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In 2006 Oxford River Cruises is delighted to be offering a range of walking tours along the River Thames, its many hidden back waters and the Oxford Canal. In association with local historian and author Mark Davies we offer a variety of scheduled walks, some combined with a trip aboard a beautiful river launch.
A walk along Oxford's towpaths reveals a side of the city which is rarely described and infrequently visited. Yet this is the 'real', pre-university Oxford, and its importance to the city is both enduring and surprising. Mark's unique knowledge will reveal the historical significance of this calmer, gentle world of trees, water, boats and birdsong. Oxford River Cruises is proud to offer the only guided walks to cover this hidden history of Oxford.
Further details of our scheduled trips can be found below. Should you wish to organise a trip for a group please contact us and we will be happy to make arrangements to suit your needs and itinerary.
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Upstream to Godstow and the Oxford Canal
This fascinating trip offers a unique opportunity to travel on water and by foot along two of Oxfords most famous waterways, the beautiful River Thames and the historic Oxford Canal. Along the route you will hear much about their fascinating and colourful history. Our guide has been running guided walks of Oxford's waterways for many years, and will show you parts of Oxford no other tours visit. Both locals and visitors are sure to be surprised and intrigued.
Boarding Bacchanalia, a traditional Edwardian style electric launch, in Oxford City centre you will be taken upstream on the Thames through several fascinating stretches of the river. Within the first few minutes we pass the famous boatyard where Alice Liddell and Lewis Carrol (Charles Dodgson) set off on their rowing trips up the river and the story of Alice in Wonderland was created. On our way upstream we pass through residential and industrial areas steeped in the working history of the city. After passing through Osney Lock and bridge (the lowest on the river) we cruise by well tended allotments and gardens and on to the serene beauty of Port Meadow, an ancient area of common land that has remained largely untouched for a thousand years. At the top of the meadows we reach Godstow, famed for it's nunnery, Rosamund the Fair, the Trout Inn and as the inspiration for C S Lewis' Land of Narnia.
We make our turn here, head back downstream and disembark at Medley. The walk back will take a leisurely route across the expanse of Port Meadow to the contrasting narrowness of the Oxford Canal and the tranquil beauty of the final lock onto the Thames. We keep some highlights for the end of the trip when we pass by abbey walls, the hub of Oxford's boating past and the newly refurbished Oxford Castle and Prison. The tour ends where it began at Folly Bridge.
Our next scheduled trip available to the public is on Saturday September 23rd at 2pm. To check availability and book places online please click here. Alternatively contact us on 08452 269396.
To arrange a private trip for a group please contact us to discuss your requirements.
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“Liquid Roads” and “Lucid Lanes”- Walk Only
Starting at the White House on the Botley Road, a former turnpike toll house near the Thames, this walk traces the importance to Oxford of its many waterways, both natural and manmade. In the course of a leisurely 90-minute stroll, the locations of mediaeval abbeys, strategic locks, old mills, former breweries, and the former hub of Oxford’s traditional boating communities are seen in a walk which provides an insight into the many enduring and surprising ways that the Thames, its backwaters, and the Oxford Canal have shaped the city we see today.
Oxford’s famed literary associations feature large: from Chaucer to Pullman, and Carroll to Keats, the city’s waterways have excited many inspired dreamers from within the dreaming spires. Meanwhile, the factual stories of the individuals – resourceful, eccentric, or notorious –who have lived or worked on the waterways in Oxford provide entertainment of a more prosaic nature.
The walk will be led by Mark Davies, a local history author and publisher, whose appreciation of the historical importance of Oxford’s waterways is unrivalled. As a resident of a canalboat in Oxford since 1992, he is uniquely placed to relate these historical precedents to the busy, attractive, and still sometimes controversial waterway scene Oxford enjoys today.
The route is flat, and suitable for all ages, though there are a few steps at one location.
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Historic Pub Ramble - Cruise and Walk
Coming Soon
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Upstream to Godstow and the Oxford Canal - Cruise and Walk
Our next scheduled trip available to the public is on Saturday September 23rd at 2pm. To check availability and book places online please click here. Alternatively contact us on 08452 269396.
The Oxford Canal: History and Intrigue - Walk Only
These walks will run on an 'on demand' basis. To arrange a walk for your group please contact us.
Historic Pub Ramble - Cruise and Walk
TBC
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