Buttercup to London 2015: On the train to Oxford

We couldn't believe how reasonably priced the train tickets to Oxford were. We booked them on line for eight pounds each return. The trip took about two hours on a very comfortable train through some boring country and closer to Oxford some really pretty farmland where the Thames wanders through. The farmland seemed really fertile with a lot of new crops planted which is surprising as it has been such a wet winter it's a wonder the tractors didn't get bogged.

Being long term fans of Morse, the BBC crime series starring John Thaw and set in Oxford, it was amazing stepping into the town where the movies were filmed. The university town abounds with historic stone buildings, colleges and churches.

St Aldates, Oxford

It was absolutely freezing in Oxford. The wind was chilling. Straight off the Arctic for sure. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky, but freezing - as cold as a blizzard on Mt Buller in winter. Because we had limited time to explore, we took one of the open topped double-decker bus tours which have a recorded commentary full of historical information including an outline of the very complicated relationships between the colleges and the university. We sat inside!

With two rivers and a canal running through Oxford there are lots of beautiful scenery

Wandering round the streets we came across an indoor market which was amazing. It was so cold the butcher had all the meat on display on tables in the walkways! We estimated it was way colder outside than in any fridge.

Who needs a fridge in Oxford?

The first observation we made was the incredible number of double decker buses in Oxford - hundreds of them. Plus hundreds, probably thousands of bicycles. They're everywhere. If not parked, piled up or stacked they are being ridden by students racing to get from one place to another. Oxford is a vibrant, lively city full of young people and loads of character.