Oxford Travel Forum

Hi. I'll be arriving in London on 29 April 2007 but I'd also like to see Gloucester and Oxford. I have time from 2 May - 6 May before I have to be in London again to fly to Frankfurt on 7 May.

Am also not sure which one to see first. Oxford or Gloucester?

I will be grateful if any members can help me with the following questions:

(1) What is the cheapest way to get to and from Oxford and Gloucester; and how much do I have to pay?
(2) How much time will I need to see Oxford and Gloucester?
(3) Trains and buses, how much travelling time will they need?

Thanks and regards,
AV

It depends on what you want to see. You can get a good feel of Oxford in one day, but to really explore you'll need a few.

As for travel, you can usually get really cheap train tickets if you book enough in advance.

You can se enough of both in one day, though the journey to Gloucester will take longer so your time will be more limited. It would be possible to see both places in the the days you have available.

Train will be faster than coach, but coach will be cheaper.

Train tickets are not particularly cheap, but cheaper fares are available up to 6pm the day before. Buying well in advance online can sometimes be cheaper if ther is a special ofer, but this depends entirely on the route involved and is not usual.

www.nationarail.co.uk has all train times and fares (only 12 weeks in advance, so April is not up yet...things won't change much though). London to Gloucester in March takes around 2 hours, usually with one change. There are no cheap 'advance' tickets for a return journey; a 'saver cheap day' return ticket costs 51GBP+ . It might be possible to buy two separate single 'advance' tickets and save a little; you'll have to explore that online.

London to Oxford by train takes from around an hour, depending on train time/changes, and costs from 19GBP. Trains are frequent on both routes.

www.nationalexpress.com lists coach times and fares. Gloucester takes around 3 and a half hours; day return fares are around 18.50GBP. Oxford takes around 2, day return around 16GBP. Anothr coach carrier also makes the Oxford trip: www.oxfordtube.com

You could easily make a daytrip to Oxford by train or coach, and perhaps visit Gloucester by coach with an overnight stay if you wanted a longer time there?

stay in london loads to see

Oxford isn't that great! Basically its expensive. A number of the colleges you can't get into and those that you can you have to pay to get into - and they have funny opening hours - check with colleges first. I know you can't do it, but Cambridge the other uni city is far nicer

Actually, there is a huge amount to see in Oxford. Not all the colleges are open every day, but the Ashmolean and Pitt-Rivers' museums are wonderful, there is a Saxon tower to climb and a Norman motte to explore, fascinating architecture around the college area (no, you don't need to be inside them to see it) and lovely riverside walks. Have a look at the VT Oxford pages to see what else there is.

Cambridge is also worth exploring, of course. the primary difference is that Cambridge has, historically, centred itself and based its economy on the colleges whereas Oxford developed as an industrial town as well. Consequently, the two places have very different characters and presentation.

Must admit I was struggling about 'why Gloucester?' too....I can think of loads of other places I'd visit first. Perhaps it is the HP thing?

OP: why do you want to go to Gloucester? We want to know!

Quite a bit of the Harry Potter movies were filmed in Christ church college and some in the library opposite radcliffe camera. I went there for that precise reason! It's a nice, friendly city to explore.

I would do Oxford and Cambridge - not a lot to do in Gloucester.

yes and some of the harry potter props came from our auction

If you want to head in the direction of Gloucester, I suggest you have a look at what Bath has to offer instead. I think you'll find it much more interesting eg the Roman Baths, Jane Austin Museum, Cathedral, American Museum, Regency crescents and quirky little streets, good restaurants and buskers in the square next to the cathedral.

The words 'Harry' and 'Potter' may give you the answer to "Why Gloucester?"

The wonderful cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral were used as a set for the Harry Potter films.

Apart from the pleasant Cathedral and excellent cloisters there's not a tremendous amount in Gloucester to entice you from London. Maybe you could stay a night in nearby Cheltenham. If you are feeling adventurous there may be a bus/train route through the Cotswolds from there to Oxford.

The cheapest way between Oxford/London and what most of the locals use is the Oxford Tube www.oxfordtube.com. A dedicated coach sevice that runs about every 20 minutes in the main part of the day.
Single £12 return £15
Mike

Re: Oxford and Gloucester
Posted: Fri January 25, 2008 03:21 AM SGT
Must admit I was struggling about 'why Gloucester?' too....I can think of loads of other places I'd visit first. Perhaps it is the HP thing?

OP: why do you want to go to Gloucester? We want to know!


You're right dear. Harry Potter.

Thanks for telling us!