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Where to Go on a Literary Tour of England
Here at Black Prince, we love literature almost as much as we love canal boat travel. And we figured that a lot of our customers feel the same way as well.
After all, it’s hard not to be a book lover when you’re living in a country like the UK with so much literary heritage. From destinations where fictional characters lived to towns and cities where famous authors wrote their most famous works, planning book-related holidays presents you with plenty of different options.
That’s why we’ve decided to combine travelling and literature, two of our favourite things, to create this guide on where to go on a literary tour of England. In keeping with the book theme, we decided to illustrate the beautiful literary locations around the UK, to help inspire you to find a magical storybook break this year.
The Lake District – Beatrix Potter Country
The scenic Lake District is one of the UK’s most popular travel destinations, and it was also home to Peter Rabbit creator, Beatrix Potter. The much-loved children’s author was inspired by the English landscape in her writing after spending childhood holidays in the Lake District and then moving there when she was an adult after buying a farm in Near Sawrey.
Potter’s first home in the Lakes, known as ‘The House on the Hill’ or Hill Top Farm, is now managed by the National Trust. Here, you can visit the very place where Potter got the inspiration for some of her famous tales and enjoy the beautifully preserved traditional cottage with its wonderfully colourful gardens.
If you want to continue your homage to Beatrix Potter in the Lakes, pay a visit to The World of Beatrix Potter museum in Windermere. This is a famous spot on the literary tourism map, where you can step into the world of Peter Rabbit and even enjoy some tasty treats in the Beatrix Potter tea room.
Haworth, Yorkshire – Brontë Country
The second stop on our literary tour of England is also in the north, in the small town of Haworth in West Yorkshire. Haworth is the home of the famous Brontë sisters – Charlotte, Emily and Anne – who are responsible for some of the greatest works of fiction in the English literary canon, including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.
In Haworth, you can visit the sisters’ childhood home at the Brontë Parsonage Museum. The museum holds vast collections of the Brontë sisters’ work as well as exhibitions giving an insight into the lives of the sisters, and is a perfect pilgrimage if you’re looking for educational literary travel destinations.
Make sure to stop by, or even stay in, the quaint Ponden Hall near Stanbury in West Yorkshire. The hall is a place the Brontë children visited often, which is believed to have been part of the inspiration for Emily’s Wuthering Heights.
Wimborne, Dorset – Home of Enid Blyton
The beloved author of the iconic series, Enid Blyton, lived in the pretty market town of Wimborne in East Dorset.
Blyton loved her home in Wimborne and it is believed that the town was the inspiration and setting for many Famous Five novels. Visitors on a literary holiday can explore the small town and take in the pretty thatched cottages, historical architecture and beautiful countryside.
As well as visiting Wimborne, there’s also an Enid Blyton trail around many places in Dorset that are said to have inspired various stories or scenes from her impressive collection of books. This trail makes an ideal list of attractions for a sightseeing tour that will delight both younger readers who are new to the series and older readers who remember the stories from their childhood.
Edinburgh, Scotland – Birthplace of Harry Potter
Edinburgh is the city in which the magical tale of Harry Potter took shape. Author J.K. Rowling sat in The Elephant House café as an unemployed single mother, and crafted the now world-famous tale which has changed the lives of its fans and the author herself.
The café is proud of its connection with the children’s novel and hails itself as the Birthplace of Harry Potter. The café is not only an iconic spot for any Potter fanatics, but it is also a reminder that dreams really can come true and there is always time to chase after your ambitions. And if that’s enough to convince you of its literary travel merits, authors Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith have also been regular frequenters of the cafe as a writing spot over the years.
The café is well located in the city centre, perfect for exploring everything else the beautiful city of Edinburgh has to offer. To continue your Potter tour, Greyfriars Kirkyard has many gravestones with names that inspired some of the series’ characters, including its antagonist, Tom Riddle.
The Eagle and Child, Oxford – Meeting Place for the Inklings
When thinking of a UK literary holiday, Oxford is surely one of the first destinations to spring to mind. The historic city, with its esteemed university, carries an aura of intellect and has been home to many talented writers over the years.
Oxford’s literary heritage is long-lived, and a key part of this is the University of Oxford’s informal literature discussion group, which included famous names such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and was known as ‘The Inklings’. The group’s meeting spot was the Eagle and Child Pub, which remained open for hundreds of years but is currently closed after being sold with plans to do up the venue.
Another key part of Oxford’s literary tourism is its connection to Philip Pullman’s series ‘His Dark Materials’, which is set in a fictionalised version of Oxford as well as many other parallel worlds. Whilst the protagonist Lyra’s home, Jordan College, doesn’t actually exist, there are still plenty of places that are mentioned in the story which you can visit.
To explore Oxford by boat, take a look at our options for a canal holiday in Oxfordshire.
Hampshire – Jane Austen Country
People often think of Bath as the city with the strongest connection to literary powerhouse, Jane Austen. But the Pride and Prejudice author actually spent the majority of her life in and around Hampshire.
Austen lived in Hampshire for the first 25 years of her life in Steventon. When she returned to Hampshire from Bath, she lived first in Southampton and then in Chawton. Whilst Bath is certainly still worth a place on the list of the best literary travel destinations, diehard Austen fans should also consider tracing the author’s roots back to this part of the world.
Many of Austen’s most famous novels, including Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility, were inspired by the Hampshire setting and lifestyle.
You can visit Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, which was the Hampshire home of the author for the last 8 years of her life.
Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland – Real Life Narnia
Did you dream of disappearing through a wardrobe when you were a child? We’ve got the perfect literary travel idea for you. The striking Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland are often hailed as the real-life Narnia and are believed to be the inspiration behind C.S. Lewis’ magical land.
Lewis was born in Belfast, and he made no secret of his love for the Northern Irish landscapes. He once wrote, ‘I have seen landscapes, notably in the Mourne Mountains and southwards, which under a particular light made me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge.’
When witnessing the mountains for yourself, it’s easy to see how they could inspire magic. It will require more travel than a strict literary tour of England, but we think the journey is definitely worth it.
Stratford-upon-Avon – Shakespeare Country
Stratford-upon-Avon is home to arguably the most famous British writer of all time – William Shakespeare. The iconic playwright was born in the town in 1564 and lived there throughout his childhood years, as well as being buried there at Holy Trinity Church.
You can visit the Bard’s birthplace while in Stratford, a town which still retains its historic charm and celebrates its connection with Shakespeare. You can also visit the garden that has been developed on the site where his family home once stood, and enjoy all kinds of charming references to Shakespeare around the town.
Of course, another must-do when in Stratford is to attend a Shakespeare play and witness his spectacular writing in action. The Royal Shakespeare Company runs a wonderful calendar of productions in the town throughout the year, with a particularly accessible series of plays and events during the summer.
Experience Shakespeare country from an unforgettable perspective with a boat holiday on the Stratford Canal.
Whitby, Yorkshire – Birthplace of Dracula
More of a fan of the gothic? The Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and is a classic option when searching for book-related holidays.
The dramatic skyline of the haunting Whitby Abbey makes for the perfect backdrop for Stoker’s vampire tale, and it’s easy to see where he got his inspiration from the daunting building. Standing on the pavement outside the Royal Hotel on Whitby’s West Cliff, you can take in the very same view that Stoker had himself over 100 years ago.
The town is keen to celebrate itself as the birthplace of Dracula, and you’ll find plenty of fun events and tours to enjoy during your visit, including The Dracula Experience Tour. Elsewhere, make sure to tuck into some tasty fish and chips, which the town is also renowned for, and work it off with a climb up the 199 steps to the Abbey.
Ashdown Forest, East Sussex – Inspiration for Winnie the Pooh
One of the most famous fictional woods of all time, 100 Acre Wood, which is home to beloved children’s story hero Winnie the Pooh, can actually be visited in real life. The fictional forest that was home to Pooh and his animal friends is based on the real-life Five Hundred Acre Wood, which is situated in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.
The woods are featured in the classic adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and the similarities are strikingly clear. A.A. Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, has even claimed that Ashdown Forest is identical to Pooh’s forest, making it a very nostalgic place for literary tourism.
Other notable places include the bare hilltop of Gills Lap, which inspired Galleon’s Leap in the Pooh tales, and the footbridge across the River Medway in Posingford Wood, which is where Poohsticks was first played. A visit to Ashdown Forest is like stepping into the pages of a storybook, and it’s easy to imagine a small golden bear in a red top walking alongside you when you visit.
Feeling Inspired for Literary Travel?
As you can see, the options are plentiful when it comes to planning a literary tour of Britain. And if you’re looking for a trip that moves at a relaxing pace, there’s no better way to explore the UK than with a canal barge holiday.
Take a look at all of our canal holiday locations or get in touch with our team to start planning your trip.
WHERE WILL YOU START?
Take a look at our LOCATIONS page to start planning your narrowboat holiday.
Or if you would like help planning your adventure then call on +44 (0)1527 575 115 and a Black Prince team member will be happy to help!