Daytrips
On 11 December, 2010, the Oxford Pastorate took a group of Oxford graduates to Salisbury on what is now an annual expedition to Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge. A tour of the Cathedral, led by some of our Oxford graduates, explained the layout of cathedral architecture and its reflection of church history. We were later led up the tower by guides who talked us through the story of Salisbury Cathedral. A pub lunch nearby gave us a chance to pause, get to know each other, and reflect on what we’d seen. In the afternoon we explored Stonehenge, a contrastive structure built for pre-historic forms of worship about which very little is known.
On 12 March, 2011, the Oxford Pastorate led a second daytrip to the Cotswolds. We started at Burford Church where we were graciously received and given a very interesting tour of the church. One of the most pleasurable experiences of the day was the walk from Burford to St. Oswald’s at Widford, a tiny church with medieval frescoes and Victorian box pews. The afternoon was spent leisurely exploring Bourton-on-the-water where some of us explored the maze and others discovered the delights of ice-cream by the river despite the chilly air.