Wolvercote Goose Green

Goose Green, Wolvercote, should not be confused with Wolvercote Green, Wolvercote Common nor Wolvercote Hurst. These are four separate areas - no matter that, in the past, they may well have been a unitary area.Goose Green’s southern boundary is the Godstow Road. The western boundary is the Oxford canal. The eastern boundary is a bridlepath some of which runs parallel to Goose Green Close. The northern boundary is likely to be Wolvercote Leys Road. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to explore all of the northern part of this site.This is one of those green areas where visitors’ first impression is a large circular grassy area surrounded by trees. Most visitors will suspect the trees have been planted primarily to reduce the visibility of any ugly buildings just outside the site.It would be a serious error, however, to dismiss Goose Green so easily. The trees around the grassy area are not a facade but the front edge of semi-wild wooded areas.The western boundary adjacent to the Oxford Canal has a semi-wild wooded area.There is also a semi-wild wooded area along the southern boundary, the Godstow Road. It also has a stream and path running through it.The eastern boundary is mostly composed of a bridlepath, a part of which runs parallel to Goose Green Close.Beyond the tree line on the northern boundary is the biggest area of semi-wild woodland. I’m afraid, I didn’t have the time (ok energy) to get very far into this woodland. Quite how extensive it is I can’t say. I suspect it could be woodland right up to Wolvercote Leys Road.One of the most well known definitions of a wilderness area is where hikers could be confronted by animals which are bigger and more ferocious than they are. My own definition of a wilderness area is much more mundane - it is one that has so many trees, bushes and undergrowth that it is not possible to push a bike through it. I was struggling to get my bike through the northern woodland and eventually had to give up.The bridlepath and northern woodland deserve to be explored more thoroughly. I will have to visit again and finish off the exploration.The grass on Goose Green is so well tended that it almost seems like a lawn. Around the edge of this green area there are five or six wooden park benches for those who want to sit and enjoy the site’s beauty and tranquillity.The contrast between the site’s lawn like playing area and its semi-wild woodlands, of varying depth, is stark. These semi-wild areas can be graded to suit kids belonging to different age groups. The youngest could explore the southern wooded area which is the least wooded. The slightly older kids could explore the canal woodland whilst the oldest ones could explore the depths of the northern wilderness - and all of this exploration could be done virtually within parents’ vocal range. Many kids would find one or more of these semi-wild areas to their liking thereby enabling them to imagine they’re somewhere in the Amazon.Goose Green is one of those surprising and exciting green sites with hidden depths which should pay dividends for visitors wishing to do a modicum of exploration. It reminds me a lot of Spindleberry park which also has a large circular grassy area surrounded by trees which are not a facade but the public face of semi-wild woodland areas.