Date spot in Oxford

Port Meadow and the Trout

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.

The River Thames running beside the flat green expanse of Port Meadow under a clear blue sky

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

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)

More from our Oxford guide

  • A path through flowering borders in the Botanic Garden, with Magdalen College's tower rising above the trees

    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.

  • A covered market avenue with a greengrocer's stall of fruit and veg under a glass and timber roof

    The Covered Market

    Market Street, between the High and Cornmarket

    Address: Market Street, Oxford OX1 3DZ
    • Café
    • Rain-proof ☔
    • Cheap and cheerful
    • Foodie

    Graze your way round the old market hall off the High Street, with its butchers, bakers, cake shops and little cafés.

    Why it's a good date: Cheap, cheerful and dry, with lunch for two that costs very little. Pick something sweet each and share.

  • The Turf Tavern's dark wooden bar with beer pumps and a wall of pump clips under low beams

    Turf Tavern

    Bath Place, off Holywell Street, by the Bridge of Sighs

    Address: 4-5 Bath Place, Oxford OX1 3SU
    • Bar
    • Cheap and cheerful
    • Dog friendly
    • Cosy

    Find your way down the narrow alleys off Holywell Street to the old pub tucked behind the college walls, with low beams and beer gardens on three sides.

    Why it's a good date: Half the fun is finding it. Cosy inside in winter, and the courtyards are lovely on a summer evening.

From our guide to date ideas in Oxford

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