OXFORD BALLOON RIDES

THINGS TO DO IN OXFORD

With so much history, culture and art to discover, Oxford is an incredible city destination for a day, a weekend or a week! That makes it an awesome hot air ballooning location. We’re taking an educated guess that a stroll around the street that house the colleges of Oxford University is a must. But first, why not consider a hop-on, hop-off bus tour – they take in many of the main colleges as well as key sights of the city. It’s a great way to get your bearings and to also have the options to catch a ride if one, or multiples of the city’s great pubs have called you in for a celebratory drink. For something educational, head to the Pitt Rivers Museum on South Parks Road. The original anthropological collection donated by Augustus Pitt-Rivers has now been expanded to over 300,000 artefacts to become one of the world’s finest collection of anthropology and archaeology – a real snapshot into the weapons, textile, tools and more from different times and people. Entry is via the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (free entry), which itself houses an internationally significant collection of natural history specimens. The museum is located in a neo-Gothic building, which like many buildings and structures in Oxford, are certain to impress.

Some further exploration of Oxford will reveal Carfax Tower, the only remaining part of the 13^th century St Martin’s Church. At 74 feet tall and no other building in central Oxford may be constructed higher than it. As such, if you take the time to climb the 99 steps to the top, you will be rewarded with a rooftop view of the city that adds a different perspective to that from your balloon ride overhead. There’s also the original workshop of the Morris Motor Company, which dates back to 1910 and can be found on St Cross Road. If you want to go even further back in time, then make your way to Oxford Castle and Prison, where 1,000 of history awaits. Here you can climb St. George’s Tower, descend into the 900 year old crypt, explore the Debtor’s Tower and then get inducted into the castle’s prison.

On New College Lane you can walk under the famous Bridge of Sighs and if you duck down St. Helen’s Passage, you’ll discover one of Oxford’s hidden gems, the Turf Tavern. The pub’s drinking ‘ancestry’  as a malt house and drinking tavern can be traced back to 1381, so just sit and imagine the characters and conversations that have taken place there before you. There’s also the Oxford Botanic Garden – the UK’s oldest that dates from 1621, river cruises on the Thames, the Bate Collection of over 2000 musical instruments and of course the colleges and university buildings that define this exceptional city. If you’re looking for a hot air balloon ride over stunning architecture and glorious landscapes that is packaged in astonishing history, an Oxford balloon flight might well be the one for you!