Woodstock Road and Port Meadow to Wolvercote

By this point, you have concluded the tour of the main sights of the university and the town. Should you wish to go further, you can continue walking all the way north on Woodstock Road past the Radcliff Infirmary on your left which is Oxford’s oldest hospital and the setting of the scene in the last episode of the Inspector Morse series in which Morse passes away. A twelve minute walk past some of the most glorious horse chestnut trees that are especially lovely in the spring time when their candle-like flowers paint the trees white, will bring you to Southmoor Road on which you make a left. At the end of Southmoor Road, you make a right, cross the narrow bridge over the railway lines and the Oxford Canal and cross a wide field called Port Meadow that will bring you to the opposite banks of the River Isis which is a tributary of the Thames.

Some of the most picturesque scenes in all of Oxford will confront you on this extended walk away from the city and into the very heart of the Oxfordshire countryside. You will see loads of wild bird life on the river banks, a number of house boats that are moored on the river (that will evoke scenes from Inpsector Morse episodes), herds of cattle (cows and oxen) that gave the city its name all those centuries ago, a number of horses and, depending on the time of day, vast numbers of crew teams practicing their sport on the river to the loud encouragement of their rowing coaches. These typically Oxford vignettes can only be experienced if you decide to get out of the city and, time and energy permitting, I would certainly recommend it. Annalisa’s adorable sons Giovanni and Giacomo (below)  accompanied us ontheir bikes as we took one such walk on a delightful spring evening.

About an hour later, walking over a very narrow footpath cut into the river bank, you will pass the Godstow Lock that regulates the level of water in the river and permits the safe passage of river craft. The Keeper of the Lock is in-charge of ensuring the smooth working of the device though rowers play their part as well in keeping the system working. At the very end of the path, you will arrive at a dead end on a very narrow street. You are now in the town of Wolvercote and on your right, you will see the red and white striped umbrellas that cluster around the very famous Trout Inn, scene, once again, of an Inspector Morse episode in which Morse and Lewis are poised above the wier that cascades like a small waterfall down into the river, under Godstow Bridge as the river flows towards Oxford.

 The Trout Inn located at 195 Godstow Road in Wolvercote is certainly worth a visit. Morse and Lewis often stopped there though they approached the Inn from the Wolvercote Rotary on the other side of the inn. The “Wolvercote Tongue” is also the name of an episode in the Inspector Morse series involving the disappearance of a rather valuable artifact from the Ashmolean Museum. Named after the town of Wolvercote, the artifact was supposed to have been excavated in this part of Oxford.

By this point in your walking tour, it will probably be dinner time and the inn serves magnificent gourmet meals and some really good cocktails. I settled for Pimms and Lemonade which I was assured was “a Trout Inn, Oxford and Summer tradition” and found it to be very refreshing indeed. Cozy up with your drinks by the river bank in the company of a friend and watch proud peacocks (yes peacocks!) strut past. It was my pleasure in the summer of 2006 to be introduced to this bewitching part of Oxford by my former Exeter College classmate Annalisa Oboe who was in the city with her adorable sons Giovanni and Giacomo during a sabbatical from the University of Padua in Italy where she is a Professor of English. As fellow Oxford lovers, we found little to be disappointed about on our two hour hike from Oxford to Wolvercote and a drink at The Trout Inn was a perfectly comforting way to end our day together.

For those interested in the history of The Trout Inn, it is one of England’s oldest hostelries, built originally in 1133 as a hospice to serve Godstow Nunnery that can be seen in a ruined state on the opposite side of Trout Island. With its ancient stone walls, and stonesfield slated roof, leaded windows and great oak beams, flagged floors and massive fireplaces that are always lit in the winter, it is arguably Oxford’s most atmospheric and hospitable inn. Matthew Arnold certainly knew it and in 1862, Lewis Carroll first conceived of and read extracts from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” to Alice Liddel and her sisters on their river outings to Godstow which means “God’s”Place”.

There is no need to worry about walking back for another hour as, replete from some wonderful eating and drinking, you can take a bus back to Oxford city center from the main road in Wolvercote.

As you nurse your drink, the light will dim and you will, no doubt, spend many a pensive moment thinking about all the treasures you will have encountered during the course of your eventful walking tour of Oxford. While the curtain comes down on yet another glorious day in one of England’s oldest and most evocative cities, you will no doubt wish to return to explore some more wonders of this delightful place. Trust me when I assure you that you will find something fascinating to see and do each time you return to this magical place that Matthew Arnold caled the “City of Dreaming Spires”.

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