There are many reasons for taking a weekend or longer break amongst the dreaming spires of Oxford.

If you are not familiar with Oxford it is worth getting an overview of the history of this ancient city by joining a walking tour or by riding one of the open-top buses.

Having got your bearings and depending on your interests there are several worthwhile museums to take in, including the magnificently renovated Ashmolean with its art and antiquities, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Museum of the History of Science as well as the Pitt Rivers Museum with its collections of the weird and wonderful.


Student on bikes in Oxford

Oxford University has existed for some 800 years so allow plenty of time to absorb the atmosphere of its beautiful colleges, many of them with lovely grounds. The colleges began as medieval halls of residence for the students – the oldest, Balliol and Merton, were founded towards the end of the 13th century. Magdalen (pronounced mawdlin) College was founded in 1468 and is arguably the most beautiful – a joyous blend of architecture, deer park and river. (C. S. Lewis, author of the Narnia books, is said to have been inspired by some of Magdalen’s statues, and Oscar Wilde was one of its most infamous undergraduates.) Christ Church, founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey, is considered to be the grandest college. Today’s visitors often experience a feeling of deja vu when standing in the Great Hall, until they realise they are looking at the inspiration for Hogwarts hall from the Harry Potter films. The college buildings and gardens also feature in the Alice books written by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) for Alice Liddell, the Dean’s daughter.

In fact famous names crop up regularly in Oxford – John Donne, Shelley, T. S. Eliot John Betjeman, Graham Greene, John Le Carre, J. R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman to name but a few literary greats. And then there are politicians like William Hague and Tony Benn, TV playwright Dennis Potter and Dudley Moore, comedian and jazz pianist. The list is seemingly endless.

Even fictional characters have left their mark on Oxford. Devotees of Chief Inspector Morse, the detective created by Colin Dexter and played by the late John Thaw, can follow in Morse’s and Sergeant Lewis’s footsteps and sit with a drink in the bar used for TV filming; it is known as the Morse Bar and can be found in the elegant Macdonald Randolph Hotel.


The Macdonald Randolph Hotel - Oxford

Indeed the Macdonald Randolph Hotel is another good reason for staying in Oxford. Dating back to 1864, it was designed to be a first-class hotel, and it certainly still is. The bedrooms offer every modern facility with old-fashioned comfort and luxury – even down to the hospitality trays with proper teapots. There is the tranquil haven known as The Spa hidden away in the hotel’s cellar, offering a wide range of treatments, and also the restaurant where Head Chef Tom Birks and his staff create delicious dishes to be served in the Randolph’s elegant dining room. The Macdonald Randolph is also renowned for its afternoon tea – pastries and homemade scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream , along with special blends of tea. Celebrities from around the world and people from all walks of life have enjoyed this five-star hotel’s discreet and attentive service.

Oxford might be steeped in history but it certainly does not live in the past. It is also a bustling and vibrant city, thanks in part to its youthful and lively university students. There are excellent bookshops and a wide range of shops and restaurants to suit all tastes and pockets – one of the most popular is Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Jamie’s. Try your hand at punting by all means, but it’s not quite as easy as it looks; take in a concert at the Sheldonian Theatre or climb one of the towers for a rooftop city view.

It has to be said that parking is difficult and expensive in the town centre, but there are park and ride schemes and good train and coach services to and from London and its airports, making Oxford and its dreaming spires readily accessible.