Botanic Garden Oxford

Stretching beside the River Cherwell, Oxford's small, peaceful botanic garden was founded in 1621 for the study of medicinal plants. The oldest of its kind in England, it remains a department of the university, and is run more for research than for display. It’s a lovely spot though, where greenhouses and open beds hold ‘Plants That Changed The World’ including potatoes, pineapples and cannabis. A riverside van sells coffee and snacks. Near the river at its southern end you’ll find the bench that Lyra and her extra-universal lover Will vow to visit once a year in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials.