Port Meadow
About 4km one way from Walton Well Road to Godstow along the Thames Path · Entirely flat elevation
About
A vast flat common on the north-west edge of the city, recorded in the Domesday Book and never ploughed since, where cattle and horses still graze free between the Thames and the railway line. Locals use it the way other cities use a beach: evening walks, wild swimming from the river bank in summer, birdwatching over the winter floods. The Thames Path runs along its western edge to the ruins of Godstow Abbey, with the thatched Perch at Binsey and the Trout at Wolvercote as the two classic pub stops. Access on foot from Walton Well Road or Aristotle Lane in Jericho. In winter the meadow floods and turns into a shallow lake full of wildfowl, spectacular to look at and genuinely impassable in parts, so keep to the Thames Path after wet weather.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Common grazing land recorded in the Domesday Book
- ✓The Thames Path to Godstow Abbey's ruins
- ✓Summer swimming and evening picnics
- ✓Winter floods that draw big flocks of wildfowl
Tips
- →Keep dogs under close control; cattle and horses graze loose across the whole meadow.
- →After sustained rain the meadow floods; the Thames Path stays the reliable line, with proper footwear.
- →The Perch at Binsey and the Trout at Wolvercote are the two pub rewards, both best booked at busy times.
