A walking guide to Port Meadow: from Jericho to Binsey and back
Port Meadow is not, strictly speaking, a park. It is a 300-acre stretch of grazed floodplain on the western edge of Oxford that has, according to the Domesday Book, never been ploughed. Horses and cattle wander it freely under ancient commoners' rights. In winter parts of it flood and freeze, and skaters appear on the ice. In summer it bakes gold and the river fills with swimmers. It is, by some way, the best place to walk within easy reach of central Oxford.
The route, in brief
The classic loop starts in Jericho — the canalside neighbourhood just north of the city centre — and runs out across the meadow to Binsey, returning along the Thames towpath. It is roughly four miles, takes between an hour and a half and two hours at an ambling pace, and involves no climbing whatsoever. The going is grass and gravel; in wet months, mud.
Step by step
- Enter the meadow at Walton Well Road. There is a small gravel car park; do not rely on getting a space at weekends.
- Aim diagonally across the open grass towards the line of trees on the far western edge. You will see the squat tower of St Barnabas behind you and, ahead, the thatched roofs of Binsey hamlet.
- Join Binsey Lane and follow it past the Perch pub down to St Margaret's Church and the treacle well at the very end.
- Return by the riverside path along the Thames, passing Bossoms Boatyard and the allotments, and re-entering the meadow at Medley.
What to look for
- The horses. Mostly cobs and ponies belonging to local commoners. They are used to walkers but should be given space, especially with foals.
- The geese. In winter, vast numbers of Greylag and Canada geese roost on the floodwater. Dawn and dusk are extraordinary.
- The skyline. Looking back east, the city's spires sit in profile — Magdalen Tower, the Radcliffe Camera dome, St Mary the Virgin. It is the view Turner painted.
What to wear
Sensible footwear in any season. The meadow is genuinely flat, but it floods, and the towpath after rain is generously muddy. Even in summer, the river side of the loop runs cool; bring a thin layer.
Where to stop
Halfway round, at Binsey, St Margaret's Church and the treacle well are worth a quiet half hour. For lunch, the Perch is the obvious answer — thatched garden, wood fires, the kind of long Sunday lunch the English do extremely well. A little further on, the Trout Inn at Godstow makes a fine extension if you have the legs for an extra mile.
Best time to go
Early mornings in late spring are unbeatable: low sun, mist on the river, the horses quiet, the city not yet awake. Autumn afternoons run a close second. Avoid the meadow after very heavy rain unless you actively enjoy wading.
Back to the journal index, or read about the church and the treacle well.