This year is epic! Reason #1: you still have time to tick off your dream bucketlist destination. And no excuses! (Read my tips for scoring affordable last minute trips or how to find the cheapest flights.) Reason #2: if you’re a literature nerd like me, you’ll celebrate the anniversary of Shakespeare, Jane Austen’s Emma and Charlotte Bronte in 2016! So it was a no brainer to step over to England and walk in the shoes of my literary heroes. For that I created my very own ‘Literary England Tour’. If you are a bookworm like me, you’ll need this in your life as well.
This tour was kindly supported by VisitBritain, VisitBath, Shakespeare’s England and BritRail. As always, my opinions and fangirling are my own.
Shakespeare Retold
Visiting London without attending a play at the Globe Theatre, in my opinion, is a wasted opportunity. Standing tickets are a mere five quid and you are so close to the action (take comfortable shoes and warm clothes, though), just like Shakespeare himself intended it. To pass the time and fill my England Literary Tour with more bard-worthy things, attend a behind the scenes tour and maybe even make a day trip over to Stratford (where you can and should also see a play at the RSC). Read all about the London, Stratford and Shakespeare here.
Jane Austen’s Love and Hate
My favourite female novelist was a country girl to the bone. Because of that, she spend her most creative time in villages around the south of England. However, she also spent a great deal of her time in Bath, which you not only have to visit to see her former houses and walk into her museum. Bath is also great for wellness and exploring the Roman thermal spa. And don’t forget the legendary Chatsworth House, which is very likely the model for Pemberley (you can even buy a Darcy bust there). For more Jane Austen and must see filming locations, click here.
Charlotte Bronte and her Moor Walks
The Brontë novels are very bleak. So what led them to write about such serious topics and about such sublime landscapes? I had to visit Yorkshire to find out. In fact, the moor landscape was amazing and allowed for many solitary walks. I feel like I now understand the influence much better and if you want to do your own Brontë tour and understand the Brontë Sisters more, I recommend my article on my adventures. Hint: I got lost, of course.
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