Book Tourism

I've always been told I'm a bit odd for wanting to visit places associated with my favourite books, but it seems I am far from the only bibliophile to do this. Indeed, there is a whole industry built around this very concept. There are Harry Potter walking tours around London, pilgrimages to the Brontë parsonage and in Bath, a city's tourism trade built as much around Jane Austen as around its rich cultural heritage. And this is not a uniquely British concept either. Prince Edward Island has Green Gables preserved for Anne-lovers and Istanbul has Orhan Pamuk's Museum of Innocence, inspired by his book of the same name. There are whole websites devoted to this specific kind of tourism too. https://booksinplaces.co.uk is a unique kind of book club, where people travel to a specific city as part of a group visit and read the book on location. https://literarytoursengland.com is an American company who create customised itineraries for US visitors to England, specialising in the haunts of famous writers and their book locations.

So, for this month's blog, I decided to think about the places I have been (or would love to visit) as a result of reading books set there. Because there are so many, I have only focused on a handful, but will list a few more books at the end, along with the places associated with them.

By Natulive Canada - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59980941

Anne of Green Gables: Prince Edward Island

First up has to be the home of L.M. Montogomery's Anne. She was a childhood heroine who has stuck with me throughout adulthood. I made a trip to Courcelette to lay a cross for Anne's son, Walter who was killed there during WW1. When my mum went to Canada on holiday, she brought me back a packet of Anne-themed paper napkins. Almost 10 years later, I still have a few left, because they are only ever brought out on extra-special occasions, so precious are they! I would love to be able to go myself and spend a week indulging in all things Anne related.

Jane Austen: Bath

I have lost count of the number of times I've dragged my family around the streets of Bath, pointing out every Jane Austen-related location, from her former home, to filming locations for TV adaptations of her novels. One year, I even conducted my own walking tour of the city with a slightly less than enthusiastic husband and son in tow. (This paid off this year however, as my son and his fiancée visited the city and took my Austen guidebook with them - there is a reason she is a keeper!!) I dragged them up to the skyline walk, not to see Bath from above, but to follow in the footsteps of Catherine Moreland and the Tilneys when they walked through the woods of Beechen Cliff. In the assembly rooms, whilst I may be carrying on a normal conversation, you can guarantee that in my head I am meeting Mr Tilney or Captain Wentworth in my best Austen balldress. Fortunately, my family are well used to these little flights of fancy and don't worry overly if I'm ignoring them!

Pemberley: Lyme Park

The only thing which connects Lyme Park to Mr Darcy is the 1995 BBC adaptation. However, so definitively is this seared into my imagination, that as far as I'm concerned, Lyme Park IS Pemberley and we have to visit every few years either on the way to, or back from, my mum's house. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet Mr Darcy, striding beautifully through the equally stunning grounds, but my imagination provides an excellent substitute for the real thing. I realise this probably makes me sound completely unhinged, but again, people-watching and overheard conversations suggest I am not the only one! Equally, when we visited Belton House, I spent the whole visit half-expecting to hear the strident tones of Lady Catherine de Bourgh echoing through the halls.

Persuasion and the French Lieutenant's Woman: Lyme Regis

Lyme's iconic cobb has been the setting for more than one of my 'tourism' novels. Whilst I didn't seek to mimic Louisa Musgrove by jumping off and almost killing myself, or the Woman, by gazing out to sea mourning a long-lost love, it did send a thrill of excitement down my spine to be in such an iconic location and the books were the primary motivation for the visit.

Dead Man's Folly: Greenway

I love all things Agatha Christie, particularly Poirot, so to be able to visit the boathouse (and scene of the murder) last time we went was particularly thrilling. However, it is the gun battery which is my favourite spot in the garden. I love everything about this place and it's somewhere I always feel I should be wearing a floaty teadress and a floppy hat to visit, just to recapture the glamour of the 1930s.

Evil Under The Sun: Burgh Island

I was fortunate enough to attend a wedding on the island so saw inside the hotel and its grounds, but it's somewhere my husband has promised to take me to stay when our youngest is a bit older (mainly because he knows it's a book inspired trip and is too young to stay there at the moment!). It's easy to see why Christie was so inspired by this place.

Jamaica Inn/Over Sea Under Stone: Cornwall

There are so many books set in Cornwall where I have dragged the family to see various famous sites, including St Michael's Mount. However, it is these two which have had the most profound effect on me. Mevagissey is the closest match to Trewithick from OSUS and there is even a plaque on one of the houses near the harbour, to reflect this. Jamaica Inn is another place we go back to pretty much every time we visit, simply because the book is in the running for the title of my favourite ever book. Yes it's a bit cheesy, but I love the atmosphere and whenever we go to Fowey, we have to go and seek out the distinctive blue and white frontage of Du Maurier's childhood home.

Other Places/Books of Interest