Welcome back to the Lifestyle Lowdown, where our fantastic team of editors offer our wise words on how to make the most of life in Oxford. 

With term coming to a close and work wrapping up, many of us find ourselves with some spare time in week 8. So, why not use it to explore the city and its surroundings before you take off for the holidays? We’re giving our best suggestions for short trips you can make if you’ve got a morning or afternoon free.

Bicester Village

My mum loves Bicester Village, and so do I. Whenever she drives over to Oxford, I get the train to meet her and we spend our time wandering around designer stores, eyeing up and judging the handbags and shoes. There are also some pretty good deals in the outlets – I’ve scored many a birthday present from the Le Creuset shop, and you can get some good deals on skincare and makeup too. It’s the perfect girl’s trip. 

If you want to grab a bite while you’re there, I would highly recommend Ottolenghi. They have an amazing menu of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes, but I always go for cake (the almond chocolate-orange cake is so dense and rich; a proper treat) or lighter side dishes like their salads and crispy potatoes.

Getting there is simple: trains run from Oxford station every half an hour or so, and the journey lasts ten minutes and costs only £2.85 each way with a railcard. My favourite quirk is that since the designer outlets attract so many international shoppers, the train intercom announces this stop specifically in Arabic and Chinese as well as English! 

Admittedly, it’s a weird and slightly artificial place: there’s the toy-like train station, a walkway over a stream and some dubious green space leading to the village entrance, and the interesting contrast of whimsical, dainty ‘streets’ of shops sat next to a massive car park. But I find that its liminal quality makes it the perfect short getaway from Oxford – it’s like a strange nowhere-location that exists just for my mum and I to window shop and gossip. 

Izzy (she/her), Senior Editor for Lifestyle and a Classics and French student at Somerville. I’m most often spotted running somewhere late carrying a bubble tea, or curled up sheltering from the Hilary term cold and darkness with the Animal Crossing soundtrack.

Reaching New Heights

If you have just half an hour to spare, I highly recommend taking a quick trip up the tower of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin (opposite the Rad Cam). Although this requires clear skies and (god forbid) some sun, the view is truly breath-taking once you’ve conquered the 127 asymmetric, concerningly steep steps. It is absolutely worth the price — I say this as someone who incessantly complained about paying the £6 ticket before going up (no student discount here, unfortunately). This can be a solo trip, but I highly recommend going with a geographically adept friend or partner. I personally loved playing a unique form of ‘Where’s Wally?’, spotting colleges or well-known Oxford landmarks as we took the 360° walk around the tower. You can even peek into All Souls, a view most of us will never otherwise be graced with. 

Ironically, as someone with acrophobia (fear of heights), my other recommendation is the rooftop café and bar at the Ashmolean. Although it doesn’t quite align with a term-time student budget, if you have friends or family picking you up it can be a place to take them on the fancier side with a gorgeous view. Afternoon tea there doesn’t disappoint! 

Sophia (she/her), Junior Editor for Lifestyle and a Biochemistry student at Corpus. You can find me in the queue to buy cheese from the Covered Market for our Cheese Soc (6pm Saturday at Corpus, be there or be square xx) or in an unflattering lab coat with goggles.

Prime Picnic Locations

Spring is finally coming, and for me that means a whole lot of hay fever and a whole lot of picnics. I don’t think the feeling of being outside, watching the sunset in moderately warm evening air with a bottle of wine, a baguette, and some cheap meats and cheeses can be beat. So, to help you craft the perfect picnic to celebrate the end of term, here are some excellent locations.

The most obvious to me would have to be Christ Church Meadow, specifically down by the river. Since it closes after dark, it’s not practical for an evening picnic, but if the weather is good during the day, bring a blanket and sit next to the river! You may be bothered by a duck or two but you’ll just have to fend them off.

While I’m not the biggest fan of Uni Parks (surrounded by ugly buildings…), I can’t deny that it makes for a good picnic spot. The sun lights up the park beautifully, and there are plenty of clumps of trees to give you shade if you need it.

Finally, a slightly more niche pick is Headington Hill Park. This small space is just off of Iffley Road and feels like you’re in a forest, surrounded by tall trees and lovely greenery. There aren’t a lot of super comfortable places to lay a picnic blanket down but there are plenty of benches!

If you’re not too keen on doing the classic end of term celebrations (getting absolutely smashed and making packing a living hell the next morning), a nice picnic is a great alternative for a fun, celebratory activity for a group of friends.

Lex (she/her). Avid philosopher and begrudging psychologist at St. Hilda’s. I’ve been with Lifestyle for a year now. You may find me wandering aimlessly around the city with takoyaki from Gloucester Green or working at my college bar. Or, more likely, I’m crashing out over my degree in my room. 

Bagley Wood

A lovely wooded area with high, and soon hopefully green, trees to lose yourself in is only a quick 20 minute bus ride from the city center. Bagley Wood offers a welcoming change of scenery for students who are sick of seeing 500-year-old grey-stone buildings wherever they walk around Oxford, or the general British suburban sprawl of Cowley. The bus will leave you at a ditch but nevertheless drops you right in the middle of Bagley Wood, which is highly convenient as you can instantly enter into the woods through a gate.

The area around the woods is quiet after a few minutes of walking away from the road, with the wind rustling through the trees muddying the sound of traffic. If you would like to shut out the noise even more, an album is the perfect companion; there are more than enough paths to fill the time with music. Among these paths I can recommend a little clearing with logs laid about which made a very peaceful spot to sit down on – I myself accidentally fell asleep on the log, attesting to how quiet it can be. I cannot imagine how much nicer it will be when the weather is a little bit kinder to being outside; or when it is too nice and you want a cool shaded walk to evade the sun. 

David (he/they), Junior Editor for Lifestyle and Chemist at LMH. Likely eating a Korean corndog while avoiding going back to the library. Huge enjoyer of just seeing where the day takes me.