There was no Saturday lie-in for our participants this sunny morning. Instead of snoozing, we set off, armed with maps and water bottles, on the exciting journey to Oxford.
A Walking Tour and Some Great Food
First up was lunch in the range of cafés that Oxford has to offer, although it did seem that Pizza Hut was a particularly popular choice with our students! Meeting outside Balliol college on the iconic Broad Street, we embarked on walking tours of the university buildings, including the Sheldonian theatre, the Divinity school (featured on the set of the Harry Potter films), Christchurch and Oriel colleges. We learned stories of the eccentric characters who lived and studied in Oxford, such as C.S Lewis, William Buckland (a student famed for keeping jackals as pets in his room) and Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson), the Maths professor who wrote Alice in Wonderland based on his friendship with Christchurch Master’s daughter.
Shopping and History
After this, the students had free time to explore the city, including Magdalen college’s beautiful architecture and deer park, and the chance to bag Oxford university jumpers and hoodies to remember their trip by.
The day was finished with a lovely dinner in Wadham college’s great hall. The hall was built in the 1610s and decorated with portraits of the likes of Sir Christopher Wren (Wadham college alumnus), which provided an atmospheric backdrop to what proved to be a delicious meal. Starting with butternut squash soup with scallops and ending with a scrummy triple chocolate praline torte, it seemed the menu was a hit with all.>
At the end of an enjoyable day, all that is left is to look forward to the trip to London tomorrow!
