Whether you’re procrastinating before your prelims or can now relax blissfully guilt-free in a post-Finals haze, Port Meadow is the place to be. It’s basically a park, but a really nice park: you can swim, you can eat, you can go for a pint, you can indulge in bird watching. A park with thrills, if you like. A park to beat all parks.
Admittedly, we haven’t tried swimming in the river – it looks far too cold and uninviting. But we hear it’s all the rage when it’s sunny and people are in need of a bracing dip (or a post-trashing clean off).
It’s not often you get to swim outdoors in England, and rarely in such a scenic spot. The blazing sun may have disappeared for now, but if you think you’re brave enough, jump on in anyway. Or just stick your feet in – whatever floats your boat (and if you actually fancy floating a boat, there are plenty of punts to rent). One tripadvisor user commented, ‘Always a nice walk following the river and watching students making fools of themselves’, so try not to disappoint her.
There are many different anecdotes that concern this spot where in the golden old days dons could bathe naked and enjoy the sunrise. One of the most famous concerns Maurice Bowra, the warden at Wadham for 32 years. When sunbathing naked with friends he was confronted by the spectacle of many women punting upstream. Worried and in haste the other men used their hats to cover their dignity, but Bowra covered his face remarking, ‘I will cover what they know me by.’
Barbecues and picnics are more our style, and generous jugs of Pimm’s or lashings of ginger beer (although a pint in The Perch doesn’t go amiss). It’s easy to feel like you’re in the countryside, as this is the largest area of common land in Oxford. Bring a Frisbee; bring a rounder’s set. Don’t bring your book pile, because you will inevitably ignore it; who are you kidding? Go for a walk or something instead – getting fresh air is good for your brain. Port Meadow is nice in the daytime but also lovely as the sun sets, so settle in for dinner al fresco.
So this summer, if the sun comes out, Cherwell Lifestyle advises you to round up your friends, jump on your bike and head for Port Meadow. As you recline in the soft grass and look up through the branches blowing gently in the breeze, your cares will fly away and you’ll real- ize: this is what Oxford summers are meant to be like. The rain will inevitably start up again and chase you back to the library, but that’s the English summer for you.
