October in Oxford

In order to get out and do some exercise this weekend, I decided to have a quick blast around Oxford on the mountain bike. This was prompted mainly by articles in the latest edition of Oxford Today, one of which showed the newly revealed view of the Radcliffe Observatory.

From home I headed across Marston Ferry Road and onto the Banbury Road via the cycle path next to the school and on to Lynton Road. This tool me past Lynton Hotel. I don’t think I’ve been there since we used to members of Trumps, years ago.

On the Banbury Road I turned right into Rawlinsson Road and then left on to the Woodstock Road. Down past St Anne’s and there was the Radcliffe Observatory on the right. The front of the Radcliffe Infirmary was covered in scaffolding an plastic but all the old hospital buildings that used to surround it have been demolished. I headed down Little Clarendon Street and then up Walton Street, hoping for a better look. But in the end I had to stick the camera through a hole in a gate next to Freuds.

I wanted to head down to the Railway station via Port Meadow. It took me while to find the right road leading to Port Meadow, so I had a quick detour around Canal Street. From the car park on Port Meadow I headed along the footpath / cycle way down towards the station. I really like this track as there are the railway lines on one side providing the boys’ toys technical interest, while on the other side are the allotments and trees on the edge of the meadow and the canal providing a contrasting natural interest.

As I neared the station there was a very dramatic cloudscape going on:

Cycling past the station I practised my bunny hops over the speed bumps. Pushing down on the bars and then springing up and straightening my arms it was certainly easier to get the front wheel off the ground. Now all  I need to do is to get the back wheel up as well and make sure that as I pull the front wheel up it stays pointing forward. At the moment I seem to always pull the bars to one side or the other.

From the station I headed up Beaumont Street and into Broad Street. Then I dived into the torrent of tourists in Turl street to check out the Missing Bean coffee shop. This had also been in the Oxford Today so I thought I would see what it was like. There was certainly an inviting smell coming from the open door and it was heaving inside. I cycled on by and onto the High. Then back up the path next to St Mary the Virgin church and into Radcliffe Square, frightening a number of tourists as I went.

Then it was back into Broad Street briefly before turning right down Holywell Street and left into Mansfield Road. As I turned into Mansfield Road I could see a crane sticking out, above the university club. From the top of the crane a cage was suspended and it looked like two men were inside it. I looked back at the road briefly and then back at the crane, just in time to see something fall out of the cage towards the ground.

I noticed small groups of people watching something going on and as I neared the club I could see it was bungee jumping. What I had seen fall from the cage was a guy dressed in a tiger suit. The next one up was even more bizarrely attired:

Click on the image or here to watch the video.

From Mansfield Road I headed onto to South Parks Road, then across the parks via Parsons’ Pleasure and home.

9.1 miles in about 45minutes.

My route can be seen here and my photos here.