Port
Meadow lies to the Northwest of the City of Oxford and is both a SSSI and
scheduled monument. It is the largest
area of Common land in Oxford covering in excess of 400 acres. The River Thames runs along its Western
perimeter..
The entrance
closest to the better bird watching areas is to the South and accessed via
Walton Well Road or Aristotle Lane. Being
nearer to the centre of Oxford beware of very heavy commuter traffic during the
week. There is a car park at the end of
Walton Well Road. Alternatively for
those who enjoy a good walk the Meadows can be accessed from the Northern
entrance in Godstow, Wolvercote, situated on the outskirts of the City.
There is unrestricted access to the whole site but please
note Commoners still exercise their grazing rights. The winter floods attract large
flocks of wildfowl and a good variety/number of waders. It is also a good site
for migrating birds; gulls and terns. For
reasonable views a spotting scope is essential as the Meadow is quite a large
open area offering very little in the way of cover.