Sunday 7 September 2014

Four early morning walks in Oxford

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Note: 'Early' means before 7 am.

I had four early morning walks during my recent family holiday to Oxford. Walking in Oxford can be marvellous - or else made disappointing by dense crowds, the intrusions of sturdy beggars, and the sense of being walled-out-from so many gems.

But if you pick your places and times, and have a pilgrim's purpose - all these problems may be circumvented - and depth and richness of experience will be your reward.

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1. Christ Church Meadows


I began by walking from Jericho, cutting across to St Giles, down the Broad and past the Radcliffe Camera (as featured in the Notion Club Papers) to the Magdalen end of the Meadows, looping around to the Christ Church end.

The Meadows are one of the loveliest spots in England when you have them to yourself on a summer morning. I men only one other person. There is the natural beauty of the river, and also looking across at the beauty of the old colleges lined-up across the top of the meadows, and reflecting on the fundamental spiritual health of early generations who built them.

I came back to Jericho via the canal from Hythe Bridge, and past numerous (some astonishingly scruffy) houseboats.

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2. The Parks and St Cross churchyard


The Parks are surrounded by the Science labs and research units of the university, and centred on the cricket grounds. They are very pleasant - especially at the far end where there is a view across the River Cherwell to summer pastures and the possibility of a diversion to really rural countryside.

Alternatively, from another corner of the Parks one can reach Mesopotamia - a narrow strip 'between two rivers' - actually a spit of land dividing the Cherwell. It was a favourite route for the Lewis brothers between the home in Headington Quarry and Magdalen College.

However, this day I went to St Cross Churchyard to visit the grave of Charles Williams (and Hugo Dyson and Kenneth Grahame). It is a gorgeously verdant, overgrown backwater - very quiet at this time of day.

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3. Port Meadow Willow Walk


This is a very pleasing narrow, streamside walk leading-out onto Port Meadow from Jericho. It goes to an excellent spot beside the River Thames, the rather OTT-named 'Rainbow Bridge' and a great view back across Port Meadow and out towards The Trout at Wolvercote (an Inklings pub).


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4. The suburbs of North Oxford


This might not have a wide appeal; but I had a wonderfully enjoyable Victorian suburban morning walk that began with visiting Tolkien's two houses in Northmoor Road in its route zig-zagged past broad leafy residential streets, most of the women's colleges, the Dragon School and into The Parks (again) via the Lady Margaret Hall entrance - crossing the dewy grass and ducking under trees next to the cricket square, and by various means to Blackwell’s bookshop.


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NOTE: The above photos of the places I walked were taken from Google Images - acknowledgement and thanks are due to the gifted photographers who made them.

5 comments:

Adam G. said...

I love these posts. Keep them coming.

Samson J. said...

I enjoyed these. Everyone in my family knows that I LOVE going for walks; it's such a simple thing and yet it's so wonderful...

Rich said...

Really enjoying the photos, Bruce. Beautiful!

Bruce Charlton said...

@alex - I should have made clear that *these* photos were illustrations I selected from the internet.

When I go on early morning walks the last thing I would want to do is take photos (with the exception of that 'selfie' of me at Charles Williams's grave I published a couple of weeks ago).

I have always found that the act of taking a photo (or a video) takes me *out* of the environment, and makes me a spectator - cuts-off my animistic participation...

Rich said...

Bruce, I am the same way. I find it too distracting and the pictures are never as good as I remember the moment being anyway. However, for some, picture taking seems to be quite meditative and a way to connect loved ones to your day. My father in law is a fine example of this. He is very quick and natural about his picture taking and when they are later revealed they evoke story after story that he might not have otherwise shared.

Though on the whole, I fully agree with you. Everyone having a camera phone in their pocket is an awful nightmare.