5 Incredible Locations, 5 Amazing Authors.
As someone who loves to read and write and is an advocate for literacy, it’s only natural that when we were on holidays recently, that I would seek out the locations where some of my favourite authors have written their children’s books.
Beatrix Potter
Everyone know this famous writer and illustrator of the most gorgeous picture books with the most absolutely adorable little bunnies and friends as characters. My childhood was filled with her stories as were my children’s and grandchildren’s and I’m sure yours too. While staying in the Lakes District of England it was a definite must that I visited her cosy cottage.
Just a bit of a walk up the hill from the quaint little village of Hawkeshead lies Beatrix Potter’s 17th Century cottage called Hill Top. It was bequeathed to the National Trust along with 4,000 acres and 15 farms when she died in 1943. While the National Trust walks through many of the acres are all free and well maintained trails, there is an entry fee to the cottage, but for fans of Pater Rabbit, it is so worth paying to visit.
Mr McGregor’s vegetable garden is smaller than I expected, but it was wonderful to see it well kept with tools and a watering can left laying around as if Beatrix Potter or Mr McGregor were still there. Inside, as you wander around each little room, there are books open to pages where you can see the scenes that she drew from different perspectives in the house. In one of the rooms upstairs you can try on several hats just like the Puddle-Ducks did in the Tale of Tom Kitten. To my surprise and delight there is also a manuscript draft that you are invited to turn the pages of and look through.
While Beatrix Potter did not actually live in this cottage, her home was another farm across the road that is not open to the public, she did spend many days here finding inspiration and writing. For avid readers of her beautiful tales, this is a must visit place on my tourist list. Bookings are essential as they try to limit the number of people going through at one time.
William Wordsworth
Still in the Lakes District, in Grasmere, the town where we stayed, you will find the William Wordsworth Hotel, the churchyard where he is buried and Dove cottage where he lived with his family from 1799 to 1808. It is said that it is here among the rolling hills around Grasmere that he found most of his inspiration for writing his poetry. Up towards the back of his gardens is a sheltered seated area where he could look out across the valley to the lake and the hills beyond. Sadly there are a few buildings now blocking part of the view, but you can still get an idea of the gorgeous scene that he could see. Wordsworth and his sister walked around the area for miles daily. I certainly took the opportunity to do several beautiful walks myself.
One of his most famous poems is The Daffodils or I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud. Here are the first few lines -
I wandered lonely as a cloud
that floats on high o’ver vale and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host, of golden daffodils.
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
As you sit overlooking Dove Cottage or wander the hills of Grasmere, it is certainly evident how inspired he was to write this poem. As luck would have it, we were there in early Spring when the daffodils were in bloom everywhere, adding to the ambiance and atmosphere.
Inside his cottage is set-up just as Wordsworth left it. You can imagine him writing at the table by the warmth of the fire with his young children playing at his feet. On the property is also a museum where you learn more about this fascinating man and his love for nature. Wordsworth was so forward thinking for his time that not only did he write a guide to the Lakes District for visitors and hikers, he also encouraged the area to become National Property, which later inspired the establishment of the National trust and National Parks. There is also a fee to enter Dove Cottage and the museum, bookings are essential.
J.K. Rowling
On arriving in Edinburgh, one of the first places I wanted to visit was the Elephant Café, known as the place where Jo Rowling penned the first drafts of the Harry Potter books. These books inspired a new generation to read, a generation that included my own three boys. Can you imagine my disappointment when the concierge at our hotel said that the café had burnt down a year ago. We decided to at least take a walk and find the street where it had once stood. To my surprise and delight there was a note on the door that gave directions to the new location where the café had moved to after the fire. It was only a short walk around the corner into the street that is said to have been the inspiration for Diagon Alley. I had wanted to see this street anyway, so it was a bonus to find the Elephant Café now set-up right in the middle of tone side of the street.
As we entered the building and climbed the stairs I was excited and overjoyed. It felt like entering into the world of witchcraft and Harry Potter. We sat at a table by a window that overlooked the incredible scenes of the street below. I found it intoxicating and exhilarating to be there. We sipped on peppermint tea and nibbled delicious mouth-watering shortbread and soaked in the atmosphere.
Memorabilia of J.K. Rowling and her time there was everywhere on the old stone walls and heavy thick timber rafters and window frames. I could image this resembling The Three Broomsticks Inn in Hogsmeade, the village near Hogwarts.
JK Rowling’s writing desk in the original building looked out a window to the view of Edinburgh Castle just a little way up the hill. There is no such window in the new café, instead there is a framed window with the image of the castle just as she would have seen it. While this is obviously an image, it still gives the appearance and feel for what it would have been like to sit there and ponder the drafts while filling her mind with imagination. I was thrilled to be able to write a note in the book placed on the table, maybe one day, JK will read my message.
Hans Christian Anderson
I grew up with the fairy tales of this Danish children’s author. Some of my favourites were, Thumbelina, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Princess and the Pea, just to name a few.
On arrival in Copenhagen, Denmark, it was wonderful to come across a tall bronze statue of this famous author from my childhood. He is seated wearing a suit and top hat and holds a cane in one hand and a book in the other. We had caught the train into town from Aarhus where my nephew lives, as he was taking us on a walking tour of the city and a visit to the National Museum. I had not given any thought to finding this statue, so when we stumbled across it, I was delighted.
I had hoped however, to see the statue of the Little Mermaid. My nephew was not so keen, he believed it was too touristy and impossible to get a good photo because of all the crowds So I had to be content with a glimpse from the boat while on a river cruise.
He did take us for a walk along the beautiful and colourful canal, and showed me where H.C Anderson had lived. I took a photo of the plaque on the wall and sat on the steps at the front door where he had stepped so many times. The house is in private ownership, so there was no going inside to explore.
Kenneth Grahame
On our return to London, we stayed a few days with Hubby’s cousin. He just so happens to live just around the corner from the woodlands of Bisham near the picturesque village of Cookham Dean with it’s beautiful views over the Thames Valley and river. Kenneth Grahame spent his childhood exploring and playing in these woods and returned as an adult to write the magnificent and memorable Wind in the Willows.
As we roamed the many twisting trails we played spot the squirrel and I could image Toad, Mole, Badger, Ratty and the weasels chasing each other through the long grasses, purple flowering fields and climbing the trees.
Like Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, I think many people would have fond memories of reading Wind in the Willows during their childhood. I certainly do and loved my afternoon breathing in the fresh country air and filling my mind with imagination.
My writer’s pilgrimage complete, I was ready to come home.
These are my 5 top picks for incredible places to visit about 5 amazing authors. I could have added Alnwick Castle in Northumbria, as it too was so much fun reliving Harry Potter scenes and making memories, but I think this post has been long enough.
If you could travel anywhere in the world to see where your favourite author wrote your favourite book, where would you go and why?