Annette (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} palliechen) wrote in ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} cs_lewis,@ 2007-07-12 10:33:00 |
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Day Trip to Oxford
Hi everyone! Two entries ago I asked for some recommendations about making a day trip to Oxford. And now I'm back from the trip (for more than a month already, actually) to give some of my own for whoever interested in visiting Oxford.
It is possible to visit all the "C.S. Lewis sites" within a day with good planning, and without the help of a guide. You just have to arm yourselves with a good map or two (I personally find this from Oxford City Council very helpful), and plan to go to Oxford early (try to reach by 9am). It is easy to walk from one end to another, especially in the nice spring-summer weather when I was there. Do remember to check the weather forecast before you actually go there as it plays a big part on how much you'll enjoy the trip.
I would recommend the following rough itinerary:
1. Go to the visitors' centre to orientate yourself and take a walk around Oxford city
2. To the Eagle and Child Pub for early unch (where the Inklings used to meet; it's probably a 7 to 10 min walk from Broad Street)
3. The Kilns (Lewis' former residence; prior appointment required, see below)
4. Holy Trinity Church at Headington Quarry (where he used to worship & where he was buried)
2. Magdalen College (where he used to teach)
I took the Oxford Espress from London to Oxford which costs 14 pounds for a round trip. The first thing you should do when you get there is to find the Visitors' Centre which is on Broad St. There, you can find a variety of guidebooks about Oxford. I think the Centre also offers several (paid) walking tours around the city. I didn't go on it because I didn't have the time (so that's why you need to reach Oxford early!). Oxford is a really nice city so you definitely want to wander around there a bit.
Unlike what is said in a certain guide's website, the people at the Kilns (which is owned by the C.S. Lewis Foundation) are extremely friendly and warm. A few weeks before my visit, I emailed them to ask if I could visit the Kilns and the reply was positive. The person-in-charge even gave me easy to follow directions to the Kilns from Oxford centre. The premise is now used primarily as a place of quiet study, so the tours are only offered on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (and perhaps Saturday mornings as well, if I recall correctly). The tour lasts a little over 2 hours, and you should allocate some time to wander around the premise and take a look at the little nature reserve nearby.
There is a bus to the nearby Holy Trinity Church at Headington Quarry (I don't know the number of the bus because I didn't manage to fit this into my trip). You can find the exact location from Google Maps and ask the staff at the Oxford Visitors' Centre which buses to take. You can also ask for a free bus guide book.
From there, you can head back to Oxford city and visit the Magdalen College (it only opens to visitors in the afternoon, and it closes at 6PM if I recall correctly).
It can be quite a rush in the afternoon because both the Kilns and the Magdalen College are open in the afternoons. It would definitely be better if you can afford stay a night in Oxford and spread the places to visit out a bit. That way, you can see more of the non-C.S. Lewis related sites within Oxford itself.
Hope this helps someone! :)
I would recommend the following rough itinerary:
1. Go to the visitors' centre to orientate yourself and take a walk around Oxford city
2. To the Eagle and Child Pub for early unch (where the Inklings used to meet; it's probably a 7 to 10 min walk from Broad Street)
3. The Kilns (Lewis' former residence; prior appointment required, see below)
4. Holy Trinity Church at Headington Quarry (where he used to worship & where he was buried)
2. Magdalen College (where he used to teach)
I took the Oxford Espress from London to Oxford which costs 14 pounds for a round trip. The first thing you should do when you get there is to find the Visitors' Centre which is on Broad St. There, you can find a variety of guidebooks about Oxford. I think the Centre also offers several (paid) walking tours around the city. I didn't go on it because I didn't have the time (so that's why you need to reach Oxford early!). Oxford is a really nice city so you definitely want to wander around there a bit.
Unlike what is said in a certain guide's website, the people at the Kilns (which is owned by the C.S. Lewis Foundation) are extremely friendly and warm. A few weeks before my visit, I emailed them to ask if I could visit the Kilns and the reply was positive. The person-in-charge even gave me easy to follow directions to the Kilns from Oxford centre. The premise is now used primarily as a place of quiet study, so the tours are only offered on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (and perhaps Saturday mornings as well, if I recall correctly). The tour lasts a little over 2 hours, and you should allocate some time to wander around the premise and take a look at the little nature reserve nearby.
There is a bus to the nearby Holy Trinity Church at Headington Quarry (I don't know the number of the bus because I didn't manage to fit this into my trip). You can find the exact location from Google Maps and ask the staff at the Oxford Visitors' Centre which buses to take. You can also ask for a free bus guide book.
From there, you can head back to Oxford city and visit the Magdalen College (it only opens to visitors in the afternoon, and it closes at 6PM if I recall correctly).
It can be quite a rush in the afternoon because both the Kilns and the Magdalen College are open in the afternoons. It would definitely be better if you can afford stay a night in Oxford and spread the places to visit out a bit. That way, you can see more of the non-C.S. Lewis related sites within Oxford itself.
Hope this helps someone! :)
