Wonderland Day River and Meadow Walk - 2pm

"It doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. " – so long as I get somewhere," Alice added ... "Oh, you're sure to do that … if you only walk long enough."

Tour the beautiful Christ Church Meadow on a 90-minute walk guided by local historian and author Mark Davies, a trustee of the Lewis Carroll Society, on a very special day of the year for both the fictional and the real Alice.

The route will follow waterside paths familiar to the real Alice and her sisters, daughters of the Dean of Christ Church, and to Lewis Carroll, who was a lifelong resident of the college.

This tour will reveal the all-important role of the River Thames in the creation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and how this most literary of rivers inspired a number of the characters and events in the novels.

Please note that the walk does not include entrance to the college of Christ Church itself.

This walk will also be taking place at 11am on Saturday 4 May. You can purchase tickets for the 11am walk here.

The majority of this walk is accessible to wheelchair users, until the final, less informative portion. Guests may like at this point to return to the Museum, where Alice and Carroll memorabilia are on display.

Meeting point: Museum of Oxford shop (located inside the Oxford Town Hall). Please arrive 5 minutes before the start of the walk and check in at the Museum Shop with our friendly front of house team.

Tickets cost £10 and are available to purchase online (booking fee applies) or at the Museum shop. Please note that this walk is aimed at adults and older children.

You might like to make a Wonderland Day of it. In the evening Mark is giving a complementary talk at St Giles’ Church in Oxford in aid of church funds. His ‘Alice in Waterland’ talk will be on a similar theme to the walk, but with additional material relating to Lewis Carroll's little-known connections to the church and nearby canal ironworks. Details adn tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/alices-adventures-in-oxford-tickets-852203322077.

Meet your tour guide: Mark Davies

Mark Davies is an Oxford local historian, public speaker, and guide. His publications include the social and cultural importance of the city’s waterways (A Towpath Walk in Oxford; Alice in Waterland; Alice’s Oxford on Foot; What a Liberty!); historical crime (Stories of Oxford Castle; The Abingdon Waterturnpike Murder) and a biography of the Oxford pastry cook who was the first Englishman to fly (King of all Balloons). Until 2020 he had lived on an Oxford residential narrowboat for nearly 30 years, and is the Chair of the Jericho (Oxford) Living Heritage Trust. He is also a trustee of the Lewis Carroll Society, a member of the Society of Authors, and on the committee of the Alliance of Literary Societies.

Access at the Museum

The Museum is accessible for wheelchair users, buggies and baby carriers. There is step-free, level entry access to the Town Hall via the entrance closest to Carfax (to the left of the main steps as you face the Town Hall). Inside the Museum, Museum Makers is accessible via a platform lift and lift to the basement level. Accessible toilets are available in the Museum (close to Museum Makers) and in the Town Hall on the ground floor, before entering the Museum.

Please contact the Museum team if you'd like to talk to a member of staff about your access requirements. Further access information can be found on our website: https://museumofoxford.org/plan-your-visit/access