Port Meadow Circular

Port Meadow is the single most impressive piece of open land inside any English city. It has never been ploughed — not once in over 4,000 years. Bronze Age remains have been found beneath the grass. Freemen of Oxford still have the right to graze cattle and horses here, and they do, which is why you'll share the path with semi-wild ponies who have precisely zero interest in you.

This circular walk starts in Jericho, crosses the meadow to Wolvercote and Godstow, and returns along the Thames towpath — giving you the open grassland in one direction and the river in the other. It's the walk Oxford residents do most often, in every season, and it never gets old.

The route

Start: Walton Well Road bridge, Jericho

From the end of Walton Well Road, cross the footbridge over the railway and canal. Port Meadow opens immediately in front of you — a startling expanse of flat, unhedged grassland stretching north for over a mile.

1. Across Port Meadow to Wolvercote (1.5 miles)

Head north-northwest across the meadow. There's no single path — you pick your way across the grass, aiming for the tree line at the far end. In winter, large sections flood and become a shallow lake; wading birds and wildfowl gather in huge numbers. In summer, the horses and cattle scatter across the green. Either way, the sense of space is remarkable for a city walk. The spires of Oxford are visible behind you the whole way.

2. Wolvercote Green (rest stop)

Emerge at Wolvercote Green, a proper village green with the Plough pub on one side. Wolvercote still feels like a separate village despite technically being in Oxford. The churchyard of St Peter's has the grave of J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife Edith — the inscription reads Beren and Luthien, after the characters in The Silmarillion.

3. Godstow Abbey ruins (0.5 miles west)

Walk west along Godstow Road to the ruins of Godstow Abbey, a medieval nunnery associated with Fair Rosamund, the mistress of Henry II. The ruins are atmospheric and free to explore. The river runs right past them.

4. The Trout Inn (adjacent)

The Trout sits on the river just south of the abbey ruins. Stone terrace, peacocks on the lawn, a weir rushing underneath. It's been here since the 12th century and featured in Inspector Morse and Philip Pullman's novels. Worth a stop even if only for a drink.

5. Thames towpath south to The Perch (1 mile)

Follow the towpath south along the Thames. After about a mile, a signed path branches east to The Perch at Binsey — a thatched pub hidden down a lane that feels impossibly rural given you're 15 minutes from the city centre. Binsey's tiny church has a holy well associated with St Frideswide, Oxford's patron saint.

6. The Perch to Walton Well Road (1 mile)

From The Perch, return to the towpath and continue south. You'll pass allotments and the back of the University's rugby ground before reaching the canal bridge. Cross back over to Walton Well Road and you're in Jericho, with cafes and restaurants on Little Clarendon Street a few minutes' walk south.

End: Walton Well Road — back where you started, with the option of continuing into Jericho for food.

Practical notes

• Distance: 4.5 miles (7km) circular
• Time: 2 hours walking, 3 hours with pub stops
• Terrain: flat throughout; the meadow itself has no formal path and can be waterlogged November-March — wear wellies or waterproof boots in winter
• Best time: winter mornings for flooded meadow and birdwatching; summer evenings for the pub terraces
• Refreshments: The Plough (Wolvercote), The Trout Inn (Godstow), The Perch (Binsey); also Jericho Cafe at start/finish
• Wildlife: grey herons, lapwings, curlews (winter), Egyptian geese, semi-wild horses and cattle year-round

Why this walk

Port Meadow is ancient in a way that makes even the medieval colleges look recent. Walking across it — no fences, no paths, no buildings — gives you a sense of Oxford that predates the university by millennia. The combination of the open meadow, the ruined abbey, and two genuinely great pubs makes this the most satisfying half-day walk in Oxford. Residents do it weekly. You'll understand why.