Port Meadow
Port Meadow is about 300 acres of open common beside the River Thames on Oxford's north-west edge, running from Jericho to Wolvercote. Grazed by horses, cattle and geese under rights recorded in the Domesday Book, it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the best walks in the city.
Photos
Leeds Reyner
An ancient landscape
Legend says the meadow has never been ploughed in around 4,000 years. Oxford's Freemen have held the right to graze animals here free of charge since at least the Domesday Book of 1086, and horses, cattle and geese still roam the open grass. That long history of grazing is why rare plants survive here and why it is protected as an SSSI.
Walking the meadow
Paths follow the Thames north towards Wolvercote and Godstow, where the meadow becomes Wolvercote Common. It is flat, open and good for birdwatching, and after winter floods it can turn into a vast shallow lake; in a hard freeze people have skated on it. It also has an Alice link: Lewis Carroll's famous 1862 boat trip with the Liddell girls rowed upriver this way towards Godstow. It is also popular with birdwatchers, as many species can be seen across the open grass and water.
Getting there
Walk in from Walton Well Road in Jericho, or from the south along the Thames Path or Roger Dudman Way near the station. Allow a couple of hours for a loop, and time it with lunch at a riverside pub at Binsey or Wolvercote.
Highlights
- About 300 acres of ancient common land
- Grazing horses, cattle and geese
- Site of Special Scientific Interest
- Thames Path walks to Godstow and Wolvercote
- Link to the Alice in Wonderland boat trip
Good to know
- Floods in winter, so wear boots after rain.
- Free access; enter at Walton Well Road or from the Thames Path.
- Animals graze freely, so keep dogs under control.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: en.wikipedia.org