A new view of Oxford is going out to the world. And it's not a pretty sight, writes Reg Little.

The Lonely Planet travel guide to Britain lifts the lid on some of Oxford's less welcome attractions.

And it could well see thousands of foreign tourists heading for the trains and coaches - bound for Cambridge.

For if holidaymakers are faced with a choice, Cambridge wins every time, it claims. The third edition of the guide, an international best-seller, does not pull its punches. The Lonely Planet writers found:

*Gloucester Green in the heart of Oxford to be "an abomination".

*Oxford University colleges to be elitist and turning their backs on visitors to the city.

*Instead of dreaming spires, tourists face a traffic nightmare.

The section on Oxford begins: "The poet Matthew Arnold described Oxford as 'that sweet city with her dreaming spires', a phrase that still has some resonance today provided that you're up the tower of St Mary's looking down, rather than strolling across the abomination which is Gloucester Green or battling to cross the road between the solid wedges of buses." The guide goes on: "For some, Oxford University is synonymous with academic excellence, for others it's an elitist club whose members unfairly dominate many aspects of British life. That sense of elitism is taking on a new life as colleges, sinking under the weight of mass Tourism, increasingly close themselves off from would-be sightseers."

There is some praise for "superb architecture," while visitors are warned that the city has "typical Midlands social problems."

If that were not bad enough the guide reckons: "It is Cambridge's tranquil, ageless picturesqueness which is hardest to match." The guide concludes: "If you only have time for one, and the colleges are open, choose Cambridge."

But former Oxford Tourism Forum chairman John Power said a survey of visitors showed 80 per cent of visitors preferred Oxford to other historic centres in Britain. "What they seemed to like is that as well as having beautiful buildings it has a thriving city centre both day and night. Places like Cambridge are empty in the evenings.

"Considering that between two-and-a-half million and three million tourists come each year to a city with a population of 131,000, Oxford does very well."

Story date: Wednesday 28 April

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