Christchurch Meadows

A wonderful place to walk whatever the weather. Best of all is the stretch of river alongside, where you can see the university rowing teams practice, while feeding the ducks and geese that hang around on the riverbank.

Home to the University boat houses and edged by the river, Christ Church Meadow is situated at the bottom of St Aldates. The well established paths lead you around the meadow, passing livestock on the lower sections, and sports fields on the upper. Our Oxford offices nominated this as one of their favourite places to go for a walk. Lovely.

Lovely place for a lunch time walk… or an evening walk… or a 6am walk if you’re a rower!
Grass areas and benches to sit on. No bikes allowed in the park so you’ll have to leave them lock up outside, but plenty of space. Great for a picnic, but beware in the evenings that you don’t get locked in! Gates shut at sunset/8.30pm.

ChristChurch meadow is as beautiful as it sounds, the main entrance on St Aldate’s is slightly further down from the entrance to the college itself. One side of the college faces on to the meadow and makes for a picturesque backdrop. With acres of space, you can take a picnic, play some sport or just wander! Make sure you leave before the gates close though.

Choose a long, hot summer day (if we ever get another one)....

...take the Salters Steamer from Abingdon into Oxford. Refresh yourself and gird your loins at the ‘Head of the River’, then take a leisurely stroll through Christchurch Meadow…

It’s beautiful, quiet, and completely unspoilt by the city around it.

Take a loved one, sit on the grass and just watch the world go by.

The perfect summer day, and the perfect place to sit and escape the daily grind. Lovely.

I just love finding big empty spaces in bustling cities and Christ Church meadow is a particularly beautiful example. It seems pretty unspoilt and natural, although it can get pretty busy in summer. It’s best first thing in the morning or just before dusk, when the sun can be seen rising or setting over the countryside or the magnificent backdrop of Christ Church.

The Cherwell and Isis surround it and there’s no better way to spend a summer day in Oxford than to take a picnic and laze around by the river in the sun watching the cows graze.

There are various rules, such as no bikes, which adds to the tranquility, but also serves as a reminder that this isn’t actually a piece of wilderness, but a controlled tourist area in Oxford. Still, the rules seem sensible and considerate towards the wildlife. I’m really grateful the college hasn’t tried to commercialise the meadow at all.

You can access the meadow through the Memorial Garden on St Aldates, a gate next to the Botanic Gardens or a gate between Merton and Corpus Christi on Meron Lane. Make sure you don’t get locked in after sunset!

Christchurch Meadows has to be one of my favourite places in Oxford. The meadows are particularly nice in early September (when the tourists have died down, the students are still on holiday and the weather is still reasonable!). A great place to have a picnic or walk along the river and watch the punts go by.

There are a few entrances to the meadows, the main entrance behind Christ Church college is probably the easiest to find, but if you have some dawdling time, try entering through the Rose Lane entrance. This will take yout through the botanical gardens and up through the south of the meadows, past the punters and the cricket pitches. It's free for students to enter the botanical gardens but i think there is a £2 or 3 entry fee for everyone else.

The best way to experience this part of Oxford is with a bottle of wine and a nice picnic on a warm summers evening. The views of the Oxford colleges are amazing. This is one of those places you can never get tired of.