My Wonderful Three-Week Stay in Oxford

I recently had the great luck and pleasure of staying in Oxford, England for three whole weeks while dog sitting a sweet & lively Sprocker Spaniel named Dougie.

I took full advantage of my great fortune by exploring as many Oxford colleges, museums, historic pubs and other famous buildings as I possibly could manage. Because of daily dog walks, I also got to explore Oxford’s many beautiful, tree-lined canals and Thames River walks every single day. It was perfect.

Actually, it wasn’t my first visit to Oxford. In late July-early August, I had stayed in Oxford for nearly two weeks with two back-to-back pet sits. One was situated just west of town and the other located in a tiny village just east of Oxford.

Quite unfortunately, because it was such a hassle getting to/from town from both places, I only got to explore Oxford on three days during those two weeks, and that included visiting luxury hotels on assignment.

So I missed all the city’s fantastic museums, all but one college and only walked along a section of one canal and one college meadow. I felt incredibly frustrated knowing how many amazing places I was missing.

I vowed to try returning to Oxford during my remaining time in England this year. I began searching for another pet sit in Oxford in September, careful to apply

only to those that were actually in town, not out in the suburbs or nearby villages.

Quite amazingly, I landed a three-week dog sit in September, located on the southern edge of town, just a 10-minute walk to several major sites and 15-minutes to the heart of town. I was elated and began researching Oxford in more detail than previously.

Oxford Open Doors Event

Soon after I landed the dog sit, I discovered the annual Oxford Open Doors event, a weekend-long happening organized by the Oxford Preservation Trust. And this year it was scheduled on the third weekend of September, right in the middle of my visit! Woo-hoo. How lucky was I?

During the Open Doors, more than half of Oxford’s 39 colleges are open free to the public. Many colleges are, in fact, generally open to the public, but with various entry fees, while other colleges are otherwise always closed to the public.

In addition, many of Oxford’s most famous & beautiful buildings, plus most-popular sites also open free. They include Carfax Tower, Oxford Castle, Divinity Hall, Holywell Music Room and the university Examination Rooms, among others.

Then there are free special music events, such as Medieval Singing, a vintage car show, free rides on historic buses, guided tours of various historic buildings and other non-university tours and events.

Since I was staying a full three weeks in Oxford, I was able to take my time exploring everything, spreading explorations out over three weeks. I opted to spend just 2-3 hours per day visiting one thing or the other, especially since I also needed to spend 1-2 hours each day walking with Dougie Dog.

Strolling Oxford canals and Thames River

As it turned out, my dog-walking responsibilities actually enhanced my Oxford visit even more. It meant I got to stroll along several beautiful canals and along Thames River in different directions. Not only did I get to marvel at Oxford’s extensive stunning architecture, I also got to enjoy its many scenic natural places.

For our daily strolls, I identified six completely different waterside walks I could make right from the house I stayed at, each lasting 1-2 hours round-trip. Four of those walks I really loved and they became my standards, though I also made a couple one-off walks with Dougie Dog as well.

Each canal and riverside walk in Oxford is truly beautiful. They’re all lined by thick vegetation, with big shady trees, bushes and flowers. Some have sections of landscaped gardens. One walk encircles the vast and stunning Christ Church Meadows, complete with views of historic Merton College, with its golden-stone buildings and fancy church spires.

Many canals and the Thames are full of long narrow house boats, actual residences. Other sections have the distinctive English boats known as ‘punters’, which are mobilized by a long pole, as you’d expect on a Venician gondola. Then there are the various Oxford college rowing team boathouses and long slim rowing boats. Several times I saw individual rowers or teams out on the river.

Another scenic aspect of the canals and river are the dozens of different bridges crossing the waterways. Most are pedestrian bridges and come in all different sizes, shapes and styles. Then there are also several canal locks, which still function to this day.

Every waterside walk I did for those three weeks was a great joy. It was a real treat to be in such a beautiful town that also has so much splendid nature.

Outside the big Open Doors weekend, I slowly explored as many wonderful Oxford places as possible over my three-week stay. I managed to visit all the great museums, about 10 Oxford colleges that are generally open free to the public and about two dozen historic pubs, all the while strolling Oxford’s beautiful streets and admiring the stunning architecture.

Historic Pubs

Oxford University was founded in the 1200s (!). Over the ensuing centuries, primarily in the 1400s-1800s, more than three dozen additional colleges were added to the university as it gradually expanded.

Concurrent with the university’s founding were various pubs, where students, professors, literary and legal scolars met to socialize, strategize and drink. The oldest known pub in Oxford is tiny The Bear, established in 1202 and still in operation.

Pubs have always been an integral part of Oxford university life. Today, there are several dozen historic pubs around town, many several centuries old, others a mere 100-150 years old.

Since I’m so enamored with architecture, one of my projects in Oxford was to visit as many historic pubs as possible. But my ‘pub hopping’ journed was not about drinking, as most pub crawls are. I didn’t have one single drink in one pub, mainly because I greatly dislike beer. Instead, I visited more than a dozen pubs purely to admire their architecture.

I discovered that British pubs come in all sizes and styles. Most are more than just drinking establishments, unlike a typical bar in the USA. Most British pubs also serve meals. In fact, many are more renowned for their cuisine than anything else.

So, they’re really more like restaurants that serve a large selection of beers. Some of the larger historic pubs in Oxford are like a maze of rooms, set on different levels and accessed by various old wooden stairs. They’re more like a house that’s been converted into a restaurant/bar.

Some are called pubs, others taverns, others such-and-such ‘arms’, referring to a family or royal coat of arms, such as King’s Arms.

I greatly enjoyed my historic pub tours, where I marveled at loads of fantastic architecture and interior decore.

Oxford Museums

Quite amazingly, most Oxford museums are free! I find that incredible, considering that most museums in other English cities and towns charge admission fees, sometimes quite hefty fees.

It’s even more amazing considering how truly incredible the museums are. I now have to count three Oxford museums as some of the best museums I’ve seen anywhere in the world. And I’ve explored dozens, if not a hundred, museums during my travels.

Oxford’s five main museums include Oxford University’s Museum of Natural Science, Pitt Rivers Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Museum of History of Science and Oxford City Museum.

My experience of Oxford Open Doors

During Oxford Open Doors weekend, I crammed in as many sites and activities as possible, with two tight all-day schedules that I prepared in advance. I managed to visit eight colleges that are usually closed to the public, attend music concerts at Sheldonian Theater and Holywell Music Room, visit amazing Divinity Hall, take a tour of Oxford Castle/Prison, ride a heritage bus and see a special exhibition of historic maps.

All told, between my three weeks of daily city explorations, daily waterside walks and Oxford Open Doors weekend, I visited more than half of Oxford’s 39 colleges, more than a dozen historic pubs, all of Oxford’s fantastic museums, several canal and Thames River walking paths, and most of the town’s other most famous sites. I felt satisfied that I’d experienced Oxford pretty darn well.

I loved Oxford so much that I’d actually consider living there in the future. Who knows?!

For anyone who loves historic architecture, world-class museums, pubs and/or scenic canals, I highly recommend visiting Oxford whenever you find yourself in England.

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