There (Oxford) and back (London) again – Middle-earth-tastic british adventures

This year’s visit to England was supposed to be a very special one as it was largely spent under the stars of Middle-earth. An elf personally ensured that I planned my annual London trip at the end of last year for August 2025. Without Craig Parker – aka Haldir – I probably wouldn’t have made it to my first ComicCon, especially not on my first Convention abroad. On Instagram he announced his participation in a convention called “For the Love of Fantasy” which sounded great based on its name and which was to take place in London. I began to consider whether to attempt this adventure.

Two reasons immediately came to mind: 1.) It’s my absolute favorite city and 2.) I’ll be missing MagicCon this year for family reasons. I’ve met Craig at MagicCon over the past few years, and it’s always a pleasure to see him. Therefore, his and Elijah Wood’s announcement for London were the reason for me to embark on the adventure of a “big Convention abroad.” At this time, I didn’t know that more Middle-earth guests would follow and they wouldn’t make me regret my plan.

What I knew right away: I didn’t want to go to London just for the Con. After all, I had to do a few days of sightseeing as well. The date of the Con allowed me to fulfill another wish: to spend my birthday in London. So I booked a hotel in London from Monday to Sunday. I booked myself a few nice things for my birthday, and then one thing quickly became clear: I wanted to go back to Oxford. Finally, to visit Tolkien’s grave. A few months ago Marcel – aka The Tolkienist – commented on one of my Instagram stories, pointing out that you could also walk to the cemetery in an half-hour walk. That this would prove to be a false assumption for me only became clear in Oxford. I visited Oxford for the first time in 2019 and fell in love with the city right then. So I was excited for my second visit this year.

The Oxford adventure began on August 12th, at 6:53 a.m. from London Paddington Station. The train took me through the english countryside in a relaxed manner, with pure Middle-earth feelings as I gazed out of the window. Arriving in Oxford on time, my first stop was Vaults & Garden – a truly fantastic breakfast tip from Marcel. From my table in the garden, I had a fantastic view to the Radcliffe Camera.

Even though it’s not my preferred option, this time I treated myself to an English breakfast – the vegetarian version (I don’t need sausage for breakfast). It was delicious. I enjoyed the morning sun in British style – with a good cup of tea. Afterward, I still had some time before my walking tour – so I took a stroll near Radcliffe Camera. All these old university buildings are so wonderful to see. It feels like you are in another time.

Shortly after 10 a.m. I made my way to Weston Library, the meeting point for the Oxford City Walking Tour + Radcliffe Camera. I’d also like to take one of the Library Guided Tours again, but it wasn’t meant to be this time (wrong day, no longer available). But the tour I booked, mentioned above, was also an absolute dream for my bookish heart. I was still in the heart of Oxford – the Bodleian Library. How could anyone not be happy in a city with several million books?! We entered the Radcliffe Camera through one of the tunnels that connects the libraries underground. When we stood in the large reading room, my bookish heart looked around in awe. I have a deep respect for all the Oxford students who shape their futures in these rooms. After the Camera we visited the Divinity School—a filming location for the Harry Potter films. Afterwards we continued outside the buildings. Our group had a truly wonderful guide who spoke wonderfully about books, libraries, and studying at Oxford. The tour lasted nearly two hours and was an absolute Oxford highlight.

After that, I headed straight for Tolkien. It was over 30 degrees Celsius, and with the help of my phone map, I found myself on Banbury Road—the way out of Oxford to Wolvercote Cemetery. I immediately realized that, according to my phone, the walk would take me an hour. I panicked briefly because I had a booked activity that afternoon, but then I just set off… The Road goes ever on and on. A quick note: the 30-minute walk mentioned by the Tolkienist isn’t incorrect—it refers to Summertown, which is halfway from the city center. I wouldn’t have had a problem walking either—but I caught it on the hottest day of the week and was accordingly exhausted by the time I reached the cemetery.

Fortunately, the path to Tolkien is signposted. When I reached my destination, I waited a moment on a bench—because I didn’t want to disturb a family’s moment at Tolkien’s grave. The moment at Tolkien’s grave belongs only to me, but I can say this: I was deeply moved. For many years, I’ve had the plan to do this, given my love for Tolkien, I must pay my respects to him in person one day. I did it and then my Middle-earth heart was very touched.

The return journey was shorter – I headed for the first bus stop toward the city center. I returned to the Weston Library Shop to pick up the souvenir guide I’d bought online before my England trip and to buy a specific book… and then I stumbled upon the Tolkien table. To quote Marcel: I escalatolkiened.

Happily with my bag full (books, bookmark, magnet, postcards, key ring, a Tolkien bag to put all things in) I made my way to Folly Bridge, the starting point for my last Oxford activity: a river cruise with tea time. It was simply wonderful. After walking around from morning until afternoon it was very relaxing – a beautiful view of Oxford from the river with tea and delicious snacks. After tea time, I was really lucky – I reached Blackwell’s 20 minutes before closing time. Just enough time for the Tolkien shelf. But I did find a new book for my exploding Tolkien shelf at home.

Then I strolled through Oxford and by chance—I was more or less already on my way to the train station—I discovered Greens. Another tip from the Tolkienist. I treated myself to a Strawberry Matcha Latte and reflected on my day in this amazing city. A happy Tolkien heart then drove back to London after 8 p.m., twelve hours of Oxford/book/Tolkien love. This wasn’t my last visit.

P.S. Back in London – The Convention

My love for Tolkien was shaped by the films – it was Peter Jackson who first made me start reading Tolkien because of the movies. I prefere „first book, then movie“ – so I first read, then watched. I’ve loved the films for almost 24 years now, and my Middle-earth heart is just as happy about the opportunity to meet actors from the films at Con‘s . I’ve had a few opportunities to do so in Bonn – but London topped them all. All four Hobbits, a reunion with my favorite elf, the dwarf, … and Gandalf! I never would have thought I’d meet Sir Ian McKellen one day. Even two weeks later, it’s still totally crazy. He was so incredibly nice.

This England vacation will remain unforgettable. Thanks to Tolkien.

An incredibly big thank you to Marcel for the great Oxford tips, which I couldn’t fit in all in one day… but let me just say:

Oxford, I’ll see you again.