregate here at 6am (no, they haven’t slept) to hear choristers ring out the May Day bells. Next we turned down the ancient Longwall Street, which dates back to Anglo Saxon days, scooted past the garage where a certain Mr William Morris sold his first car, and then clocked the Science Park, where in 1928 Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/349912866_268967912173410_4502068447884230486_n.jpg" alt="Cherwell River, Oxford" class="wp-image-168469" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/349912866_268967912173410_4502068447884230486_n.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/349912866_268967912173410_4502068447884230486_n-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/349912866_268967912173410_4502068447884230486_n-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/349912866_268967912173410_4502068447884230486_n-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Punters on the River Cherwell in Christ Church Meadow (Credit: Instagram @spiralling_oxford)</figcaption></figure>



<p>On the August Saturday afternoon we took the tour, Oxford was packed with students on graduation day – there was quite a crowd of grads and their proud parents outside the Sheldonian Theatre, designed by Christopher Wren. Fun fact: it’s based on a theatre in Rome – but, bizarrely, it has no stage. Onwards to a trio of Brideshead Revisited-esque central Oxford colleges: Exeter, where actor Richard Burton did a six-month English Lit course; Trinity and its gorgeous expansive gardens; and uber-academic Balliol, the alma mater of one Boris Johnson (he ‘only’ got a 2:1).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/451428725_1215233112708896_2638696159996426041_n.jpg" alt="Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford" class="wp-image-168471" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/451428725_1215233112708896_2638696159996426041_n.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/451428725_1215233112708896_2638696159996426041_n-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/451428725_1215233112708896_2638696159996426041_n-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/451428725_1215233112708896_2638696159996426041_n-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Graduates at the Sheldonian Theatre (Credit: Instagram @magdabnowosielska)</figcaption></figure>



<p>Pete then pointed out Oxford’s lovely Natural History Museum – the most beautiful building in Oxford? – and University Park, which leads down to The Cherwell and, apparently, a one-time nude bathing spot for dons and deans. (No, we didn’t hop off here). At this point Pete raised the question: why does Oxford have no wartime bomb damage? The chilling answer was that Hitler is thought to have earmarked Oxford as his post-Nazi invasion capital of England – perhaps with Blenheim Palace as his country seat – so he instructed the Luftwaffe to give it a wide berth. On a gentler note, we admired St John’s College, founded by Romantic bard William Wordsworth as a ladies’ college – only to then educate a young Tony Blair. Rather like moneybags Blair, St John’s is Oxford’s richest college. Did you know it owns large swathes of the South of England, two Manhattan skyscrapers and cellars full of priceless wine?</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Oxford-Castle-and-Prison.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-161981" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Oxford-Castle-and-Prison.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Oxford-Castle-and-Prison-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Oxford-Castle-and-Prison-400x266.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Onwards to the historic Eagle &amp; Child pub, where C. S. Lewis drank with J.R.R. Tolkien – now sadly closed since lockdown – and then to Maggie Thatcher’s old college (Somerville) and, later on, David Cameron’s former stomping ground (Brasenose). Another fun fact: every British PM since 1962 has studied at Oxford, except John Major and Gordon Brown.</p>



<p>By the railway station, we spied marmalade tycoon Frank Cooper’s old jam factory (it later became a studenty shot-downing nightclub) before looping round to Oxford Castle and Prison, which used to be surrounded by a moat, and the Westgate Centre. At one time a monastery, now visitors to this retail temple worship at the altar of the ginormous John Lewis. Plus ça change.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-168946" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Radcliffe Camera. Credit Instagram @oxford_uni</figcaption></figure>



<p>Towards the end of the tour, Pete pointed out Christ Church College, where Professor Dodgson used to spin tall stories about white rabbits to his friend’s children – the eldest of whom was called Alice. His nom de plume? It was, of course, Lewis Carroll – and his classic&nbsp;<em>Alice in Wonderland</em>&nbsp;is celebrated by the city-wide Alice’s Day festival each year. I haven’t even mentioned the Radcliffe Camera, the Radcliffe Observatory, or the Radcliffe Infirmary, all bestowed on the city by the university’s uber-wealthy former medical student John Radcliffe. Or the time on Millennium eve when a thief broke into the Ashmolean Museum, in the style of&nbsp;<em>The Thomas Crown Affair</em>, and stole a £3million Cézanne. (The case remains unsolved to this day).</p>



<p>Look, there’s simply too rich a cultural history in Oxford to fit it all in. You’ll have to hop on board a sightseeing bus to see it for yourself.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-added-extras"><strong>ADDED EXTRAS</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Walking_Tour_1.jpg" alt="Oxford sightseeing tour" class="wp-image-168361" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Walking_Tour_1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Walking_Tour_1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Walking_Tour_1-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Got any energy – and mental bandwidth &#8211; left after that lot? The good news is that each of the three tour packages (see details&nbsp;<a href="https://www.citysightseeingoxford.com/">here</a>) also includes&nbsp;<a href="https://www.citysightseeingoxford.com/oxford-walking-tours/stepping-through-oxford-walking-tour/">a 45-minute walking tour</a>. Stop-offs by foot include the Radcliffe Camera, the Bridge of Sighs, and the Sheldonian Theatre. Those with even more stamina can take the extended 90-mins tour, which sets off from Carfax Tower and takes you through Christ Church Meadow, taking in Alice&#8217;s Shop on St Aldate’s (Carroll’s muse used to buy sweets here), and the famous Christ Church, the location for oodles of Harry Potter scenes.&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.citysightseeingoxford.com/the-tour/ticket/bus-tour-panorama/">Panorama</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.citysightseeingoxford.com/the-tour/ticket/bus-tour-explore/">Explore tours</a>&nbsp;also include entry to Carfax Tower – the remains of the 12<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;Century St Martin’s Church. It’s the highest point in Oxford at 74 feet tall, so puff your way up the 99 steps to the top for an amazing view of the Oxford skyline.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kid-friendly"><strong>KID-FRIENDLY?</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Mia_Cloo.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-168360" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Mia_Cloo.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Mia_Cloo-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/CSSO_Mia_Cloo-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Children along for the ride? No problem – they’ll be entertained by the on-board detective game, Mia Cloo’s Oxford Quest. They have to answer clues to uncover a secret word, which may or may not have a Lewis Carroll theme. My two were enormously excited to rush home and unlock their prize through the game’s website.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-accessibility"><strong>ACCESSIBILITY</strong></h2>



<p>The audio tours are recorded in 14 different languages, and written commentary can be supplied on request to the driver. They can also supply over-ear headphones for those with hearing aids, and audio tours suited to children. Tour buses and the 45-minute walking tours are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.citysightseeingoxford.com/info/accessibility/">accessible to wheelchairs</a>&nbsp;– the drivers and tour guides will be happy to help.&nbsp;Want to bring your hound? Everything ticks the dog-friendly box too (and they don&#8217;t have to be assistance dogs).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-out-amp-about"><strong>OUT &amp; ABOUT</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="999" height="999" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/The-Store-rooftop-bar.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-163147" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/The-Store-rooftop-bar.jpg 999w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/The-Store-rooftop-bar-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/The-Store-rooftop-bar-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/The-Store-rooftop-bar-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px" /></figure>



<p>The sightseeing bus only gives you an overview – there’s so much more to explore in Oxford. For starters,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thevaultsandgarden.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vaults &amp; Garden café</a>&nbsp;is a tourist crowd-pleaser in a lovely spot next to&nbsp;University Church, or get your bike fixed alongside your grub at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.handlebaroxford.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Handlebar Café</a>&nbsp;on St Michael’s St, serving breakfast through to evening tapas at the weekend. For quirky interiors (and the best garlic mushrooms in Oxford) try&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cafecoco.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cafe Coco</a>, a staple on Cowley Road since 1992, or hop over the parallel Iffley Road for beautiful cakes and a seasonal, locally sourced menu at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.silvie.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SILVIE</a>.</p>



<p>If you’re wanting to stay central,&nbsp;<a href="https://thebreakfastclubcafes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Breakfast Club</a>&nbsp;on Westgate Oxford’s rooftop is an obvious option (the clue’s in the name) with fry-ups and American pancakes, plus you’re only an escalator ride down to catch the shops as they open (top tip: slip through the SMEG fridge to secret bar Backseat Becky’s if you’re heading there of an evening instead).</p>



<p>Lunch? Our hot tip is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kitchenfoodco.co.uk/">Kitchen Food Company</a>&nbsp;in Summertown – a bistro/deli incarnation of Michelin-starred restaurant 215 Kitchen &amp; Drinks – or check out the newly opened boutique hotel&nbsp;<a href="https://thestoreoxford.com/">The Store</a>, housed in the old Boswells building on Broad Street, where you’ll find Treadwell restaurant and a stylish rooftop bar (see above). Head away from the city centre, up Banbury Road, and you’ll find the enchanting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.geesrestaurant.co.uk/">Gees restaurant</a>&nbsp;opposite University Park – it’s in our secret address book thanks to its lovely outdoor terrace.</p>



<p>If you’re looking for a pub, try the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.magdalenarms.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Magdalen Arms</a>&nbsp;(a short bus ride or 15 minute walk across Magdalen Bridge),&nbsp;<a href="https://the-perch.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Perch</a>&nbsp;(by lovely local walking spot Port Meadow), or&nbsp;<a href="http://cherwellboathouse.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Cherwell Boat house</a>&nbsp;for a more white-tablecloth restaurant experience and views of the Isis. For more recs on the best of Oxford, from shopping to punting, see our bang up to date guide&nbsp;<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/uk/travel-guides/insider-guide-best-things-to-do-oxford/">here</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict"><strong>THE MUDDY VERDICT</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Good for:</strong>&nbsp;This is a jolly and informative whistlestop tour of all Oxford’s main attractions, and a great way to get your bearings before heading off the beaten track to less well-trodden gems.</p>



<p><strong>Not for:</strong>&nbsp;If you already know Oxford like the back of your hand, this will be something of a busman’s holiday. But you can always take out-of-towners along for the ride to see Oxford with fresh eyes. You might even learn something new.</p>



<p><strong>£££:&nbsp;</strong>From £19 for the standard bus tour, £22 for the bus tour plus entry to Carfax Tower, and £33 for the bus tour, Carfax Tower and extended 90-min ‘Town and Gown’ walking tour. The standard 45-min walking tour is included in all packages. If you keep your ticket you&#8217;ll get 10% off a City Sightseeing tour anywhere else in the world (valid for 12 months).</p>



<p><a href="https://www.citysightseeingoxford.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">City Sightseeing Oxford</a>, 44–45 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4AP. Tel: 01865 790522, email <a>info@citysightseeingoxford.com</a>. </p>


Review: City Sightseeing, Oxford

You may also like