United Kingdom
Vale of White Horse District

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Top 10 Travel Destinations Vale of White Horse District
Show all
Travelers at this place
    • Day 4

      Oxford

      March 8 in England ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

      Oxford, die Stadt mit den vielen Eindrücken. Was macht man an einem Tag in Oxford? Unsere Antwort: Alles. Zumindest nichts unter 20.000 Schritten. Unser Tag startete mit einem entspannten Brunch zwischen Studenten. Anschließend begaben wir uns auf Erkundungstour durch Oxford, ohne großen Plan, aber mit dem Verlangen alles zusehen. Das erste Bild entstand im Covered Market, der durch all seine Gerüche beeindruckte. Durch Zufall hörten wir uns anschließend eine Predigt in der St Mary Church an. Nachdem wir uns die Stadt weiter angeschaut haben und auf dem Radcliff Square waren, buchten wir uns eine Online-Guided Tour durch das Christ Church Collage. Somit erfüllte sich Emilia einen Traum, denn wir betraten die große Halle aus Harry Potter. Zusätzlich ermöglichte uns die Tour dem Chor des Colleges bei einer Probe lauschen zu dürfen. Ein Gänsehautmoment. Dies war ein krönender Abschluss der Tour. Um die Lücke zwischen Abendessen und dem Ende der Tour zu füllen, besuchten wir noch den Botanischen Garten der Universität von Oxford.
      Auch wenn es ein langer und sehr schrittreicher Tag war, konnten wir viele neue Erkenntnisse sammeln, die uns hoffentlich einen Schritt näher zur eigenen Findung bringen.
      Read more

    • Day 34

      Dorchester on Thames,Abingdon and Oxford

      September 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

      Beautiful quaint village of Dorchester- visited at 7.30 in the morning. A quick walk from the boat. Cruised up to Abingdon.
      Met up with old colleagues of Ken- Darren and Sarah Leftley. Also joined by Alan Wright for a nightRead more

    • Day 13

      More than I bargained for in Oxford . .

      May 9, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

      An uneventful drive to Oxford from Stonehenge had us arriving right on midday and a smooth early check-in at our accommodation meant we were running a little ahead of our planned schedule.

      Loss had been pestering me for days that I badly needed a haircut and she had spied a barber just as we were turning into our street here in Oxford. We got ourselves ready to take the 10 minute walk into Oxford University area to explore but made a detour to the previously sighted barber. It was without a doubt my most memorable trip to a barber - ever.

      I only took a cursory glance at the name of the establishment (Kurdistan barbers) and without delay was able to be seated ready for a haircut. The Kurdish young man did a great job on the haircut and we got to the point where I thought he had finished. However, he was not releasing me from his chair just yet. He reached inside the top drawer of the bench and pulled out what looked like a long wooden taper, with one end wrapped in a sort of wool material. I had no idea of the purpose of this, but when he started soaking it in alcohol I though he was going to rub it on the back of my neck before using the razor. How wrong I was.

      A butane can was now produced and he sprayed the alcohol soaked taper with butane, He then clicked the piezo starter on the butane nozzle. There was an explosion of flame and the lit taper is now brought directly towards my face. I could feel panic starting to rise as the taper is waved all around my face in close proximity as my Kurdish barber - who could no doubt sense my terror utters the slightly sinister words ‘This, my friend, is how we do it in Kurdistan’.

      I am paralysed with fear as I feel the hot flame upon my neck and around my ears. I’m sure I can smell burning flesh and hair - meanwhile Loriene is sitting behind me collapsing with laughter. Apparently the technique is designed to singe any residual hair and is their ‘signature’ treatment.

      When finally the flaming instrument is extinguished and I am able to start breathing again, my Kurdish barber then asks me a question which I don’t really understand. He must have interpreted my trembling as a ‘yes’, because now he produces a pair of cotton buds which he starts swirling around in a sinister looking black liquid. Before I have a chance to ask what his plans are for these black, gooey cotton buds…. he shoves them up both my nostrils.

      My terror returns as I realise that the black goo it also hot, but I relax a little as I feel that it is cooling. Afraid to move at all and unable to breathe except through my mouth, I am quite keen to enquire as to what is happening. Is it a new type of Kurdish COVID rapid antigen test? I ask as best I can - and the answer is forthcoming - ‘Ah, we give you nasal waxing job’.

      My mind is racing. How did I get myself into this situation? Could I just walk out of here and live the rest of my life with these things in situ as the one and only alternative is very concerning to me?
      As the wax coated cotton buds continue to cool I am trying to remember if my travel insurance policy specifically covered ‘medical evacuation due to adverse outcome from a nasal waxing procedure’.

      Meanwhile, Loriene’s laughter is drowning out all other noises in this ‘house of horrors’.

      I closed my eyes and braced myself. One, then the other of the waxed implements of torture are rapidly removed. It is literally like ‘ripping off the bandaid’.
      As soon as the tears streaming from my eyes cleared enough for me to see, I leaped from the chair before any further surprises could come my way. As I swivelled around, I also saw tears streaming from Loss’ eyes - generated by a different emotion than mine were :)

      The rest of our afternoon in Oxford was somewhat of an anticlimax after this. Bro. Stephen Whitehouse had given me a comprehensive list of places to visit and we worked our way through these pretty thoroughly.
      Pembroke College (where Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit), Christ Church College (with famous buildings and rooms that have inspired writers and films - C.S. Lewis and Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and others), The Bodliein Library, The Radcliffe Camera, The spot where Protestants were burnt at the stake outside Balliol college, The Ashmolean Museum and Magdalen College were all visited and it didn’t rain right up until the end.

      And Loriene has finally stopped laughing.
      Read more

    • Day 13

      Stingy Stonehengers

      May 9, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

      “I don’t mind spending money, but I hate WASTING money”

      This is a statement I have made from time to time and our kids roll their eyes whenever they hear me say it.

      For me, spending money to see Stonehenge would have fallen into that ‘wasting’ category. Loss had zero interest in it, and I had only marginally more - but I figured it was just one of those things that had to be done. Fortunately, I had done some research and discovered that it was indeed possible to visit Stonehenge without spending a cent (penny) so this was very, very appealing.

      I punched into Waze the spot to which we needed to drive - the intersection of Fargo and Willoughby Roads, Larkhill. The morning was overcast but no rain was falling and we parked at the (assumed) correct spot after a 45 minute drive from Bath. From here it should be a 15 minute walk to our goal.

      We had seen coach-loads of people out on the roads and assumed they were all heading towards Stonehenge ‘proper’ - so this made us (especially Loss) pleased not to be part of those teeming masses who would arrive at the car park (and pay for that very privilege as is almost universally the case here); then hand over AUD$40pp to get crammed into a shuttle bus to be driven to the Stones; then jostle with all those fellow passengers to only get moderately close / frustratingly distant to what they had come to see (its all fenced off); and then do all that in reverse.

      There were no other cars where we parked which was both pleasing and slightly unsettling. Nevertheless, we followed the described gravel path and before long could see ‘The Stones’ standing up on the hill in the distance. In our foreground were flocks of sheep with the Stones in the background; but for the people that were being disgorged from the shuttle busses they had flocks tourists in their foreground - and background.

      As we approached the fence that divided off the ‘paid’ visitors from us, our non-camouflage jackets must have caught the attention of the security man guarding the fence we were approaching. He started moving along his ‘Berlin Wall’ with the obvious intention of intercepting us.
      My (so far) reliable website ‘hack’ promised that there would be another path that would run parallel to this fence and that once we hit this dividing wall we would be able to turn and walk along it to get adjacent to the Stones. But I couldn’t see it yet.

      I was a few paces ahead of Loss and as we approached the Berlin Wall (or was it the 38th Parallel?) the not-so-congenial looking security man looked directly at me and called out in his most stern voice “Excuse me sir, do you have an entry ticket?”
      As I was taking the last few strides in his direction and had no choice but to reply “No, I do not” I was thinking that we might have just had a fruitless walk through the Salisbury countryside and that we would either be turned away or would have to cough up the required fee.
      Even behind my sun glasses, I’m sure he could see the whites of my eyes and he probably could sense an early morning victory against unwanted intruders.
      But at that moment I spotted the little gate in the fence on the left (on MY side of the divide) that lead to the promised pathway. Without a change in pace I turned and stepped onto that path. There was a pause from the security man just for a moment and then, in a slightly defeated tone he said ‘…and now I will leave you well alone, sir if you remain on that path’ at which point he sauntered off to defend other parts of his stronghold.
      I thanked him as earnestly as I could and we walked unimpeded to a point where we were just a a few meters further away from the Stones than the paying tourists. We only remained for a few minutes to take some snaps etc before returning on our pleasant 15 minute walk back to the car, pleased with our frugal start to the day and our brisk walk in the crisp morning air.

      Next stop, Oxford.
      Read more

    • Day 27

      Oxford

      January 11, 2020 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      On Saturday we travelled to Oxford for the day - Guy had not been before and I wanted to see it again. We caught a double decker coach called the Oxford tube which got us there in about 1.5 hours. After a quick coffee we headed to Broad St for our walking tour of the colleges and city area. It was a really good tour with a former student and Oxford native as our guide. We spent time looking at the grounds of Trinity college including the chapel and dining hall. We then walked through to see the Sheldonian theatre, Weston library, Bridge of Sighs, Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe camera. All these places are only a couple of minutes apart and we even got to see the lamppost which may have inspired C.S. Lewis!
      We found a table upstairs in a Greek cafe in the covered market for lunch. The weather was ok but quite grey most of the day but we decided to see another college. This time I wanted to go back to Magdalen which I had visited back in 2004 with Mum, Aunty Lois and Narelle (although that day was much hotter!). We wandered around the cloisters and out to the path beside the stream, spotting deer in the park. Finally we made our way back to Broad st and passed quite a while in the enormous Blackwell’s bookshop to finish the day.
      Our dinner was again just out on Earls Court road - sourdough pizza!
      Read more

    • Day 7

      Exploring Oxford

      June 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      After driving from Bath, we spent the day exploring Oxford, including checking out the Natural History Museum and Ashmolean Museum. It was fascinating to see the extensive collections gathered by the British from around the world (including actual mummies). It was fascinating walking around a university town, with buildings and architecture that bears a strong resemblance to Hogwarts. There are so many students and young people getting around in groups. We stumbled onto the 'offbeat festival', which is a festival for theatre, dance, spoken word and art. We met a lovely artist couple who taught us a word guessing game called crambo, which is a rhyming game from the 14th Century.Read more

    • Day 1,018

      Good old England

      May 30, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

      Unsere letzten Tage im vereinigten Königreich verbringen wir in Mittelengland. Hier gibt es in grüner hügeliger Landschaft malerische Dörfer mit fast ausschließlich sehr alten aber gut gepflegten Häusern. Wenn keine Autos im Sichtfeld sind, kann man Blicke genießen, die Menschen wohl auch fast identisch vor vielen hundert Jahren hatten. Das Gebiet in dem besonders auf den Erhalt der alten Landschaft und Architektur Wert gelegt wird nennt sich Cotswolds und erstreckt sich über viele hunderte Quadratkilometer.
      Auch in der berühmten Universitätsstadt Oxford verbringen wir einen Tag und bewundern die vielen schönen historischen Bauten.
      Ende Mai verlassen wir England Richtung Deutschland.
      Die stets freundlichen höflichen und hilfsbereiten Menschen haben uns besonders beeindruckt. Immer wurde uns Hilfe angeboten wenn wir orientierungslos umherschauten, stets wird einem der Vortritt gewährt und nie gedrängt. Dabei ist alles gut und kundenfreundlich organisiert. Europa hat sich uns nach langer Abwesenheit mit Großbritannien und Irland von der besten Seite präsentiert und wir wollen trotz des etwas feuchten Wetters wieder kommen.
      Read more

    • Day 36

      Oxford

      September 18, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

      A day in Oxford. We dropped Alan Wright off in Oxford and went to the biggest bookstore I have ever been - Blackwells.
      Next day we booked a Town and Gown walking tour for 90 minutes. We were shown about 10 of the 38 colleges that make up Oxford. Photos of Christ Church College, Radcliff Camera, Lincoln College quad, Bridge of Sighs, Turl Street, the Turf Hotel, view from the roof of the Carfax Tower and the Examination College where every exam is takenRead more

    • Day 11

      Oxford

      July 19, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

      Was soll ich sagen, jedes Mal liebe ich es.

      Diese unfassbar schöne Stadt, die nicht einmal die blöden Asiaten, die in ihre Handys schnatternd mit Regenschirmen gegen die Sonne sinnlos und gelangweilt durch die Straßen schlurfen, kaputt machen können.

      Bewegt man sich abseits High-, Broad- Und Marketstreet, schlendert man durch kleine schmale Gassen, vorbei an Colleges, eines prächtiger als das andere, eines älter als das andere und über allem weht der Hauch des aktiv gebrauchten und geschätzten Genitivs (um es mal in unseren Sprachkategorien zu sagen), die schwarzen Roben mehren sich und die höchst intellektuellen-trotzdem eher scheußlichen- Cordhosen auch.

      Was für ein Privileg, hier studieren zu dürfen!! Und was ein Idiot, wer es könnte und ausschlägt.

      Nun studieren durfte ich hier nicht, aber den Tag abschließen mit einem wunderschönen und äußerst britischen Cream Tea im berühmten Randolph Hotel.
      Read more

    • Day 17

      Oxford

      August 22, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Oxford, a city in central southern England, revolves around its prestigious university, established in the 12th century. The architecture of its 38 colleges in the city’s medieval center led poet Matthew Arnold to nickname it the 'City of Dreaming Spires'. University College and Magdalen College are off the High Street, which runs from Carfax Tower (with city views) to the Botanic Garden on the River Cherwell.

      The history of Oxford in England dates back to its original settlement in the Saxon period. Originally of strategic significance due to its controlling location on the upper reaches of the River Thames at its junction with the River Cherwell, the town grew in national importance during the early Norman period, and in the late 12th century became home to the fledgling University of Oxford. The city was besieged during The Anarchy in 1142.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Vale of White Horse District

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android