TurtleW

Mostly that they have to go so far to get anywhere in this vast place. I think our kids would get a kick out of the local public transportation and the local characters. Leaning towards taking the bus if we end up going to Blenheim. Thanks a bunch for the friendly welcome and replies!

Thanks all for the advice! The first episode of Inspector Morse is a 90 minute advertisement for College Cruisers (you can't miss their sign), and we'll check out the Wench is Dead as well as the Timothy West show about the canals. I hadn't heard of it, and it sounds delightful. If you see an American family this summer on the Oxford canal with a boat that is not crashing into anyone, that will be us.

I think grocery delivery is the way to go-thanks for the suggestion.

I've talked my family into doing a narrowboat trip while we are in the UK this summer, and I'm anxious for everything to go well. We are doing a Friday-Monday from Lower Heyford, and I was thinking we should head south to Oxford and back for the most interesting route for adults and kids. I have never been to the UK, so I am mostly basing this opinion on episodes of Inspector Morse. What do you guys think? My other main question has to do with groceries. Should we plan on bringing most of what we need from London or should we plan on getting supplies in Heyford? We won't have a car (coming by train), so our options will be limited to what we can carry with us. Is it best to plan to eat out as much as possible? Any and all advice appreciated!

We are doing a short out-and-back on the Oxford Canal this summer, and we were wondering if it is possible, or advisable, to moor in Thrupp and walk or bike to Blenheim Palace for sightseeing. We will be visiting from the US and won't have a car or our own bikes, so we will be somewhat limited in how we can get there. We'll have our kids with us-they are elementary school age-so an arduous walk is probably not in the cards, but they could do 30-45 minutes of walking each way.