Oxford's Five Best Beer Gardens
Hurrah for al fresco drinking!
Feature
That’s it. Itchy’s bored of winter now. The time for sitting in
darkened rooms churning out pint pots like some kind of hideous booze
troll is over. Perhaps you want fresh air? Perhaps you want to smoke?
Maybe the sparkles on your parachute trousers only show up in
moonlight? Who knows? All we know is, sometimes you have to be outside.
Here are the 5 best Oxford beer gardens:
The Turf Tavern
Boasting three yards for both smokers and non, high Oxfordian walls surround The Turf like the gates of Mordor; not one for cavorting across lawns and gazing at flowers, but that’s sort of the point. Drinking there feels like you’ve been swallowed by Oxford only to find a pub in its belly. Awesome. What’s more, covers and braziers mean that you shouldn’t have to deal with both a hangover and The Sniffles the next morning (unless that person you snogged was as ill as they looked, in which case it’s your fault.)
The Victoria Arms
If you ever wanted to run through a meadow in slow motion and have a slightly pricy pint afterwards, this is the place to do it. Actually in Marston, The Viccy Arms is most easily accessible by punt from The Cherwell Boathouse. The pub itself is up a slope from the river, meaning patrons are graced not only with beautiful countryside views (cows) but somewhere fun to roll down. True, it’s a mission to get to, but nothing this good comes easy. And for Geoffrey’s sake go in the sunshine, when it rains it’s like something out of Wuthering Heights.
The Red Lion
The giant back yard of The Lion is so central and visible it acts as an enormous mantrap. Sure, you may think you’re popping out to buy an aubergine from the market, but what you’re actually doing is bumping into that guy you’ve been meaning to get in touch with for ages. And it’d be rude if you didn’t go in for one drink. So you sit there for the rest of the day pouring wallet-drainingly expensive pints into your face, trying to remember why you came out in the first place, before realising you actually don’t care.
The Trout
In Wolvercote, and so stretching the radius of “Oxford beer gardens” to near breaking point, we feel that it would be remiss of us not to mention The Trout. Accessible from Oxford across Port Meadow, once there you’ll find a long terrace garden hugging the side of the pub and looking out onto the Thames. It’s all waterfalls, quaint wooden bridges and floating students. The perfect place to bring a rich uncle you’re about to ask for a loan. Oh, and there’s a peacock that struts about as if it owns the place; a fact cool enough to make all previous comment irrelevant.
The King’s Arms
We know what you’re going to say: “But Itchy, Itchy! There’s no beer garden at The KA!” You’re right, there isn’t, but what there are are five (ever so exclusive) tables outside a nice ale drinking hole, at the centre of Oxford’s super postcard mega Morsified university powered tourist wet-dream area. See photo. It’s popular too, Friday night on that pavement’s like a cross between Boat Race night and a rave. Just make sure you don’t get over-excited and step backwards into traffic, the sight of you ketchupped across the front of The Bodleian is the last thing it needs, they’ve only just had the stonework done.
There you go, drinking outside Oxford style. Next month: Parks for White Lighting drinkers (not really.)
Jack Adams
The Turf Tavern
Boasting three yards for both smokers and non, high Oxfordian walls surround The Turf like the gates of Mordor; not one for cavorting across lawns and gazing at flowers, but that’s sort of the point. Drinking there feels like you’ve been swallowed by Oxford only to find a pub in its belly. Awesome. What’s more, covers and braziers mean that you shouldn’t have to deal with both a hangover and The Sniffles the next morning (unless that person you snogged was as ill as they looked, in which case it’s your fault.)
The Victoria Arms
If you ever wanted to run through a meadow in slow motion and have a slightly pricy pint afterwards, this is the place to do it. Actually in Marston, The Viccy Arms is most easily accessible by punt from The Cherwell Boathouse. The pub itself is up a slope from the river, meaning patrons are graced not only with beautiful countryside views (cows) but somewhere fun to roll down. True, it’s a mission to get to, but nothing this good comes easy. And for Geoffrey’s sake go in the sunshine, when it rains it’s like something out of Wuthering Heights.
The Red Lion
The giant back yard of The Lion is so central and visible it acts as an enormous mantrap. Sure, you may think you’re popping out to buy an aubergine from the market, but what you’re actually doing is bumping into that guy you’ve been meaning to get in touch with for ages. And it’d be rude if you didn’t go in for one drink. So you sit there for the rest of the day pouring wallet-drainingly expensive pints into your face, trying to remember why you came out in the first place, before realising you actually don’t care.
The Trout
In Wolvercote, and so stretching the radius of “Oxford beer gardens” to near breaking point, we feel that it would be remiss of us not to mention The Trout. Accessible from Oxford across Port Meadow, once there you’ll find a long terrace garden hugging the side of the pub and looking out onto the Thames. It’s all waterfalls, quaint wooden bridges and floating students. The perfect place to bring a rich uncle you’re about to ask for a loan. Oh, and there’s a peacock that struts about as if it owns the place; a fact cool enough to make all previous comment irrelevant.
The King’s Arms
We know what you’re going to say: “But Itchy, Itchy! There’s no beer garden at The KA!” You’re right, there isn’t, but what there are are five (ever so exclusive) tables outside a nice ale drinking hole, at the centre of Oxford’s super postcard mega Morsified university powered tourist wet-dream area. See photo. It’s popular too, Friday night on that pavement’s like a cross between Boat Race night and a rave. Just make sure you don’t get over-excited and step backwards into traffic, the sight of you ketchupped across the front of The Bodleian is the last thing it needs, they’ve only just had the stonework done.
There you go, drinking outside Oxford style. Next month: Parks for White Lighting drinkers (not really.)
Jack Adams
Tags
best |
beer garden |
pub |
Oxford |
gardens |
drinking |
