Books and landscapes are connected in the most exciting walking routes in the UK. Here’s a list of National Trust walking routes to follow in the footsteps of your favourite writer. Get a walking route planner map at walkit.com or https://gb.mapometer.com/walking to help you in this journey.
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Tin Coast, Cornwall
What about taking a bracing walk along the Cornish clifftops with this one-mile circular route at Botallack?
Check the old mine buildings of Wheal Owles and Wheal Crowns perched precariously above the sea, bringing the area’s industrial past to life.
The ruins also made the perfect filming location for the recent BBC adaptation of Winston Graham’s ‘Poldark’ novels, starring as the Poldark family mines of Wheal Leisure and Grambler.
Lacock, Wiltshire
2017 marked 20 years since the publication of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’. To celebrate, it’s worth taking a trip to Lacock Abbey, which was used for several Hogwarts interior scenes in the early movie adaptations.
Picturesque Lacock village is also no stranger to the screen, having featured in the likes of Cranford and Pride and Prejudice. It also had a starring role as the location of the Potter’s house and a church in The Philosopher’s Stone, along with Slughorn’s temporary home of Budleigh Babberton in The Half-Blood Prince.
Hindhead Commons, Surrey
Last year also marked the 125th anniversary of ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’, the first collection of Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories about the eponymous detective.
Conan Doyle lived at Undershaw in Hindhead from 1897 to 1907, where he wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles. The fledgeling National Trust bought Hindhead Commons in 1906 under the advice of its co-founder Sir Robert Hunter, who lived nearby.
Conan Doyle was part of the first Hindhead Commons committee which helped the Trust to care for this special place and frequently walked out with Hunter over the Commons.
Castle Ward, County Down
Take a stroll through this 820-acre walled demesne along trails that wind their way through atmospheric woodland, parkland and gardens, with impressive views over Strangford Lough and the surrounding countryside.
The historic farmyard at Castle Ward provided the setting for Winterfell in the TV series Game of Thrones, adapted from the novels by George R.R. Martin’s first scene in Game of Thrones was filmed and was used as the setting for Winterfell in series one.
Pay a visit to wander around the historic estate, and experience life at the Stark family home.
Shaw’s Corner, Hertfordshire
Playwright, politician, philosopher and wit George Bernard Shaw lived in this Edwardian villa for over 40 years. Today his home remains much as he left it, with beautiful Arts and Crafts interiors and tranquil gardens.
It was here that Shaw wrote some of his most celebrated plays, including ‘Pygmalion’ and ‘Saint Joan’. Now you can follow in his footsteps with the National Trust’s walking trail through the glorious Hertfordshire countryside, starting in the pretty village of Wheathampstead.
