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[springheel]

I'm planning a research trip to Cambridge (at least a week) and Oxford (just a day or two). And, of course, I have very little funding. Does anyone have tips for cheap, convenient accomodation? Can you stay in the halls of residence? (That's what I'd really like to do.) I've looked online, but can't seem to find the info I'm looking for...

[kilpikonna]

I went to a conference in Cambridge, and while I didn't stay in the res halls, some of my fellow attendees did.  They had nothing positive to say about them and I think it was fairly expensive.  Instead I stayed at Granta House, a small B&B on the outskirts of town (it was a pleasant walk to the conference location).   At the time the rates were 35-40 pounds per night.  The proprietor was quite nice and the room was clean and comfortable.

[expatinuk]

Go to http://www.smoothhound.co.uk

it's a list of bed and breakfasts. Please do keep in mind that in the UK Bed and Breakfasts are at the lowest end of the market. I saw some listings in Cambridge for about 20 quid a night. That's about as cheap as you can get.  I have seen dorm rooms for 'rent' in Oxford in the summer for conferences. But they are more that 20 a night.

[wegie]

Go to http://www.smoothhound.co.uk

it's a list of bed and breakfasts. Please do keep in mind that in the UK Bed and Breakfasts are at the lowest end of the market. I saw some listings in Cambridge for about 20 quid a night. That's about as cheap as you can get.  I have seen dorm rooms for 'rent' in Oxford in the summer for conferences. But they are more that 20 a night.

One of my old departments quite often used a couple of the places in Oxford in expatinuk's list, Mrs Old at 58 St John St (which has been the best bargain in Oxford for years and years) and Cotswold House. No complaints that I ever heard, but I've been out of Oxford for a few years now. If you'd like to stay at one of the colleges, details can be found on the Conference Oxford pages.

[babbinacara]

Whether you could stay in a hall depends on whether your visit is planned for term-time or a vacation. Most colleges have a "guest room" or two which is not assigned to a student, but these are usually booked way in advance for visiting lecturers, etc. In a vacation, there are more student rooms free which can be booked by visitors.
Be warned that some rooms will be breathtakingly nasty, others lovely, and all will be quirky in some way.
Cambridge has a conference page (http://www.conferencecambridge.com/home/); you can see where the colleges are and what kind of rooms they have. On your own you won't get the conference rate, but there should be contact details for enquiries.
If you're working with someone, or have a university contact (i.e., archivist) it's worth asking if s/he has a college appointment and could book a guest room for you.

[springheel]

Thanks very much for your replies. This is exactly the info I needed!

[deleteplease]

Mitre Rooms at Oxford (near Turl St.) -- inexpensive student rooms
rented out during the summer. They have desks, and are no grubbier than most B&Bs in a similar price range. They used to be quite noisy
until the pubs let out, but calmed down by 11:30 or midnight -- the recent change in closing times might be a problem. My (fairly extensive) experience with student rooms: remember that they make lots of money renting them out for langauge schools, and so you will be sharing a building with 200-300 teenagers just released from parental restraint.

A big problem with B&Bs is no desk space (I had one room so small that if I stood in the centre and stretched out my arms I could touch opposing walls.

Another possibility -- London School of Economics student rooms (ultra-cheap) or Penn House (medium cheap) in London and a southeast England Britrail pass (surprisingly cheap for 2 weeks of unlimited travel in the southeast). This gives easy access to Oxford, Cambridge, and the British Library -- especially important given the slowness of the Bod and erratic schedules at the College libraries over summer.

[noof_]

St. Hugh's offers nice accommodations. If you go during cold weather, ask (in advance) for additional blankets or a space heater.

http://www.st-hughs.ox.ac.uk/conferences/accommodation.html