I'd lived in Oxford for years before I found Cutteslowe Park. Don't make the same mistake. It is a…read morewonderful park on the northern outskirts of the city. There is a children's play area, mini-golf, tennis courts to hire, a small avairy, amazing model steam trains that you can sit behind and whizz round the little track. There is a duck pond. There are football pitches and a basketball court. The top field is windy and great for kiteflying. There is also a mile circut marked out do the energetic can run round and know how far they've gone. You can get there by car - the car park is at the end of Harbord road. By bike - you can follow the bike path through the back roads of Summertown and over the specially built bike bridge that goes over the ring road. By bus - take a number 20 or a number 7 towards Kidlington and get off at Harbord Road.

A brilliant place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Don't fall into the trap of thinking it's just for…read morekids - students and adults can still enjoy having a picnic together, going for a walk or just chilling out with an ice cream and a book. I reckon it's the best place in Oxford for flying a kite and it's not bad for running either, although I prefer the proximity of the University Parks or the canal. It's certainly very useful for timing yourself if you've got targets you want to beat, and it's lovely to cycle there, go for a run, relax a bit and then head back.

Though Salter's Steamers runs boat tours and boat taxis they also rent boats for you to do the work…read moreyourself. I advance-booked a 3-hour (half-day) punt with a 5-person capacity at a cost of £50 for a party of 2. Given the effort punting requires I wished I'd had a party of 5. I'm certain there's other places to rent punts to traverse the Thames but Salter's Steamers is easily found beside the Folly Bridge beside which sits a popular pub which you'll be immensely grateful for when you, bathed in sweat, finish punting. Getting in and getting going was simple and the guy manning the little waterfront hut was adequate in explaining how to proceed. I was thankful he threw in an oar at the last minute as it helps immensely if one person punts while the other rows. I imagine anyone providing punts offers pretty much the same service as Salter's Steamers did. There wasn't anything to like or dislike though I'll say that reserving in advance as I did was probably completely unnecessary and a little map would've been nice. It'd be almost impossible to get lost but understanding where one is headed and visually seeing the distances between points would be a welcome inclusion. It's Oxford and it's the Thames; punt away!

HIGHLY recommended! I decided on a whim to take the boat taxi from Abingdon to Oxford one day after…read morework. It was a 2 hour trip through multiple locks up the Thames. I absolutely loved every minute of it. Bonus... they sell beer too! Tourist or just wanting to leisurely enjoy a nice afternoon in the river... do it!

This is a delightful spot to begin a walk by the river or to sit and watch the boats and the world…read morego by. Park on the lane and walk down a narrow fenced path to the lock. When the river is high, the water rushing through the weir is very impressive. Then cross the lock to an area with seats and access to the towpath. There are a couple of little bridges children enjoy running over, and lots of ducks, swans and geese to feed. In the summer especially, there are boats going through the lock, staffed by a lock-keeper. There's a kiosk which sells teas and snacks in the summer (at least). My elderly mum and I were served a lovely cream tea there on a summer afternoon. Perfect!

This is a stunning club which is part of the Q Hotel Oxford Belfry. The staff are really friendly…read moreand helpful. That's always the deal with hotel clubs - you get hotel levels of service. The pool is a delight and because the club is part of a spa you get nice touches like ice fountains and experiential showers. Additional Information:

I love parks, so I love finding new ones in Oxford. Of course this isn't new, but it's one of the…read morelesser known areas, especially as it's so close to the open South Parks. Ignore the ominous hedges and gates and take a step into this great little place. You can pop in during a lunch break and share your sarnie with the curious little birds who hop around begging for crumbs. If you're in a hurry, try avoiding the traffic and noise of the city by walking through the park and connecting to other parks (try the Mesopotamia concrete path to University Parks). If you have the time, the best thing to do is to just stroll through the trees, enjoying the glimpses of buildings like the magnificent Islamic Instutute and Headington Hill Hall - the 19th century mansion whose private gardens used to be situated in the park. There's all manner of unusual trees and plants, which I find interesting even though I have no idea what they are. Look out for the tree near the Marston Road entrance that has been struck by lightning but is still stubbornly spewing out branches. It's much nicer than South Parks - even the occasional bits of graffiti are hippie style peace and love words. It's free, it's pretty, it's good to chill out in.

When in Oxford go punting! During the final days of my trip to Oxford I had a difficult decision to…read morego to London or enjoy the afternoon in Oxford. Going punting was a great choice! In the beginning, my group was split in to 2 boats. Both punting boats had trouble staying straight. That's what he said. The boating system relies on a long stick pushing on the floor of the canal. Think of a gondola only with out the singing. The difficulty is using the pole to steer the boat. Against your instincts you must steer the tale in the direction you want to go and not the way you think it will go. Let's just say one boat was going in circles and the boat house owner didn't look amused. I got suck in a tree trying to avoid the other group boats. A tip don't fight the water let the water take you. Push it real good! We had some vary embarrassing moments captured on photos and instagram but it added to the fun on the experience. It was great for team building and nobody fell in. When all desperation was high and hope was lost. We pushed forward because our goal was to find a place to get drinks. The one person with some boat knowledge and paid attention during the punting instructions became our leader. We did get 2 large Pimms pitchers once we reached our destination. So worth it! Don't worry I was a designated punter so I didn't drink too much. Surprisingly after drinking and relaxing punting is a lot easier. Despite embarrassment we all had a great laugh and memorable stories to tell of our adventure. I highly recommend punting with friends if weather permits.

This is a must-do activity when in Oxford and I cannot recommend it enough!…read more Punting has a long tradition in Oxford and this boathouse has been connected to Magdalen college since its conception. This gives the place a rich history, and it can be seen as you travel along the river. this is actually the second time I have gone punting at this place this year, and both times we have had a wonderful experience. The staff at the boathouse are all very busy but always friendly and approachable. There is a high turnover of people getting in and off boats, but there is never the feeling that we are cattle being moved around and having money taken form us. There is still a personal element to it which is very nice. The owner of the boathouse has been working both days I have been, and he is an incredibly friendly man who recommended buying champagne and strawberries to enjoy the punting more. On the second time of punting he actually remembered us. This is a subtle yet very important point as he must see hundreds of customers a day but he remembered me 3 months later. That was a very nice touch. For those interested in punting, you have two options: Sit back and enjoy your own guide to punt you and your friends/significant other around the scenery. OR Punt yourself! We chose the second option and had such a fun time! I obviously was amazing at punting being a sort of veteran by now, but others just couldn't seem to nail the technique. Both outcomes led to a very relaxing float down the river in the figure of 8 loop mapped out. If it is sunny, and you want to treat yourselves to an hour or two of champagne and relaxation, come down here and get on the river!

A little gem of a park, they have someting for every one…read more For the little ones they have all the standard play equipment, slides, swings roundabouts and playhouse, these things are also suitable for the not so little, they have a couple of concrete ramps for skateboards and scooters which they love, there is a huge climbing rock with cups and holds to climb it's not that high maybe 2m high its more wide with three faces to climbe. For teens they have 3 tennis courts (i tink they also give lessons) and a large feild for football. only little let down no toilets, but they do have a hall so would make a great place to hire for a party as you'd have facilitiues to use.

Great place for adventurous children…read more There's a skateboard park(though I think they didn't get the funding to replace it so it may be on it's way out), a rope swing and aerial runway, a BIG slide and some things for smaller people as well.