I started this walk at Oxford railway station, grid reference: SP 504 063. Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station, about half a mile (800m) west of Oxford city centre. From this railway station, you can get a fast train to London Paddington or London Marylebone, or a local train to Reading, Worcester, or Banbury. The station is also on the north/south Cross Country route from Manchester Piccadilly and Newcastle via Birmingham New Street and via Reading, to Southampton Central and Bournemouth on the south coast.
From the station, I headed across the bridge, towards the city centre. I then turned right off of the main road (the A4144) to find The Handle Bar Café at 28-32, St Michael's Street, OX1 2EB. This café was recommended to me and it didn't disappoint! I had mint and pea soup with crusty bread and it was excellent.
From the Handle Bar café, I found my way to Port Meadow, via the area of Oxford called Jericho. I walked up Kingston Road, turning left to take bridges over the Oxford Canal and the railway line. As you can see from the photo of Port Meadow below, you might as well be in the middle of the countryside, not on the edge of a city! The River Thames runs through Port Meadow. I followed the well-trodden footpath and took the first right turn just before Trap Grounds Allotments.
From Port Meadow, I walked to Cherwell Boathouse, which is a boathouse and restaurant on the River Cherwell, located down a small lane off the junction between Chadlington Road and Bardwell Road. I got to the Boathouse via Aristotle Lane, Polstead Road, Rawlinson Road, and then crossing Banbury Road, heading to Chadlington Road. I stopped here for a coffee.
From Cherwell Boathouse, I made my way to University Parks. I took Bardwell Road and Banbury Road and entered the park in the top left corner off of Norham Gardens. I enjoyed an hour or so walking the paths of this 74 acre site, including a walk along a footpath at the edge of the River Cherwell.
From the bottom left corner of University Parks, I joined Parks Road and walked in to the city. Oxford revolves around its prestigious university. Oxford University was established in the 12th century. The architecture of its thirty-eight colleges in the city’s medieval centre led poet Matthew Arnold to nickname it the 'City of Dreaming Spires'.
Before heading back to the railway station, I went to see two impressive buildings: the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera, both on Broad Street (OX1 3BG). I also had a quick look around the Ashmolean Museum (free entry).
The Bodleian Library is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 12 million items, it is the second-largest library in Britain after the British Library. The Radcliffe Camera was designed by James Gibbs in neo-classical style and built in 1737–49 to house the Radcliffe Science Library. More details of both can be found at:
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology on Beaumont Street (OX1 2NP) is the world's first university museum. More details can be found at:
