Simons Land, Oxford Preservation Trust

Simons Land is owned and managed by the Oxford Preservation Trust. It was a lovely sunny day when I visited the site. Once I’d found the entrance and read the noticeboard I opened the gate and walked in to a wonderful welcome.The greenery and the strong blue of the river were so beautiful it felt like I’d been smacked in the face.The entrance to the site also happens to be its highest point which seems to make it easy to appreciate the site in its entirety whilst underlining just how small it is. Simons Land is tiny, just half an acre.North Hinksey Nature reserve is roughly the same size as Simons Land but its trees, bushes and orchard mean that visitors can’t see the whole site in one go. They have to walk through it to find out where its boundaries are and discover its main features.Simons Land has a wooden walkway that weaves its way down to the river - very much like the one at Lye Valley nature reserve although the latter seems to be made of plastic imitation wood. The walkway makes it possible for visitors to avoid having to wade through the site’s boggy patches. They can take a leisurely amble down to the river without worrying about getting mud on their shoes and clothes let alone sinking into the mire. The walkway probably seems bigger than it is because of the smallness of the site.There’s a wooden park bench at the top of the site and another at the bottom. By the river bank there’s a wicker style fence. The noticeboard calls them hazel screens allowing visitors to watch wildlife without disturbing what they are doing.It would be easy spending a long time enjoying this site. The more time visitors spend here the more they could focus on and enjoy its many features. It may be a small site but this is more than compensated for by its beauty. But, even in such a paradise, electricity pylons and their multiple cables can be seen on the other aside of the river. These may even be the ones from Botley mentioned in the review of North Hinksey?The noticeboard informs visitors that the Oxford Preservation Trust was, “Founded in 1927 to save the dreaming spires view, we now own over 900 acres in and around Oxford.” Oxford city council proclaims that it manages 800 acres of the city’s greenery - although it is not known how much of this the council actually owns.The OPT deserves a lot of praise for diversifying from its original objective and for the work it has done on this site.

Beautiful quiet place by the river

Beautiful...