Tolkien and Lewis Walking Tour

J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis worked in Oxford for decades and met regularly with a group of writer friends known as the Inklings to read drafts of their stories aloud. This walking tour follows their footsteps through central Oxford, with stops that link to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia. Guides explain how the city and the university shaped the books, from the dons' common rooms to the pubs and gardens where ideas were discussed. The tour is a good pick for literary travellers and for fans of fantasy who want to understand where the stories came from.

Tolkien was a professor at Pembroke and Merton, and Lewis was a fellow at Magdalen, so the walk touches several colleges. Guides tell stories of their friendship, including the conversation on Addison's Walk that influenced Lewis's faith, and of the pub on St Giles where the Inklings met. Tolkien's house and grave lie outside the centre, in North Oxford and Wolvercote, and Lewis's home, the Kilns, is in Headington, so a keen fan may want to extend the day with a bus or taxi.

The tour is walking-based and lasts about two hours. Details change with the operator, and access to colleges depends on the calendar. Another option linked from this area is a tour that includes entry to Magdalen College, which suits those who want the interior as well as the stories. Choose whichever fits your plan, and book ahead in the busy months.

Come prepared with a book in your bag. Many visitors pair the tour with a visit to a local bookshop, where Tolkien and Lewis editions are on sale, and with a walk in the Botanic Garden, where a large pine tree is said to have been a favourite of Tolkien. For a longer literary trip, the Bodleian holds Tolkien's papers and displays selections from the archive in its exhibitions from time to time.

A few places connect the writers to the city beyond the centre, and a tour may point them out even if it does not visit them. Tolkien lived in several houses in North Oxford and in Headington, and his grave in Wolvercote Cemetery is shared with his wife Edith and is often visited by fans who leave flowers and notes.

Lewis lived at the Kilns in Headington, which is run as a visitor site with its own arrangements, and he is buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church nearby. The Bodleian has exhibited material from Tolkien's archive on several occasions, and the Ashmolean and the Natural History Museum have items that match the imagery of the stories.

If you are a serious fan, consider a taxi or bus ride to Headington after the walking tour. Bring a copy of your favourite book and look for lines in the stories that echo the landscape you have just walked through. If you have time afterward, browse the second-hand bookshops around Broad Street and Holywell Street, where older editions of the Inklings' work often turn up on the shelves.