Punting

Magdalen Bridge Boat House, High Street 202643 - £10 per hour
Cherwell Boat House, Bardwell Road, 01865 515978 - £8/hour weekdays, £10/hour weekends

One of the most fun (and popular) activities in Oxford, and also a great way to see a side of the city not often seen, is to rent a punt - a long, narrow, shallow-bottomed boat propelled by a long pole. Punting boats are for hire between Easter and September.

Boat Hire

Salters Steamers, Folly Bridge, 01865 243421

Rent punts (from £15), rowing boats (from £15), and self-drive motor boats (from £30). Boats are hired from the pontoon outside the Head of the River Pub

Balloon Rides

Adventure Balloons, 01252 844222

Adventure Balloons was the first hot air balloon flight company to work with Oxford City Council in 1995 to enable balloon flights from the City Parks. This enables passengers to view the dreaming spires and the countryside around Oxford during their flight.

Golf

North Oxford Golf Club, Banbury Road, 01865 554415
18-hole golf course set in 80 acres of beautiful parkland. Golf equipment available for rent. No golf carts for hire. 18-holes £25 midweek, £30 weekend. Take bus #7 from the city center towards Kidlington.

Oxford Golf, Hinksey Heights, Hinksey, 01865 327775
9-hole par 3 course, as well as a championship 18-hole course. 18-holes £18 midweek, £23 weekend. 9-hole £13 midweek, £15 weekend. Par-3 £5 midweek, £6 weekend. Buggy and trolley rentals available.

Southfield Golf Club, Hill Top Road, 01865 242158
18-holes £30 midweek, closed to non-members on weekends.

Ice Skating

Oxford Ice Rink, Oxpens Road, 01865 467000. Open most days from 10am-12pm, 2-4pm, 5:45-7:15pm, 8-10:30pm. Admission £5.60/£4.30 for skaters, £1.00 for a non-skating guardian.

It's a good idea to call in advance to check the public session times, as they can vary. Saturday 2-4pm session can be quite busy.

Yoga

Yoga Center, 4 South Parade (next to Cibo), Summertown, 01865 311300. Pay as you go yoga, from £4.50/class

A dedicated yoga and pilates center with small change room. Pay the teacher at the time of class (no credit cards, cash and cheque only). No membership required. Call for class schedule.

Health Clubs and Fitness Centers

Body Sense Health Club, The Barcelo Hotel, Wolvercote Roundabout, 01865 489901
Bourton Mill Health & Leisure Club, 6 High Street, Oxford, 01865 251261
Esporta Health & Raquets Club, 275 Woodstock Road, Oxford, 01865 318300
Ferry Sports Center Swimming Pool & Fitness Club, Diamond Place, Summertown, 01865 467060
LA Fitness, Littlegate House, 16-17 St. Ebbes Street, Oxford, 01865 792244
Spirit Health Club, Holiday Inn @ Peartree Roundabout, Oxford, 01865 888444

Lasertag

Outdoor Laser, Braze Furze woodland, Back of Culham No1 Site, Culham, Oxfordshire
Youlbury Wood, Boars Hill, Oxford

Outdoor lasertag is the fun and games of traditional lasertag, but outside. Play with harmless infrared guns, built tough with realistic sound effects, realistic weights and real scopes. Anyone can play over the age of 8, and the guns cater for all levels of fitness. Visit the website for more details.

Bicycle Hire

Bicycling is a great way to get around Oxford, as the city is virtually flat. Be aware that bike theft is quite rampant - especially at night after the pubs close - so keep your bike locked up when you're not on it.

Bainton Bikes, 6 Bainton Road, North Oxford, 01865 365658
Bicycle hire, tours and repairs. Free puncture repair, breakdown support and routine servicing is provided with any bike hired.

Cyclo-Analysts 150 Cowley Rd, 01865 246061
Rent a bike for £10 for one day, £15 for two days, £16 for three days, £20/week. Take the #1, #5, or #10 bus (towards Cowley Center or Blackbird Leys) to get there.

Bike Zone Market Street (City Center) and Banbury Road, Summertown 728877
Rent a bike for £7 for 4 hours, £15 for 24 hours, £20 for 48 hours, or £30/week. £100 refundable deposit on bike rentals. Only larger frame bikes at the city center location. For smaller frames, go to Summertown.

Oxford United Football Club

Kassam Stadium, Oxford Science Park, 01865 337500
Check out a professional football game while in town. Tickets from £16. To get to the stadium, take the #5 bus from either the train station or Queen Street and get off at Knights Road in Blackbird Leys, which is a five minute walk from the Stadium. For schedule and ticket information, check the official website.

University Park

Parks Road, City Center. Open from 8am until dusk. Free entry.

The park consists of about 70 acres of land on the banks of the Cherwell River. Great for jogging, walking, lounging around, or kicking a ball around.

Greyhound Racing

Oxford Greyhound Stadium, Sandy Lane, Oxford, 0870 840 8903
General Admission £5, including racecard. Children under 16 £1

Bet on the races at the Oxford Greyhound Stadium. To get there by bus, from the Carfax tower in the city centre, use bus number 5 to Balfour Road. Walk down Tucker Road, the stadium is on Sandy Lane in front of you.

Oxford Speedway

Sandy Lane, Oxford, 01865 778970
General Admission £14, including racecard. Children under 15 £4
Watch motorbikes racing around the track every Thursday at 7:30pm (gates open at 6:30). For bus information, see Greyhound Racing above.

Horse Riding

For lessons and hacks (trail rides), there are the following options not far from Oxford's city centre:

Pigeon House Equestrian, Church Hanborough, Oxfordshire 01993 881628
Old Manor House Riding School, North Hinksey Lane, Botley 01865 242274
Oxford Riding School, Lower Road, Oxford 01865 361383

Archery

Archery club for all ages and skill levels:
Oxford Archers, 01295 257059

Athletics

All age groups from 7 to 70 years old in interests in track and field, cross-country and road running.
Oxford City Athletics Club, 0773 274 2212

Bowls

Oxfordshire Bowling Association, 01865 761515
West Oxford Ladies Bowls Club, 01865 74296

Cycling

Oxford City Road Club, 01235 84838

Sport for the Disabled

Dolphins Swimming Club, 01865 739520
Oxford Swans Swimming Club for the Elderly & Disabled, 01865 764919
OXSRAD (Oxford & District Sports & Recreation for the Disabled), 01865 741336
Riding for the Disabled - Ferry Hinksey, 01235 522113
Oxford Otters Swimming Club for the Disabled - Westminster College, Harcourt Hill 01865 862533

Fencing

Oxford Fencing Club, 01865 248104

Basketball

Oxford Hoops, 01865 429694
Oxford Devils, 01235 531535

Cricket

University Cricket, 01865 241335
Oxford Cricket Club, Rover Sports and Social Club, Roman Way, Horspath, Cowley

Football

Men's Football:
North Oxford Football Club, 01865 558003
Oxford City Football Club, 01865 872181
Oxford Community Church Football Club, 01865 376042

Women's Football:
Oxford Brookes University Ladies Football Club, 01865 483151

Youth Football:
Bullingdon Boys' Football Club, 01865 761747
Chalgrove Cavaliers Football Club, 01865 890921
Florence Park Boys' Football Club, 01865 771358
Garden City Boys' Football Club, 01865 438754
Horsepath Boys' Football Club, 01865 451467
Kennington Boys' Football Club, 01865 736506
Oxford Blackbird Boys' Football Club, 01865 454478
Quarry Rovers Football Club (Boys & Girls), 01865 454478
Rose Hill Football Club, 01865 714189
Summertown Stars Football Club, 01865 311297
Wheatley Boys' Football Club, 01865 873822

Hockey

Oxfordshire Hockey Association, 07866 803668
City of Oxford Hockey

Ice Hockey

Oxford Blues Skater Hockey Club, 01865 777248

Korfball

Oxford City Korfball Club, 01235 206086

Martial Arts

Abolicao Oxford Capoeira, 01865 428404
British Aikido Federation: Oxford City & University Dojo, 01865 343500
Oxford Aikido Club, 01865 375248
Oxford Shotokan Karate Club (4th Dan), 01235 203500
Oxfordshire Freestyle Martial Arts Association, 07973 490879
Shudokan Aikido Oxford, 01865 750650

Rowing & Canoeing

Falcon Rowing & Canoeing Club, 01865 727388
Riverside Centre Oxford, 01865 248673

Rugby

Oxford University Rugby FC, 01865 432000
Oxford Harlequins, 01865 775765 or 01865 552813

Sailing

Oxford & District Schools' Sailing Association, 01865 865551
Oxford Youth Sail Training Centre, 01865 865551

Skate Parks

There are 3 skate parks in Oxford - Blackbird Leys Park, Sunnymead Recreation Ground and Meadow Lane Recreation Ground. For information, visit the council website.

Swimming - Oxford City Council Swimming Pools

Barton Pool - 01865 467290
Blackbird Leys Pool - 01865 467040
Hinksey Outdoor Pool (May - Sept) - 01865 467079
Ferry Sports Centre - 01865 467060
Peers Sports Centre - 01865 467095
Temple Cowley Pools - 01865 467124

Table Tennis

Oxford & District Table Tennis Association, 01865 373526

Tennis

Oxford City Tennis Club, 01865 724078
Oxford Sports Tennis Club, 01235 525099
Oxfordshire Lawn Tennis Association, 01235 540800
North Oxford Tennis Club, 01865 727060

Courts can also be found at Cutteslowe Park and in Summertown