Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College front Private
Magdalen College (impress your friends by explaining that it’s pronounced ‘maudlin’) was founded in 1458, and the present buildings were erected at various dates between then and the 21st century. The college has been visited by kings and princes, and has had famous students including Edward VIII (when Prince of Wales). 20th century fellows include the English scholar and theologian C. S. Lewis and the historian A. J. P. Taylor.
Today the College has a large number of students, many living in the historic rooms on the campus, and an endowment of around £170 million.
Visitors are welcomed at certain times (entrance charges payable) and allowed to wander around the public areas (not the student areas) and admire the historic buildings. The Chapel and Choir are famous, and the Chapel, with its largely 19th century interior, is very impressive. The Hall is also worth seeing, as are the quad with the cloister and gargoyles, and the exteriors of other buildings.
The guidebook supplied isn’t very good as it does not have a map or pictures to help you figure out what you are supposed to be looking at. (Clue: it starts to your extreme right on entering the first open space). Best bring your own.

Car parking in the area is very limited, so I advise using the Oxford Park & Ride instead.
The Botanical Gardens are across the road, and there are other colleges nearby whose quads can be visited, and river walks.

Chapel wall with niches
Chapel Niche Wall
Chapel interior
Chapel interior
Hall interior
Hall
'New Building' frontage
New Building (1733)
Cloisters quad
Cloisters quad

Oxford Botanic Garden

Ornamental round pond private
The University of Oxford Botanic Garden (founded 1621) is the oldest botanic garden in Britain. A square walled space, the Walled Garden, contains rectangular beds with the scientific collection of plants from many countries, and beyond the walls are the Lower Garden housing the ornamental plants, and glasshouses.
Two of the formal plots in the Walled Garden contain plants of use in medicine.
The most interesting section of the Lower Garden is the Merton Borders, a sustainable and diverse planting, from seed and unfertilised, of plants from three dry grassland areas of the world. Intensive care and seasonal replanting is avoided. As well as being an interesting concept, it looks very pretty.
One of the glass houses contains cacti.
The Gardens have literary associations including Tolkien and “His Dark Materials.”
(Visit date: July 2014)
The Garden is opposite Magdalen College. Admission fees apply.
If travelling by car, note that there is very limited parking other than the Oxford Park & Ride.

Merton Border - multicoloured flowers
Merton Border
Tall cacti in glasshouse
Tall cacti
Cacti in glasshouse
Cacti

Callanish Standing Stones, Lewis

Callanish_8206 Historic Scotland
The Callanish standing stones (Calanais in Gaelic) are a cross-shaped array of slim stones, centred on a circle of taller stones. The remains of a chambered tomb are in the centre. They were erected 4500 to 5000 years ago, making them one of the oldest man-made structures in Britain (or anywhere).
About 1000 years after it was constructed, the site was abandoned, and with a change of climate, the site gradually became blanketed with peat to a depth of about five feet, partly burying and preserving the stones. In the 19th century, with greater interest in monuments, the peat was removed and the site taken into State care.
The tall slim stones, with their mysterious alignments are an unique and striking sight. Well worth a visit.

There is a car park and visitor centre nearby.
Callanish stones - wide view Tall Callanish stone Callanish stones, burial chamber Callanish stone close-up