Oxford Tours

19/10/2024

I’ve updated my blog after it hit the 5000 click mark. It now includes a comprehensive review on the The Farmers Dog Pub

I’ve just listed six reasons to come:

1. Supplies some great traditional pub dishes with a twist and the quality is very good considering the number of covers that it serves which contarary to popular belief, also caters for vegetarians as well as the omnivores. I've been a number of times and the high quaility has been maintained.

2. Doesn't serve ketchup and Coke. You can try the alternative Oxford Sauce and try some sparking juices instead of the Coke. This is an independant eatery bringing back British made products to British people and some foreign nationals.

3. All the ingrediants for the food are pooled from a cooperative set up by Jezza from farms local to Chadlington. If you go to the meat counter in The Grand Tour tent, you will see some of the best British beef and lamb on offer, all supplied by the cooperative. Their sausage rolls are about 4 times bigger than the normal sized one and the best in flavour and texture. £5.25 is a great price considering the quality and quantity.

4. Probably the best al fresco vista for miles around so try to drink on the decking outside of the pub or eat at the picnic tables adjacent to The Grand Tour tent. When the sun does eventually shine, it will probably be the biggest pull to come here.

5. There's a merchandising area in The Grand Tour tent for products that are unavalable at Diddly Squat such as T-shirts and baseball caps. You can see more of the products on sale including the mushroom making kit by looking at my gallery photos.

6. If you are looking at a quick visit and something to eat, then go to The Farmer's Puppy, it's adjacent to the The Grand Tour Tent and offers some quick food still with the same ethos as the pub.

I've been doing Cotswolds tours for nearly 23 years but when I saw the recently released series by Jeremy Clarkson about his own farm in the Cotswolds, I became addicted to watching it back to back and couldn't stop laughing out loud. It's the best factual series on TV and certainly the most popular...

17/10/2024

Yesterday I did a Diddly Squat tour but what makes my tours unique is that the magic happens when you work on the fly. I found out during the tour that Scott’s daughter was a great Ted Lasso fan as I am and series 4 is about to be produced. I can’t wait myself but on the way back to their London hotel we stop in Richmond AFC

https://www.tailoredtoursuk.com

17/10/2024

The rain stopped before we got to Stonehenge. These guys were from New Jersey. It’s been a strange week with a lot of tours out of season

Very unusual for this time of year

17/10/2024

Had amazing few days doing mainly Diddly Squat tours including The Farmer's Dog Pub

29/09/2024

My sixth tour in eight days

Anyone know where I am today?

28/09/2024

6 tours in 9 days is the most I’ve had in 23 years of doing this type of work especially as we are off season

Oxford walking tour
Windsor Castle tour
Cotswold tour
Blenheim Palace tour
Stonehenge Tour
Bath tour

I met the funniest man on the 4 day tour I’ve ever met that made me cry with tears. Sometimes when you are laughing and enjoying yourself, it doesn’t feel like work

https://www.tailoredtoursuk.com

20/09/2024

I’ve never seen this terminal as busy since it opened 27 March 2008
Just managed to get the one of the last car park spaces on level 1, Level 2&3 are full

Busy day today with 5 airports and a Diddy Squat tour tomorrow. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for this weekend. Better bring my wellies for Jezza’s car park tomorrow for some great Cotswold mud

04/09/2024

I didn’t realise that MG were involved in land speed records

1957 MG EX135 speed record car

This car started life as a conventionally bodied K3 Magnette and was used by Captain George Eyston for road racing and record attempts. In 1938 MG bought EX135 back from Eyston and completely rebuilt it to its present form, with an all-enveloping body designed by Reid Railton.
MG engaged Lieutenant ATG 'Goldie' Gardner to pilot EX135.
Following a distinguished military career, Gardner's forays into motor racing began in 1924 and he became a regular MG driver.
Gardner was able to raise the 1100 cc class record to over 200mph in 1939 on the then new Dessau autobahn in Germany (now the A9). In post war years he set records in many different capacity classes using a variety of MG engines and, on one occasion, a prototype Jaguar engine.
EX135 is now fitted with the supercharged 1250 cc XPAG engine fitted in 1952 for Gardner's last record runs on the salt flats in Utah. The wet or 'slick' salt meant that he could n wheel spin and only reached 190 mph, rather thar 220 mph. On one attempt, Gardner totally lost cc hit a marker post, which smashed through the Per hit him on his head. In spite of the bump, he continued driving!

4 cyl, 1250 cc
Coachwork: streamliner
Accession number: 1980-1-61
Top speed:
203 mph [326 km/h]
Price new: not quoted
Power:
220 bhp

28/07/2024

A lovely tour of Stonehenge, my favourite picture of the day. The cloud formations at Stonehenge are always interesting and sometimes surreal

28/07/2024

Is been a busy period for Tailored Tours UK that I’m catching up with some postings

There’s some new additions to my Diddy Squat tour which includes the forthcoming F1 exhibition at at ExCel in London and the Hawkstone Brewery visit in nearby Stow on the Wold

The new additions are in my blog

https://www.tailoredtoursuk.com/post/clarkson-s-farm-tour-1

06/07/2024

Been the busiest two weeks with tours nearly every day. Today is my first F1 tour which includes grey sky and rain at Diddly Squat. We are off to F1 today to see that practise sessions and an F3 race after coming here

I can’t believe how long the lines are but we got here early at 8.45am and my client are about 15 from the front of the line

We are going to Hinton airfield to catch the park and ride to Silverstone

I brought my hiking boots and my raincoat!

my blog and find out about the new Hawkstone Brewery tour

https://www.tailoredtoursuk.com/post/clarkson-s-farm-tour-1

03/07/2024

I’ve updated my blog on Clarkson’s Farm which includes a new section about his Hawkstone Brewery. He owns a 20% share in this venture and see photos of the tour that I do there with my clients.

I've been doing Cotswolds tours for nearly 22 years but when I saw the recently released series by Jeremy Clarkson about his own farm in the Cotswolds, I became addicted to watching it back to back and couldn't stop laughing out loud. It's the best factual series on TV and certainly the most popular...

21/06/2024

About 28 years, I was part of a Buddhist ceremony with my teacher from Tibet and we all had an amazing experience. There’s something very special about these stones. Watching the sunrise on a very cold morning in the centre of the stones was a vista to behold. There was only 30 of us and 1 security guard is a pill box

I couldn’t stay more than 30 minutes inside the stone circle because it would give me a headache

Stonehenge solstice sunrise attracts 15,000 people

People have gathered at the ancient site in Wiltshire on the longest day of the year.

18/06/2024

Doing my first Diddly Squat and British Grand Prix tour on Saturday, 06 July which includes Silverstone Museum

https://www.tailoredtoursuk.com/tailored-or-bespoke-tour

13/06/2024

Finishing the day when getting home with a Hawkstone Larger given to me by one of my client whilst visiting Diddly Squat, Jeremy Clarkson’s farm shop

13/06/2024

Did a day 2 of my gardens tour with Chip and Carol from Massachusetts. My garden tour of the south started at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons English and Zen garden onto Greys Court garden and then Great Fosters

11/06/2024

This is a must see place for anyone that’s a F1 fan

11/06/2024

The lines were very long this morning compared with three days ago

Ryan, Mitch and family from Gainesville in Florida