Oxford is a fascinating City – and unlike it’s rival Cambridge, Oxford IS a city – the distinctive Cathedral is a part of Christchurch college – a strange hybrid between private College chapel and public Cathedral. Like Cambridge Oxford is famous for it’s Colleges, for their sporting triumphs and for their music, so much so that religious services at the Colleges (Evensong is a good example) are often regarded by visitors as tourist attractions. If that’s not your sort of thing, you might enjoy a rather more leisurely day out amongst the dreaming spires – floating gently along the Thames with a stop at a historic hostelry on the edge of the City.
On our last visit we forced ourselves to just such a journey – short flight to Oxford Kidlington, taxi to board the Bacchanalia, a delightful motor launch, and a gentle trip North crossing Port Meadow to the ancient village of Godstow. No excuse is needed to follow the route which is delightful, but if you need some cultural motivation for your relaxation take refuge in the fact that this was the route travelled by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and Alice Liddell and her sisters. Throughout the journey he would tell the stories which eventually came together to form ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Alice through the looking-glass’.
The most Northerly point of the journey is the village of Godstow. There we viewed the {mosimage} ruins of the ancient priory on the banks fo the Thames and visited ‘The Trout’. This remarkable Inn (pub really doesn’t do it justice) is just the sort of thing you would expect to find in Oxford – old and deeply picturesque. Sitting on the banks of the Thames right at the lock, ‘The Trout’ is home to ducks, fish and most noticeably peacocks, who perch (if that’s the word) on the roof, and more improbably in the trees, and yell to each other in the most alarming tones. A great place to visit but beware the queues – the place is often very crowded and service can be extremely slow.
Just across the river are the ruins of Godstow priory. This is famous as the last resting place of Roasmund the Fair, the lady who gave her name to the rose, Rosa Munde. She was the mistress of Henry II and was left behind in England when he travelled to do battle with his son. Legend has it that the King kept her safe in a tower surrounded by a maze, but when he left England his jealous Queen, the famous Eleanor of Aquitaine, found her way through the maze and murdered Rosamund. According to legend the king then ordered a splendid tomb to be built at Godstow but this was destroyed by a Bishop who visited twenty years later and thought that the virtual veneration of Roasumnd he found was inappropriate. He ordered her remains taken outside the walls and so the ghost of Rosamund is said to walk the side of the Thames, still seeking rest……
We didn’t see Roasumnd on our trip, but we had a great time aboard the Bacchanalia. We hired the launch for a half day and enjoyed good food and champagne as we pottered along. The smallest of our party was around 5, and even she had a great time looking at the many ducks, birds and other wildlife along the way. If you have longer or a more important occasions to celebrate, you might like to have Sunday lunch (or saturday dinner if you are staying the night) on board the ‘Rosamund the Fair’. This is a purpose built narrow boat restaurant which travels the Oxford Canal around Banbury, which is a little to the North of Kidlington airport, as opposed to Oxford itself which is to the South. We haven’t tried it ourselves, but we plan to. This day out is sutiable for everyone, from the old (there is very little walking) to the young (life jackets are provided on the Bacchanalia) and although the scenery along the route is not dramatic, it is extremely pleasant and very relaxing. Although a flight to Kidlington from anywhere in the South East may not seem very challenging, it is precisely this sort of trip which you can use to acclimatise your family to travelling with you. The flight is short and, if it has to be called off because of the weather, you can make the trip by car. Children especially do not understand when trips they were looking forward to are cancelled, and they don’t really care that the weather is not within your control. Too many abandoned trips can really put them off flying, so it’s best to ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN B. Even if it’s nothing more than a visit to Wycombe’s TGI Fridays for a really big ice cream, or a visit to the local cinema.
