Oxford

Oxford is home to one of the UK's most prestigious Universities and is a tourist hot spot.

South-East towards London or North towards Birmingham
Option 1 - a truck stop near Thornhill Park and Ride
 * Route: A40 (Eastbound), M40

Thornhill Park and Ride is situated along A40, at the eastern edge of Oxford, 4 miles out of city centre. You can easily get there by any Park and Ride bus - this includes all London-bound buses (X90 and Oxford Tube). The current single fare is £1.60.

Exit the Park and Ride site, cross the A40 and walk east (towards M40). In 1/2 mile you will arrive at a truck stop, which is a good hitch-hiking spot.

Option 2 - Oxford Motorway service station

See below.

Option 3 (North only)

If you are hitching up north, you can also try the A44/A34 junction (there is a petrol station there too). It's a 3-mile walk or a bus journey to Pear Tree Park and Ride

South towards Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester, M4 Motorway, West towards Swindon
Option 1 - Botley Interchange
 * Route: A34

Take any bus going to Botley or Seacourt Park and Ride. Botley Interchange (A420/A34 roundabout) is a few hundred metres away from the Park and Ride site.

The best way to get on to Botley Interchange roundabout: when on the bus to Botley keep a look out for a 70s looking tower on your right. You will then pass under a bridge which carries the A34 (ring road). Just after the bridge there will be a small alley way on your right. Go up this path which takes you to the roundabout. It is the safest and best route.

On the A34 Southbound slip road there is a nice long area of hatched markings, which is a safe and convenient place for a vehicle to stop to pick you up. Also, the speed is limited to 50mph. This worked well for user Lnx on the 22nd of February 2008 - the waiting time in the morning (7:05am) was about 4 (four!) minutes.

The A34 Northbound slip road is also useful. From here you can hitch towards Junction 9 on the M40, from where you can travel North or South. If you then want to travel north on the M40 it is best to be dropped off on the layby just before the juntion. Because the slip road down the motorway is unsuitable for hitching. You will need to make a sign saying 'M40 North' or something similar. The M40 takes you north towards Birmingham or South towards London. It's probably best not to hitch to the North end of Oxford ring road, because the junctions there are very confusing and you might have to walk a long way to find the right road.

From the same roundabout A420 continues to the west towards Swindon via rural Oxfordshire. This road has low speed limits and speed cameras - for this reason most traffic going to Swindon and Bristol uses A34 and M4.

Option 2 - A4074/A34 junction. This is the junction where A34 meets the Oxford's Southern Bypass Rd.

Here you can either hitch on the slip road, or walk along A34 to the South or 1/2 a mile - there is a nice and long lay-by, where all A34 Southbound traffic is able to stop.

Oxford Motorway Services
The services are a good hitch-hiking spot, as they are visited by traffic bound for all directions - North/South (via M40), East (via A40) and West (via A418).
 * Access: M40 Junction 8A, A418 (off A40)
 * Site Type: Single site, used by traffic in all directions
 * Postcode: OX33 1JN
 * Distance from Oxford: 11 miles

The site is accessible by public transport from Oxford - the bus no. 280 (towards Aylesbury) leaves Oxford from Queen's Lane (stop K2) every 30-60 minutes. The journey takes 28 minutes.

An alternative option would be to start walking in the direction of Headington (St Clement's Street, A420), and try to get a lift on the way towards the services or at least A40 (Thornhill Park and Ride or truckstop). There is a "Shell" petrol station on London Rd in Headington, so you may try asking for a lift there. Until recently, it was possible to hitch-hike right next to this petrol station. However, a recent "traffic improvement scheme" introduced a bus lane there, so it's not very convenient for people to stop there. However, there's a lot of lay-bys along the A40 out of Oxford.

Hitchhiking in
To get into Oxford, have somebody drop you off at Oxford Motorway Services. Walk out of the services, turn left and you'll see a perfect lay-by a hundred metres down the road. A sign ("OX") helps immensely.

trash:Oxford

Oxford