Natalie Downe

Here is an idea for some weekend fun, how about visiting the Botanical gardens in Oxford. Simon and I are endeavouring to go adventuring at least once a week, where adventuring is defined as going somewhere fun and unusual.

Last week we went down the Emergency stairs at Totenham court road tube station to get to the platform, which was great fun and seeing the underbelly of the station was pretty unusual. Yesterday it was adventuring in the Oxford University Botanical Gardens.

The Gardens are the third oldest scientific garden in the world, founded in 1621 they were initially aimed as a research area for investigation of the use of plants in medical research.

They were one of the main inspirations for Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and it has also been said that the Pinus nigra (Austrian Pine) where Oxford Professor J. R. R. Tolkien spent a lot of time sitting under, bears a remarkable resemblance to the walking talking tree people (Ents) in the ‘Lord of the Rings’.

We didn’t know this at the time however, Simon took me on the surprise adventure mainly to see the glass houses, which are indeed fun! They are slightly similar to the Eden project, though on a smaller scale. My particular favourite (and I think Simon’s too) was the palm house, thin and unassuming trunks explode at the top into leaves over one meter long!

Entrance is cheap (adults only £2.70) and it is quite fun to run around and see so many unusual plants and mini environments. I will be going again in April after they have sowed the seeds for the giant Lilly’s!