Oxford's literary legends and landmarks: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
Description
Are you looking for a way to see Oxford’s literary gems without joining a tour group? Explore at your own pace with this affordable walking tour. • See the spots that inspired Lewis Carroll, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien and the filming locations for Harry Potter and HBO’s His Dark Materials • Hear from producers Jeremy Allen and Graeme Fry, the presenters and producers of the Oxford Lives podcast • Do it all in 90 minutes or linger at stops along the way with complete control over when you start and finish • Get unlimited use before your booking date and after it • Use the virtual tour option at home Once you’ve booked, you’ll receive a ticket with instructions and a unique code listed under “Before You Go”. Then simply install the VoiceMap app and enter your code. The app displays directions to the starting point, and when you’re in the right place, just pop in your headphones and tap start. VoiceMap has automatic GPS playback, with turn-by-turn directions. It also works offline.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This self-guided audio tour starts in front of Carfax Tower. From there you’ll wander through the city centre and hear about all the literary legends connected to the city.
The tour passes by Pembroke College. While standing in Pembroke Square outside the college where JRR Tolkien wrote The Hobbit.
The tour passes by Alice's Shop. You can pause the tour here, to browse through Alice’s Shop where the real-life Alice in Wonderland bought her barley sugar.
As you pass by Christ Church, I'll point out it’s eight stained-glass windows featuring characters from Wonderland.
As you pass by Merton College, you’ll hear about Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration behind Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
You'll pass by the University Church of St Mary the Virgin and hear about CS Lewis' friendship with JRR Tolkien. Then, you'll stroll through the passageway outside of University Church of St Mary the Virgin which served as the inspiration for Narnia
We’ll step into the world of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, where you’ll follow in the footsteps of Will and Lyra and make your way around Radcliffe Square to the Bodleian Library.
We’ll step into the world of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, where you’ll follow in the footsteps of Will and Lyra and make your way around Radcliffe Square to the Bodleian Library.
Taking in Clarendon Square and the Divinity School library where Harry Potter practiced his witchcraft and wizardry and seeing the oak tree where Draco Malfoy was turned into a ferret.
The tour takes you past Exeter College where you'll hear more about Tolkien's time at Oxford.
The tour reaches an end in front of the Eagle and Child pub, a popular hangout for the Inklings, an informal literary club in the early to mid-1900s.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(5)
We loved it. Really interesting tour tailored to Oxford’s literary scene. Just enough information presented in an imaginative way. You have the freedom to visit the places along the route if you wish to pay the entrance fee.
I had great difficulty with the app. I followed instructions and appeared to have it on my phone. I followed directions to the start. I then selcted start tour and this led me to a number of other screens and then back to start tour. This happened severla times before I gave up. Waste of £9.50.
Hi there, I'm sorry that you were unhappy with your experience. When you were having technical difficulties, did you contact VoiceMap support via email or telephone? We are contactable by both telephone and email, so if you have technical difficulties, please reach out to us so we can identify what is going wrong. We can troubleshoot the issue and process a refund if you email us your details at support@voicemap.me. I'm sorry for your frustrating experience. Best, Helene
Paying the £9.50 was easy enough! After this, the experience was terrible. We tried to follow the tortuous instructions and finally succeeded (we thought) in downloading the app. We then used the directions to get to the starting point. We then selected start the tour and got into a cycle of approving other apps. Whenever we got back to start the tour, the same thing happened. In the end we gave up. If there was any chance at all of getting our £9.50 back, I'd claim it. Waste of money and time for us.
Hi there, I'm sorry that you were unhappy with your experience. When you were having technical difficulties, did you contact VoiceMap support via email or telephone? We are contactable by both telephone and email, so if you have technical difficulties, please reach out to us so we can identify what is going wrong. Did you not receive the email and SMS with instructions we sent you when you booked? These outline the easy steps to access the tour. You shouldn't be required to approve other apps. We can troubleshoot the issue and process a refund if you email us your details at support@voicemap.me. I'm sorry for your frustrating experience. Best, Helene
An excellent option for learning about the literary heroes and heroines of the city. Well voiced and very easy to use; the app coped perfectly with our stops and starts. We'd definitely download more from this company.
Well structured guided tour, great overview of the key stories related to Oxford. Especially in quieter streets and places listening to the guiding story, making stops to pay more attention to details was enjoyable and thought provoking.
