TheBuchans

We’ve been out and about this week geocaching. The first two took us to Bournemouth and Boscombe Piers, so we had a good walk along the prom. The weather was superb, very different from Wednesday’s TV report of gales and heavy seas by Bournemouth pier. Tuesday we were in the New Forest hence the photo of the NF pony.

New Forest Pony

Bournemouth Pier

Bailey

Bailey with Chris, Di and Peter

The next-door neighbours have just taken delivery of a puppy. It’s a Hungarian Vizsla. Looking at the size of its paws it going too be the size of a Great Dane, but I am told, reliably, by Peter that in will be about Labrador size.

One of the campervans on the campsite.

Burford High Street

On our last day, a Monday, we went to Witney first so I could use the internet (to log loads of geocaches) and for Sue to buy lunch. We then went to Burford, which is very picturesque. It was the best day of the holiday for weather and we even managed a drink at an outside café. We did the recommended town walk and finished off at the church, which is really nice.

Sue with a friend

Stuart standing in the Dinosaur footprints

On out third visit into Oxford we went to the Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum. We spent a lot of time in the NH museum because we were spotting animals and bugs that we have seen on our travels. We will have to go back to the Pitt Rivers Museum because we didn’t have the time to go round properly.

Fountain Waddesdon Manor

Waddesdon Manor

The following day saw us in Oxford again and we were off for a walk in the morning around Christchurch Meadows to do 3 geocaches and after lunch a visit to the Ashmolean Museum. We spent a couple of hours perusing the artefacts and then decided we had enough for one day. The Ashmolean has everything on show from Egyptian mummies to English landscape paintings.
Later in the week we went over to Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury. The house was created by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. He loved everything French and so created this magnificent house with grounds to match and then furnished it with French paintings, furniture, Savonnerie carpets, Sevres china etc. We thought Blenheim was good, but this was better. As you know the Rothschilds are rich, well they have another 39 properties similar to this one around Europe; I call that very, very rich.

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace

When in this area a visit to Blenheim Palace is a must. It costs a fortune to get in, but we offset some of the costs by taking our own sandwiches. We had the guided tour, which is a must really, or you miss too much. This year is the 300th anniversary of the battle of Blenheim (Blindheim in German). It was John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough who defeated the forces of Louis X1V in the war of Spanish Succession. All that we saw at Blenheim had a WOW factor so it was well worth the visit.

All Souls College

Radcliffe Camera

Bodleian Quadrangle

Bridge of Sighs

What should we do in October? Oxford, if the weather is grotty there is still plenty to do. Campsite? Look in the book! Lincoln Farm Park looks good, it is in the Best of British book for caravan sites. It even has 5 star loos.

We arrived on the Friday in good weather and we made our first foray into Oxford on the Saturday. You must use the Park and Ride because cars are a no go in Oxford city centre.
The first visit included the Bodleian Library. We had a guided tour and this was superb, the highlight was the Duke Humphrey’s library that is very rich in decoration. Unfortunately I have no photos of this because cameras were not allowed inside.
Outside we passed the Radcliffe Camera (camera means ‘room’) which is quite an exceptional building (entry to the public not allowed) and then to the south of this is the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Here is the old convocation house that is now a café where we had lunch. Convocation House? The meeting place for the University’s supreme legislative body.