Amble to Eynsham

This past Saturday, Fi & I & some friends walked from Jericho, our neighborhood in Oxford, to the nearby village of Eynsham.  We'd gathered to send off our friend Nic, who'd just accepted a job in another town & required a nice to-do in Oxford before parting.  Our journey began on Victor St, where everyone (FMMC, Bev, Nic, & Jamie) met us around 11 a.m.

From there, we turned toward the canal crossing at the northwest corner of our hood, a few blocks from my apmt.  Once on the other side of the canal, we followed the Isis northward to Walton Well Road, which runs westward & dead-ends into Port Meadow.

Entering Port Meadow on the SE side, where the path begins, we headed across the southern tip.  This part of the meadow features cows.

Upon reaching the other side, we crossed a footbridge & turned upward to follow the river north.

Massive green trees, blooming wildflowers, & sculls stroking up & down the river, this part of the walk was very picturesque.

Onward we walked up the Thames River Path, accompanying the eastern bank of the river to the northern edge of the meadow, where the ruins of Godstow Nunnery reside just below Godstow Road.

Godstow's the turn-off for Wolvercote, Oxford's neighbor to the north & home of the region-famous Trout Inn, salubrious pub & vendor of delicious vittles.  We'd reserved a table there ahead of time for lunch.  Chalk one up for prudent planning.

I ordered pork belly, which was rested on a mound of creamy mashed potatoes & topped with crispy fried leeks, around which some kindly chef had drizzled a balsamic reduction.  Om nom to the extreme.

Washed down with a coupla pints of Brakspear, 'twas a very fine meal.  Fi & I are already scheming a
return.  Once the group'd finished eating, we continued our march up the Thames Path & encountered a few others out enjoying the riverbank:

& sparsely moored along the shoreline were more canal boats:

One of which looked quite welcoming:

What would a batch of photos be without at least one picture of Fi sticking out her tongue?

That's my girl.  I managed to squeeze in some close-ups of the wildflowers, a few of which turned out nicely:

 

By this point in the ramble we'd nearly reached Eynsham, roughly a 6-7 miles trek.  Not a bad day's work, really.  In order to enter into the village, we had to cross a set of canal locks:

& ultimately we reached our destination, Eynsham's own Arkell's pub, the Talbot Inn:

After a much-deserved pint of liquid refreshment, we bussed it back to Oxford, well-exercised & high-spirited.  Three cheers for a great Saturday!!