Solitude in the city

I visited Holywell a few times while I was in Oxford, and I never saw anyone else there. I sat on a bench and read, I watched the magpies hopping around, I took pictures, and I enjoyed the solitude and the near-silence. (The cemetery entrance is on a busy road, but the traffic sounds were muted and seemed very far away.)

I've only been in Oxford during the summer, when the crowds are tourists rather than students, many of them on day trips from London, so my experience probably isn't typical. But one of the things I love is how easy it is to get away from the mobs. Of course I was lucky to be able to retreat behind the walls of Merton, where there are benches and gardens to spend time in, but I've found unexpected alone time on Addison's Walk at Magdalen, along the canals, down side streets, and even occasionally at Christ Church Meadow.