TRAIN tickets to mystery locations will be hidden in an independent bookshop in Oxford to encourage people to get away and explore literature.

The Albion Beatnik Bookstore has teamed up with Great Western Railway to take part in a scheme which could whisk readers away as far as Exeter or Bristol at any time in the next year.

A 'Golden ticket' has also been hidden which will give one lucky person a three-month rail pass across the whole Great Western network.

Albion Beatnik Bookstore owner Dennis Harrison said he was pleased to be taking part and was positive about the future of independent book shops.

He said: "It's a good initiative and we are happy to be involved.

"If it encourages people to come along and pick up a book then it can only be a good thing."

Independent shops within 1.5 miles of train stations on the network have been invited to take part and had batches of tickets to mystery locations sent to them to hide in escapist novels.

Those lucky enough to come across a ticket could be swept away to Bath to explore the city which inspired two of Jane Austen’s novels or to Exeter to trace the footsteps of Charles Dickens.

The ticket could even take passengers to London where a whole host of authors and their inspiration can be delved into – from the Sherlock Holmes museum or Baker Street itself to H. G Wells’ visions of the future.

Trips slightly further afield could take you to Bristol to the pub that inspired part of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island – and the chance to walk the Treasure Island Trail based in the city – or to Cardiff to immerse yourself in the world of Roald Dahl.

Mr Harrison, who opened the bookstore in 2008 before starting a cafe inside it three years later, said he was optimistic about the future of independents.

He said: "I'm actually very optimistic and buoyant about the future.

"There's an interest in books and I think there always will be, I'm very positive about that."

The Christ Church history graduate hoped the lure of a golden ticket would boost things further and, as Oxford is a destination, that it would bring book-lovers to the city.

Hundreds of tickets to Oxford will be hidden in London, Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Cardiff as readers are encouraged to learn about the city’s literary links.

To redeem the ticket, from next week, take a picture of it and tweet it to @GWRHelp or email it to competition@gwr.com.