Abingdon is in Oxfordshire on the River Thames about 7 miles south of Oxford.

St Helen's Church and the River Thames at Abingdon

Understand

Abingdon was the county town of Berkshire until 1870, and became part of Oxfordshire when local government was re-organised in 1974. It is a busy market town with a good choice of shops, pubs and restaurants. It was the home of MG motor cars which used to be built at the MG Works, which is now a business centre. It benefits from being aside the River Thames and having an attractive County Hall. However, Jerome K Jerome in his book Three Men in a Boat described Abingdon as a 'dull market town'.

Get in

• By rail to Oxford, then by bus.

• By Salter's Steamers [1] which sail daily from Folly Bridge in Oxford from May to September.

See

• 1 Abingdon County Hall Museum, Market Place, OX14 3HG, ☏ +44 1235 523703. 10AM-4PM. Free entry to museum, prices for access to the roof are: adults £2.00, children £0.50, concessions £1.00. 

Buy

• Mostly Books, 36 Stert Street, Abingdon, ☏ +44 1235 525880. 9-5, Mon-Sat. Small, friendly, independent bookshop which won Bookshop of the Year award in 2008. 

Eat

• Ock Mill Beefeater, Marcham Road, OX14 1AD. 

• Spice Valley, 21-27 Ock Street, OX14 5AJ. Indian restaurant 

• The Boundary House, 69 Oxford Road, OX14 2AA. 

Sleep

• Crown & Thistle Hotel, Bridge Street, ☏ +44 1235 522556. 

• 1 Oxford Abingdon Hotel, Marcham Road, ☏ +44 1235 553456, abingdon@four-pillars.co.uk. Check-in: 3pm, check-out: 11am. £38-110. 

• Abodes of Oxford B&B in Oxford, 6 Blackman Close Kennington Oxford, ☏ +44 1865 435229, info@abodesuk.com. 

Go next

• Sutton Courtenay, about 2 miles south of Abingdon, where the author George Orwell (Eric Blair) is buried.
• Didcot
• Sandford-on-Thames