Oxford – The Place To Be This Summer!
Those of you planning a staycation this year and who can’t wait to spend some time really getting to know the towns and cities of our wonderful country could certainly do worse than sorting out coach hire to Oxford.
Apparently, Oxford University has arranged a huge number of different events to take place between July and August, aimed at families and tourists. According to the Oxford Mail, some of the best venues in the local area have signed up to take part in this new ‘mindgrowing’ scheme from the university, including the Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Botanic Garden, Bodleian Library, Harcourt Arboretum and the Ashmolean Museum.
To make it even more fun for younger tourists out there, children will be given their own passports that they can get stamped when they visit each of the venues!
It certainly seems like this summer is the perfect time to visit Oxford if you like keeping very busy indeed while on your jolly holidays. Over July and August, there will be almost 40 activities taking place so you definitely won’t be short of entertainment. You could, for example, take part in an Anglo-Saxon and Vikings weekend, or even take a few lessons in Morse code. Or what about going on an Alice Day picnic? It all sounds an awful lot of fun to us!
Pro vice-chancellor for gardens, libraries and museums professor Anne Trefethen was quoted by the news source as saying: “The university is sometimes seen as an elite organisation but actually we want people to come and visit us because these collections are for everyone. We hope our summer programme, which is aimed at people of all ages, will encourage even more people to visit our institutions.”
So what else is going on that might be of interest to you? Here are just a few events that might catch your eye this summer.
Ashmolean Museum
In August, there’s a fun pop-up cinema taking place in collaboration with the Phoenix Picturehouse, with films including Roman Holiday, Romeo and Juliet, and Withnail & I. Screenings take place outside on the plaza near the main entrance, with some deckchairs provided (on a first come first serve basis). Make sure you book to avoid disappointment!
Bodleian Library
This is certainly worth a visit even if you don’t want to take part in any activities, as it’s one of the oldest libraries in Europe. But in July, you could sign yourself up for a five-day course that teaches you how to make a hand-printed book.
Pitt Rivers Museum
For those with young children, the summer events at this museum are a must. There are all sorts of different workshops and learning opportunities, where children can see fascinating objects for themselves and make their own interpretations to take away. On July 2nd, there’s the Cowley Road Carnival and the annual day festival Pitt Fest on the 29th. Or you could sign up for an experimental object making workshop, using yarn, wood, willow and clay. There’s an awful lot going on!
