Photos: Julian Herzog (Website), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 Rhododendrites, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo credits
Photos: Julian Herzog (Website), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 Rhododendrites, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Oxford Castle Mound, the city's oldest hill
Your local guide
Kwame Asante
View profile
Highlights
- A Norman earthwork hiding in plain sight
- The last visible piece of a lost castle
- A short climb, a wide view
- Oxford's history before the university
- Rooftops spread out from the summit
About this tour
This session climbs Oxford Castle Mound, a Norman earthwork that is easy to walk past without realising what it once was. It covers the mound's origin in the 11th-century castle and the view it gives over the surrounding streets today. It is a short session built around one overlooked piece of the city's earliest history.
We start at the base with the mound's history, then climb the short path to the top for the view. Questions about the vanished castle buildings come up naturally, and I explain what little survives beyond the mound itself. I finish with a note on what else nearby dates from the same period.
It suits anyone curious about the city's earliest history rather than its university one. It also works well as a short add-on before or after a longer session elsewhere in the centre.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Oxford before heading out.
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Mound base 15 min
The camera holds on the grassy mound rising above the surrounding streets, and I explain how it is the last clearly visible piece of the Norman castle built here in 1071.
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Summit view 15 min
From the top, you see the surrounding streets and rooftops spread out below, and I point out how little of the original castle complex actually survives beyond this one earthwork.
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Your questions 7 min
Time to ask anything about Oxford: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 3 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Cream tea with scones and Summertown, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in London time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 9 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Oxford, showing you Mound base and Summit view live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on a video call at the base of the mound and again from the top once the short climb is done.
Times shown in London time (GMT)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Thu 26 Nov · 9 seats left From 19,00 €
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