by Anna Hann
posted on 19 August 2024
Step into a story this summer by visiting the places where famous British authors lived and seeing the scenery that inspired them.
From Cornwall and Devon’s charming seaside villages to London and Edinburgh’s streets, the UK is dotted with places that have inspired beloved authors and their timeless stories. Whether you’re a fan of classic novels or modern tales, family fables or dark encounters, these locations offer an opportunity to step into the world of your favourite writers.
Book a car on Turo with Bluetooth to listen to audiobooks as you embark on a literary-themed adventure across the UK.
Daphne du Maurier
Novelist Daphne du Maurier lived in beautiful Fowey on the south coast of Cornwall, and the nearby Menabilly house served as the inspiration for atmospheric Mandaley in Rebecca.
Although you can’t visit Menabilly, you can catch the ferry across to Bodinnick to see Ferryside, the first Cornish home of Daphne du Maurier. If you’re on a Cornwall road trip, you could also stop at Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor, which sets the scene for du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn, a dark tale of smugglers.
Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie, the most famous crime writer of all time, wrote 66 detective novels, including Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. But while these are set in far-flung locations, Christie set plenty of her books in her beloved Devon, including Evil Under the Sun and And Then There Were None.
There are several UK locations synonymous with Agatha Christie – she was born in Torquay and once went missing, only to be found in Harrogate – but perhaps the most famous is Burgh Island, where she wrote two novels. You can stay at Christie’s favourite Burgh Island Hotel and take part in a 1920s-themed murder mystery weekend. Nearby, you can visit Greenway, Agatha’s holiday home, now run by the National Trust.
Enid Blyton
In beautiful Dorset, follow the Enid Blyton Trail, a self-guided tour that takes you to iconic locations featured in her stories, such as Kimmeridge Bay in Five Fall into Adventure and Brownsea Island, which inspired Whispering Island in the Famous Five books.
You can even stay at Knoll House, where Enid Blyton often stayed in Room 40, looking out over Studland Bay. It’s a great place for a family adventure, with the Jurassic Coast waiting to be explored.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen only lived in Bath for five years, but it’s one of the best places to visit to explore her legacy thanks to the Jane Austen Centre, where costumed guides tell you more about the life and times of Austen, and you’ll have the chance to taste Regency food and write with a quill and ink.
There are also city walking tours that take you to locations mentioned in Austen’s novels set in the city, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. You can also visit the Jane Austen House Museum in Hampshire, where she lived and edited Sense and Sensibility and wrote Emma.
JRR Tolkien
JRR Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, lived near Birmingham, and he drew inspiration from the landscapes around him for the worlds he created. Tolkien once said that he created Helm’s Deep after visiting the spectacular Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. Set in the Mendip Hills, you’ll also find one of the UK’s most scenic drives in the area – the remarkable Cliff Road, flanked by limestone bluffs.
A.A. Milne
Fans of Winnie-the-Pooh can book a stay at Cotchford Farm, where A.A. Milne once lived, and explore Ashdown Forest, which became the Hundred Acre Wood in the beloved books.
You can follow the Pooh Trek with a guided tour to see the real-life locations that inspired places mentioned in the stories, like the Heffalump Trap and the Place Where The Woozle Wasn’t. At the edge of Ashdown Forest, you’ll find Pooh Corner in the village of Hartfield, with a tearoom, gift shop, and Pooh’seum with a collection of artwork and memorabilia.
Charles Dickens
Dickens’ works are synonymous with London. Books like Little Dorrit, Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby, and more are set in the city. You can visit Dickens’ London home – 48 Doughty Street in Bloomsbury – where he wrote Oliver Twist, which is now the Charles Dickens Museum.
If you want to explore further, join a Charles Dickens’ walking tour to lift the lid on Dickensian London. Outside of the city, Dickens wrote and set Great Expectations in Rochester in Kent, and on the coast, you can see a cottage the author lived at in Broadstairs, where he wrote Bleak House.
Michael Bond
Delve into the world of Michael Bond, author of Paddington Bear. You can take a Paddington Walking Tour in London (albeit based more on the films than the books) that sets off from London Paddington Station, after which the famous bear is named.
There’s a shop stocked with Paddington Bear soft toys and a bronze statue of Paddington under the clock on platform 1 (fans of the books will know that’s where Paddington first meets the Brown family). You could also try the newly launched Paddington Bear Experience, an immersive and interactive journey on London’s South Bank.
Roald Dahl
Located in the pretty village where Roald Dahl lived and wrote for 36 years, The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre combine exhibits with hands-on, creative activities – perfect for aspiring young authors.
Beyond the museum, you can see the locations that inspired the library in Matilda and the orphanage in The BFG. While you’re here, take advantage of the beautiful surrounding Oxfordshire countryside. Book a car with a bike rack and set off on a cycling route, or lace up to try one of the hiking trails that strike out from the village.
William Shakespeare
This medieval market town is where you can visit Shakespeare’s birthplace, take a guided walk, or hop aboard a narrated City Sightseeing open-air bus tour to see all the famous locations linked to the Bard.
You’ll stop at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the childhood home of Shakespeare’s wife and visit the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. For the places mentioned in his work, you’ll need to head elsewhere, such as Windsor, where Shakespeare set The Merry Wives of Windsor and the North Downs Way in Dover, where the Earl of Gloucester stands in King Lear.
The Brontë Sisters
Whisk away to the delightful Yorkshire village of Haworth, where you can pop into the Brontë Parsonage Museum, once the famous literary sisters’ home. The museum displays collections of the family’s furniture and clothes, like Emily’s paint box and Charlotte’s wedding bonnet.
It’s where Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre, Anne wrote Agnes Grey, and Emily wrote Wuthering Heights. Once you’ve explored the home, hike to the Brontë Waterfall, thought to have inspired the setting for Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.
Bram Stoker
When Bram Stoker visited Whitby, a harbour town on the Yorkshire coast, the eerie ruins of Whitby Abbey evoked the ideal setting for his famous gothic novel, Dracula. You can wander around the ruins and see a signed copy of the book in the visitor centre.
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter has touched all corners of the UK, and you’ll find places commemorating her and her work, from the V&A Museum in London to a Peter Rabbit woodland trail in Essex. But the most famous links are those she had with the Lake District, where Beatrix and her family spent holidays before she moved there later in her life.
Hill Top was her farmhouse retreat inspired by her books, and you can explore inside and roam around the cottage gardens, seeing the view up the garden path included in The Tale of Tom Kitten.
JK Rowling
While Harry Potter fans will undoubtedly love the excellent Warner Brother’s Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, kids and families who love the original books should try The Potter Trail in Edinburgh to see places where JK Rowling wrote the stories.
While in Scotland, you could take a trip on The Jacobite—the steam train used as the Hogwarts Express in the movies—which travels across the 21 arches of the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
Julia Donaldson
To celebrate the 25th birthday of The Gruffalo, one of the most famous children’s book characters of recent times, Forestry England has Gruffalo Party Trails across the UK. Search for balloons and items for the party along the way, with interactive exhibits to find as you roam.
Choose your favourite literary locations and set off on your own literary road trip this summer. Filter your search to find the perfect car for the journey, whether you want an SUV or minivan that’s big enough to fit the whole family or a vehicle with a bike rack so you can explore countryside trails when you arrive.
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