🌳 A Natural Meadow in the Heart of Oxford

Just a short walk from Oxford City Center lies Port Meadow—a natural grazing land that has remained uncultivated and undeveloped since the 10th century. 🦬🫏🐄🐎 Here, you can magically witness horses and cattle grazing and rolling freely 🐎🌾, swans and ducks gliding across the water 🦢🦆, wild grass and trees growing untamed 🌿🌳, and unpaved dirt and gravel paths winding through the landscape. There are no manicured flower beds nor fences… Everything remains raw, wild, and untouched. A thousand years have passed, yet no colleges, landmarks, or real estate have been built here. Preserving such an untouched blank space in the heart of the city is a luxury. It’s a home for wildlife 🦆🍃, and also a place where humans can deeply reconnect with nature. In summer, people enjoy paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing 🚣‍♀️, wild swimming 🏊‍♂️, running, dog-walking, meditating 🧘‍♀️, and cycling along the river 🚴. In winter, some even skate on the frozen lake ⛸️… Both people and animals exist here in a state of utter ease and freedom. I brought mung bean soup, spicy tripe salad, and grilled chicken wings for a riverside dinner 🍲🌅, and was rewarded with a magnificent sunset. 🌄 By the time we left at 10 PM, an elderly man had come to feed the swans. He stood by the water, waved, and a group of swans swam toward him—a familiar ritual. Though it was already dark, my child didn’t want to leave. He said, “If we had brought a tent 🏕️, we wouldn’t have to go home.” On our way back, I reflected on why I love this place so much—despite its inconveniences, discomforts, mosquitoes 🦟, and what some may call “dirt.” Whenever I am in vast, open wilderness, I feel a deep sense of peace. It reminds me of the concept of wabi-sabi 🍂🪑: why do imperfect, humble, and coarse things often bring such profound calm and comfort? The roughness in wabi-sabi isn’t mere decay—it’s a restrained, time-worn trace of nature. It stands in quiet contrast to the polished, symmetric, industrial products of modern life. In our high-pressure, efficiency-obsessed world, we subconsciously crave less control and less perfection—whether in nature or in aesthetic appreciation. The natural and the rustic emit no “information noise.” They call us back to a simpler, more authentic state of being—perhaps even echoing our ancient genetic memory. 🧠🌌 #LifeInTheUK #Oxford #WetlandPark #Swans #HarmonyWithNature #HumansAndNature #UrbanNomad #CloseToWildlife 🦢🌾🧡