Thursday 12th February 2026

Lifestyle

The case for doing nothing (on holiday)

My best memories of gallivanting around Europe were of parks. They were found in the tranquility of self-reflection as I enjoyed the serenity of nature, clutching my too-expensive coffee and watching the ducks swim about in the river as the cold winter wind whipped the fallen leaves off the ground beside me.

Why you shouldn’t finish your reading list

On being accepted into Oxford, everyone warned me about the reading lists. “You’ll be reading eight hours a day,” they said. At the time, it sounded almost romantic.

Kilts, Ceilidhs and Calling: Inside the World of Oxford Reeling

It's Thursday night in New College's Long Room, and several dozen students are desperately trying to master The Plough Speed, which, for the uninitiated, is a mind boggling routine of side-steps, spins and shuffles.

Moving cities, keeping home

l've moved cities enough times to know that leaving is never just about packing boxes. After spending eighteen years in London, I found myself applying to a number of different cities, including Oxford, for university.

Conquering the Varsity ski trip

Susannah Goldsbrough feels as though the Varsity ski trip is even more gruelling than an eight week term at Oxford

From cocaine to porcelain: how one homeless person escaped crime

Michael Jacobs meets one of Oxford's many homeless people to hear his life story, from crime to happiness to the streets.

Mirror synesthesia

Verity Crane examines the unusual phenomenon of suffering from too much empathy

The reality of homelessness in Oxford and the imperative of helping

William Rees-Mogg discusses the city’s problem and the efforts to address it

A night at the clubs: Hypnotize

James Lamming is put in a trance by the Isis' budget-friendly club night

How to beat Fifth Week blues

Richard Birch and Cat Bean discuss nine ways to relax amidst the Oxonian madness

Gym diary: start getting your fitness back on track (and maybe even keep it that way too)

Today is the day. 20 years of questionable diet habits and lethargy have left you tubby. Three years of vegetarianism have left you puny—or...

Letters from abroad: Nîmes

In his generation-defining novel Fiesta (or The Sun Also Rises),Hemingway exalts the passion and courage on display in the Spanish corridas of Pamplona. Yet,...

Town versus gown: a view from the fence of the age-old divide

Coming to Oxford was an overwhelming experience of excruciating pain, tears and much fussing around me; so much of all this that I hardly...

What animal is your degree?

Nicola Dwornik defends humanities degrees against the charge of apparent laziness

A night at the clubs: Two Doors Down @ The Cellar

Two Doors Down's indie extravaganza leaves James Lamming hungry for more

Letter from abroad: Kobe

Matt Day talks nature and modernity living side by side in Kobe

I will be spoken, on people’s lips: and, famous through all the ages, I shall live

Jamie Onslow mourns the final hurrah of an aged stalwart of the Oxford clubbing scene

A night at the clubs: Disco Ma Non Troppo

Jamie Onslow is satisfied by Disco Ma Non Troppo's offering at the Bullingdon

Letter from abroad: Yaroslavl

Emma Helm praises public transport in the Russian city of Yaroslavl

Restaurant review: Moya, a taste of Slovakia

Slovakian cuisine surpasses Oliver Bealby-Wright's expectations at this modern St Clement's Street restaurant

Dialectical difficulty on a Vienna year abroad

Laura Herd discusses dialectic difficulties during a year in the beautiful Vienna, Austria

A night at the clubs: Bridge Thursday

Richard Birch writes for Cherwell Life about a nearly catastrophic night at Thursday Bridge

Mental health: awareness and beyond

Richard Birch reflects on a conversation about mental health with Alastair Campbell

“Cigarettes and Alcohol”

An enduring classic, or now a relic of rebellious times gone by?

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