Murders Most Oxford
Nerds Original · Self-Guided
Colin Dexter wrote thirteen Inspector Morse novels set in Oxford before the television series made these streets famous to millions — and the city has barely changed since.
This six-night itinerary follows the complete Morse universe across three eras: Endeavour’s 1960s Oxford, Morse’s 1980s Oxford, and Lewis’s contemporary Oxford. The same colleges, the same pubs, the same golden stone under changing skies. You will drink where Morse drank, stand where he stood, and see the city the way Dexter saw it — as the most atmospheric crime scene in English fiction.
Oxford is also, simultaneously, the city that made Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Oscar Wilde. One day of the itinerary is entirely yours — choose your own literary thread through a city that never runs out of writers, or bodies.
Why This Trip
On the first evening, sit where Morse sat. Order what Morse ordered. Complete The Times crossword if the mood takes you. Some experiences are non-negotiable.
Duke Humfrey’s Library, unchanged since the 15th century. It appears in Morse, in Harry Potter, in Philip Pullman, and in A Discovery of Witches. There is a reason writers keep returning to this room.
Choose between Tolkien’s Oxford, C.S. Lewis’s Oxford, or Oscar Wilde’s Oxford. A full day, self-guided, following the trail of one of the great English writers through the same city Morse called home.
Five pubs. All filming locations. All within walking distance. The White Horse, The King’s Arms, The Turf Tavern, The Lamb and Flag, and the Morse Bar. Morse would approve, though he would do it alone with a crossword.
Travelling as a Group
Solo, couple, or a group of twelve — this trip scales.
Oxford rewards any size of party. A solo traveler moves at their own pace and answers to no one. A group arrives at the same moment of recognition simultaneously — standing in the Bodleian or at the Morse Bar — which is its own kind of experience entirely. For groups of 10 or more, full transportation will be arranged and Joan may even be available to be your tour director.
Full transportation will be arranged and Joan may even be available to be your tour director. The intellectual framework stays exactly the same. Contact us to talk through what your group needs.
What’s Included
Six nights in Oxford at three price points — from a charming Victorian B&B to a boutique historic hotel to the Randolph itself. Every option chosen for character, not convenience.
The Inspector Morse & Lewis walking tour, Bodleian Library guided access, college visits, and optional organised day trips to Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds. All arranged through your Nerds Tour advisor.
Before you travel, Joan will send you a video giving you the intellectual framework for everything you’ll see — the history, the geography, and the particular genius of Colin Dexter’s Oxford.
Planning Your Trip
The moment you choose your dates, the trip becomes real.
Pricing depends on your travel dates, your choice of accommodation, your group size, and your departure city. None of that is fixed until you decide when you want to go — and deciding when is the first step toward actually going.
Oxford is rewarding in any season, but the university term creates a particular atmosphere from October through June that is worth experiencing if your schedule allows — the colleges are active, the pubs are full, and the city feels like itself. We will help you find the right timing for your travel style.
Ready to start planning?
We are already looking forward to talking about this one.