We live 40 minutes from Cambridge so have visited there a number of times. Angela wanted to 'collect the set' of boat race Universities so she put Oxford onto our travel list. We had a rare day off so today was the day to visit.

We were in Oxford in under 2 hours and our first stop was a lovely lunch surrounded by loud Italians. Satisfied, we set off to see the sights.

Heading from the restaurant towards 'historic' Oxford it was striking how many rough sleepers were there and, in comparison to Cambridge, how grubby it was. However, unlike Cambridge, the roads are broad and there were fewer tourists so it felt more spacious.

We arrived at the beautiful Bodleian Library. The quad there is stunning with beautiful lettering around the doors. It was a perfect photo opportunity.

The Radcliffe Camera is probably one of the most iconic buildings in Oxford so of course we had to stop there for picture too.

Angela has never been punting so that was next on the list. We had a choice of boat: rowing boat, punt or or pedalo punt. We knew that we'd make idiots of ourselves rowing, and the thought of falling in the river punting wasn't appealing so, despite Alan's dodgy hip and Angela's short legs, we went for the pedalo.

Final stop was the Castle. We had just enough time, before they closed, to climb to the top of the motte, which is next to the later stone castle, and get a quick photo. As we stood there, just behind the castle, a hot balloon was inflated and flew off. Watching it depart was a perfect end to our trip.