A BOOZY walking tour of Oxford's premier pubs has added a vital new ingredient - free drinks.

Experience Oxfordshire has re-launched its official pub tour of the city which first premiered back in the summer.

Taking guests on a whistle-stop tour of at least seven central watering holes, the tour operator said it has now added stops to refresh, based on 'customer feedback.'

Billed as a 'modern twist' on a conventional walking tour, trained guides lead visitors around the cobbled back streets to discover the stories that un-folded in some of the city's centuries old pubs.

People can discover the favourite spots of authors including C.S Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien as well as how a brawl in a pub sparked the infamous town and gown divide.

Rob Walters, who has led tours of Oxford for 12 years, is one of two guides who will run the walking tour, which takes place on alternate Wednesday evenings from outside The Mitre in High Street.

He said: "I like the whole feel of a pub. You can go in not knowing anyone and end up having a good chat with a total stranger.

"They are also written into the history of the city.

"I want people to leave having had a good time but also help them discover some places they may not know and their important place in the city's history.

"A lot of people will go to these places but not know the story behind them."

Mr Walters said that now drinks have been introduced to the tour, he thought people might be more likely to laugh at his jokes a bit more.

His own favourite pub, the Lamb and Flag in St Giles is one of the pubs on his route along with other famous names including The Bear, The Crown, Chequers and The Wheatsheaf.

Some of Mr Walters favourite stories include how the early stages of the gunpowder plot was planned in an Oxford pub, the ghostly landlady known at the grey lady that haunts the bar at the Mitre and the club tie collection at the Bear - which the landlord exchanged for pints of beer.

One of the early members of campaign group CAMRA, Mr Walters himself had ambitious to be a publican and tried to buy several pubs before settling for his current career.

The tour has proved popular among tourists and city residents alike, according to Experience Oxfordshire.

Annie Macdonald, the organisation's tours desk team leader, said: “On our new pubs tour, you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of an early evening in Oxford and learn about local drinking traditions - from medieval to modern times.

"You can raise a glass to some of those most celebrated Oxford figures - including literary greats such as Shakespeare, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, right through to the famous TV Detective, Inspector Morse, often heard offering his sidekick a ‘Pint, Lewis?’. It is an exciting new tour for us."

The tour costs £25 and includes two free drinks. Places are limited to 14 per.

Private groups can arrange for the tour to run on other occasions at a time that suits them.

Hayley Beer-Gamage, CEO of Experience Oxfordshire said “This is a fantastic new way to explore the City of Oxford and is a great new product development from the team."