Got up early this morning.  We wanted to get to Oxford before lunch and do the Red Tourist bus to have an overall view of Oxford.

Arrived at the hotel at about 1030 and cheekily asked if we could check in.  The receptionist said yes, but she would only officially book us in at 1400.  We unpacked the car had a cup of tea and headed to Oxford (we are staying about 5 Km from the centre of Oxford in the country).  By pure chance there is a Park & Ride bus station right next to the hotel, so we jumped on a bus into the centre of Oxford.  Once again it is an old university town, it was established about 1,000 years ago.

We wandered through the old markets, at a butcher there were pheasants and ducks freshly killed.

Had some lunch at a little café in the markets then went looking for the Big Red Tourist bus.  We waited for the bus outside Christ Church College, it was very cold and made more so by the wind.  On the bus we decided to sit on the open top deck of the bus for a better view…however it was even colder up there.  We will go back tomorrow morning with a plan of what we want to see in more detail and get on and off the Big Red bus ( the ticket is good for 24 hours).

After getting off the bus we found a café and had a hot chocolate and a nibble before heading home on the Park & Ride bus.