In the footsteps of Morse and Lewis

Date: Bank Holiday Monday, 4th June 2012
Route: Oxford Circular along River Isis, Port Meadow, Oxford Canal and River Cherwell
Distance: 9 miles

To make the most of today's Bank Holiday we chose a very flat and easy walk from the Time Out Book of Country Walks Volume 1, which is accurately described as less of a country walk and more of a day out in Oxford. The walk combines three separate sections alongside different waterways on the outskirts of the city before returning to the centre and weaving its way between university colleges.

Although there is a substantial section on tarmac roads and pavements at the end of the walk, it can get pretty muddy and wet in places by the rivers and in Port Meadow, so waterproof shoes are definitely needed.

The walk starts behind Oxford railway station and quickly joins the Thames Path alongside the fast-flowing River Isis, which broadens out with great views across the meadows. Once past Godstow Lock and the ruins of Godstow Nunnery, the route passes the Trout Inn, which is vaguely familiar from multiple episodes of Inspector Morse and Lewis (I'm sure I've seen an episode where a girl's body is recovered near a bridge that we walked over today!).

Then, it's into the lovely though waterlogged Port Meadow, carpeted with buttercups and daisies, picking your way between cows, mud and puddles, over another bridge to the Plough Inn, then on to the Oxford Canal towpath. The towpath passes bridges, barges and clumps of irises, heading back towards Oxford and you can end the walk after the canal section if you do not want to do the more urban section around the colleges.

If you do want to include the college section, there is another river section, this time passing punts on the Cherwell before entering the University Parks and emerging into the university area near Keble College. From there you pass various museums - the Pitt Rivers, the Ashmolean and the Museum of Oxford - as well as the beautiful college buildings of Balliol, New, Queen's, Magdalen, Merton, Christ Church and many more.

This walk is a great mixture of town and country, greenery and history, peaceful waterside paths and busy streets - it may be flat, but it's not boring. A very attractive, highly recommended walk around a historic city.