If you only visit one Oxford college, make it Magdalen (pronounced “Maudlin”, in case you were wondering). It has everything that makes Oxford magical: honey-coloured stone, ancient cloisters, a bell tower you can hear across the city. And then, beyond the walls, its own deer park and a quiet riverside walk that feels a world away from the High Street.
The college sits at the eastern end of the High Street, where Oxford begins to give way to the Cherwell meadows. You'll likely notice the Great Tower first; it's been a landmark since the 1490s, and on May Morning the choir still sings from its top at dawn. Walk through the Porter's Lodge and the scale of the place opens up: a sweeping Great Quad, the serene cloisters with their carved grotesques, and then the path leading out to Addison's Walk, a circular route along the river that's especially beautiful in spring when the fritillaries bloom in the water meadow. The deer have been here for centuries, wandering calmly through their own enclosed grove.
We tend to combine Magdalen with a walk along the river or lunch at one of the cafes on the High Street. It's about 40 minutes from the cottage by car, and if you time it right you can avoid the worst of the city traffic by arriving mid-morning. The college is open to visitors most afternoons (check their site for exact hours and any closures during exam season). For younger visitors, the deer park alone is worth the trip.
“Addison's Walk in late April, with the snake's head fritillaries out and nobody else around. That's the Oxford moment I keep coming back for.”
All of this on the doorstep, and your own thatched cottage to come home to. Sleeps seven, less than a mile from Soho Farmhouse.