Date spot in Oxford
Pitt Rivers and the Museum of Natural History
Walk under the iron and glass roof of the Museum of Natural History, past the dinosaurs and the dodo, and through to the crammed, dimly lit cases of the Pitt Rivers.
Parks Road
Address: South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PP- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Why it's a good date: Two free museums in one visit, and the Pitt Rivers is gloriously odd: there's something strange in every drawer. A perfect rain plan.
Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
More from our Oxford guide
Christ Church Meadow
St Aldate's or Rose Lane, city centre
Address: St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DP- Outdoors
- Free
- Romantic
Walk the loop round Christ Church Meadow, down Poplar Walk to the Thames, along the river and back by the Cherwell, with the college towers above the trees.
Why it's a good date: Countryside two minutes from the High Street, often with longhorn cattle grazing in the middle. Watch the rowers on the river, and finish at the Botanic Garden next door.
Photo: Txllxt TxllxT, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Port Meadow and the Trout
From Walton Well Road, Jericho, to Godstow Road, Wolvercote
Address: The Trout Inn, 195 Godstow Road, Wolvercote, Oxford OX2 8PN- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Cosy
Walk across Port Meadow, open common land where horses and cattle roam, and up the Thames Path to the Trout Inn at Wolvercote for a drink by the weir.
Why it's a good date: Big skies and wide water barely a mile from the centre, with a riverside pub as the reward. Go for sunset on a summer evening, when the meadow glows.
Photo: AstacopsisGouldi, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
University of Oxford Botanic Garden
Rose Lane, by Magdalen Bridge
Address: Rose Lane, Oxford OX1 4AZ- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Romantic
Wander Britain's oldest botanic garden, from the walled beds to the glasshouses full of carnivorous plants and water lilies, under Magdalen's tower.
Why it's a good date: Quiet and lovely in any season, and the glasshouses are a warm escape in winter. Watch the punts from the riverside wall.
