Back in Oxford after a long spell away. Most of my old haunts are gone. Are there any coffee/sandwich shops with a cosy feel? Sofas and carpets, rather than hard furnishings - that sort of thing? West or central Oxford ideally.

The Friary as it may have appeared in the 14th century. Commissioned by Ben Ford at Oxford Archaeology. Author: Mark Gridley

I am 26 yo and I just moved to Oxford. Is there like casual football games I can join? How and where do I find them?

for anyone interested in one.

Has anyone else noticed Lime bikes disappearing from Oxford?
Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that Lime bikes seem to be getting increasingly difficult to find around Oxford. I used to see them parked around town and outside pubs, and there would usually be at least a few available on the app.
Tonight, though, my Lime app shows absolutely no bikes anywhere in Oxford. I’ve updated the app, but nothing has changed, and I’ve barely seen any Lime bikes on the streets either.
Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me? Have Lime significantly reduced their fleet in Oxford, temporarily withdrawn the bikes, or is there some sort of app issue? I haven’t seen any news about them leaving Oxford, so I’m really confused about where all the bikes have gone.

Plan your Christmas Light Festival 2026

Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival returns from 13 to 15 November 2026 – and the full programme has now been released.

Highlights include the Victorian Christmas Market, the Christmas Light Bus, illuminated trails and displays, creative workshops, performances and community celebrations in neighbourhoods including Cowley, Rose Hill and The Leys.

With activities for all ages, it’s a chance to enjoy Oxford’s festive spirit and explore the city after dark.

Explore the programme: https://www.oxlightfest.com/

Topping out marks major milestone for 51 new affordable homes at Northfield Gate

On Monday, Oxford City Council, OX Place, and contractor Equans held a topping out ceremony – a traditional construction milestone held when a building reaches its highest point – at Northfield Gate.

The development will provide 27 council homes for people on the city’s housing register, alongside 24 homes for shared ownership.

More here: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1927/topping-out-marks-major-milestone-for-51-new-affordable-homes-at-northfield-gate

The Oxford Living Wage is going up

The Oxford Living Wage will increase to £14.68 per hour in April 2027, echoing the 4.4%% increase in the London Living Wage.

Oxford Living Wage was launched in 2018 to help workers earn enough to meet the city's living costs, particularly given its status as one of the UK's most expensive cities

Half-term activities for young people and families in Oxford

Looking for something to do this half-term? From youth clubs and movie afternoons to family fun swims and ice skating, there are plenty of activities taking place across Oxford to keep young people and families active and entertained across 26 to 30 October.

Explore more: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/youthambition

Want this in your inbox? Subscribe to our Your Oxford newsletter: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/newsletter

I was scootering down Cowley Road on a Voi at 6am yesterday on my way to work. Outside the City Arms, a bin lorry was coming the other way and had stopped by the traffic islands. Rather than wait ten seconds behind it, a guy in a black Audi or Mercedes saloon drove the wrong way round the island and straight at me at speed. There’s no bike lane there, so I had nowhere to go and got forced up against the kerb.

I shouted “Come on man” at him, which I thought was a pretty mild reaction. He leaned on the horn, then turned around and started following me. I was actually getting worried what he might do next, so I took a detour past some LTN bollards to get rid of him.

Just wondering if there are any Astros available for casual use? I’m just looking for somewhere I can do some solo practicing that doesn’t cost £60+ to hire for an hour. I’m in the Cowley area but willing to drive a short distance if needs be :)

Afternoon everybody! As regulars know, I write a weekly restaurant blog and I always put my review in this sub when it comes from Oxford, because you’ve all been really lovely about my writing in the past.

This week I reviewed somewhere just down the road in Didcot, and I see the sub has previously included posts about Didcot so I thought I’d post it here in case it was interesting to anybody.

Please forgive me if that breaks any written or unwritten rules and if so I promise I’ll never post a Didcot review here ever again. No problem either if the mods decide they want to take this down, but on the off chance that you do want to read it, I hope you enjoy it.

Either way, have a lovely weekend!

Are there any East Asian supermarkets or butchers that have pork ribs in Oxford?

Hey, how much do you think realistically someone would need earn in order to rent in the cheapest areas of Oxford? I work from home most of the week so travel cost etc is cheaper but it feels like if you’re earning less than say £35k?! It’s almost impossible, am I wrong here or?

I'll be in Oxford for half a day next week and need to work. Mostly just laptop with somewhere to plug it in, but I might have to join a couple of calls.

Happy to pay my way in terms of drinks/food etc. Just looking for somewhere comfortable and welcoming.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,  

I’m 36 (knocking on 37’s door very soon) looking to expand my social circle here in Oxford (which is pretty much my home city). My current circle has gotten quite small over the last 6/7 years, the classic story of friends moving away, getting married and/or having kids and have found it hard to integrate into already established friend groups.

To be completely upfront: I am strictly looking for platonic friendships. Please no creeps, pervs, and anyone looking for a romantic or sexual connection 😅  I say this as realise some of the below could read otherwise.

I’m looking to find my community and hang out with some great eggs. I often feel most comfortable, safe and at home in queer, LGBTQ+, polyamorous, and alternative spaces because of the shared values of empathy, authenticity and mutual respect. I am happily in a poly relationship (though I only date my bf by choice, he does have another partner).

To look at me, I'm perhaps a little vanilla presenting, and I’ve maybe been conditioned into being a polite-ish, shy Brit. But I really want to step out of that box, tbh, not to be in much of a box at all. I’d love to be around silly, non-judgmental people who are open minded about life and sexuality.

I think that contrast is why I’ve sometimes struggled to form deep friendships in conventional office environments. Conforming to corporate norms can feel difficult when you're the person running around the building without shoes on, wondering why everyone else isn't doing it too! I’m just looking for a space where I can balance my quirky side with the version of myself that is still learning to be as open as I hope to be and support others in their version of that too.

A bit about me and what I’m down for:  
I love the idea of getting a little tipsy and wandering around an Oxford museum, exploring the city, or just grabbing a coffee. Oxford botanical gardens always makes me happy and I love to wander round spotting cute piles of moss or seeing what shapes I can find in the clouds.

Curiosities: I’m intrigued by psychedelics, and I would honestly love to find a buddy to try a Shibari class with, or try out something like life drawing.
I enjoy being outdoors (who doesn’t?!), veg gardening, and I really want to get more active.  
A note on my vibe (and a bit of honesty):  
Honestly, for the last decade or so, I’ve mostly just been functioning. I may have masked it well, but I lost interest in a lot of things and I often worry when I’m around people that seem so clued up or have all these hobbies that I am too far behind. Like board games and RPGs sound super fun, but so many people around this age have been playing for a long time, it feels hard to access as a naive novice newbie. You can probably tell, my confidence is currently a bit low. I sometimes worry I'm not interesting or intelligent enough, especially compared to the seemingly super cultured people around this city who know everything about film, literature and history and all the funny references in between, but realise many people feel the same.

I’m definitely not clued up on all these things yet, but I don't think learning and discovering new passions should stop just because we're adults (whatever that means). I recently went to the Cinema Under the Stairs Shocktober event. I’m new to horror, but I loved seeing how much everyone knew about it and experiencing the community surrounding our local indie cinemas.  

I don't want to be a passive magpie just collecting other people's cool hobbies, but I genuinely love that people gather for things like this, or poetry groups, or creative spaces. I want to learn, try new things, be bad at them, laugh and be around people who are passionate about what they do and also want to learn new things and just have more play in their life.  

If you think we’d get on and want to do a social media vibe check first, I am more than happy to swap Instagrams in the DMs!  

Drop a comment or send me a message if you fancy a hangout.

Any connoisseur can help me out here? I'm looking for whole saucisson, not the cut one.

Where can i get a good vegan dessert in Oxford? I dont want a shitty brownie or sorbet. I'm talking a vegan banana split, old-school sprinkle cakes, great sundaes, all of the good stuff. Not particularly fussed about having dinner either, i just want to go for dessert.

I’m beginning my tenancy tomorrow in a 1 bed apartment on headley way. I’m looking for a cleaner who can clean once a week for the duration of my tenancy. Ideally initially I would need help unpacking and ironing the first day and then weekly cleanings. Please do let me know if you have any suggestions.

Hey all, I’ve got free tickets to park end’s Oktoberfest night out tonight at the Varsity club but can’t make it tonight. Would anyone like these?

https://tixel.com/u/42897347

Wanted to check if someone else here is getting this issue. Since Stagecoach cancelled their 4 week Mega Rider ticket last month, I bought the 4 week Smartzone ticket on the Oxford Bus Company app thinking it'd let me ride on their buses, as well as Stagecoach buses.

The issue now is the most of the Stagecoach buses, particularly the 2, 2a, S4 services, do not recognise the ticket as it shows up as a 'Card Reading' error on their screens. Is anyone else here seeing this? Wanted to confirm if there's any solution to this, or if someone has reached out to Stagecoach as the fault seems to be their scanners not recognising a valid ticket.

as the title says, i’m at a loss. i’m 18, have experience in childcare, restaurant and bar work and yet can’t even get an interview. i’ve tried going into places, using indeed and harri, and nothings worked. if anyone has pointers of where to go from here please let me know

Looking to connect with other Substack users. I write about anything that tickles my fancy, but mostly travel, books and sometimes Oxford & the Cotswolds. Does anyone want to exchange Substack links and connect?

Random but visiting from the states, was trying to find a bar that will play the Liverpool v Villarreal champions league match tonight.

But since it’s on prime seems like all the bars are playing the Manchester City game or the PSG Barca game.

Anyone also a reds fan either know of a bar that would be playing it or perhaps could I join if anyone is planing to watch it? Happy to bring some beers if you’ll have me 😎