Literature, film and TV
Many of our famous writers have been inspired by the drama of the landscape. Wordsworth loved the light on a Cumbrian lake. The wildness of the Yorkshire Moors compelled Emily Bronte to write Wuthering Heights. The misty marshlands of Kent feature in many of Charles Dickens’ novels, and the rural idylls of Dorset were beloved by Thomas Hardy. But if writing a great English novel is not on your agenda, visit one of the many stately homes which are regularly used for film locations and TV locations. Make your own costume drama at houses like Highclere Castle, the setting of the fictional Downton Abbey.
Visit Derby's three National Trust treasures
Derby has a trio of National Trust treasures all within a 10 mile radius, so use the city as your base to explore Calke, Sudbury and Kedleston.
Location: Derby, Derbyshire
Explore the ruins of Ashby Castle
Sir Walter Scott’s classic novel of 1819, Ivanhoe featured Ashby Castle as the backdrop to the famous jousting scenes.
Location: Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire
Be inspired by the grand Malvern Hills
Enjoy great views on top of the Worcestershire Beacon and follow in the footsteps of writers and composers including Sir Edward Elgar and C.S Lewis.
Location: Malvern, Worcestershire
Take a 'Christmas Carol’ Guided Tour
Join a Christmas Carol guided tour to see some of the film’s most memorable locations.
Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Take a tour round Stokesay Court
Stokesay Court was the setting for the mansions scenes in the film version of Ian McEwan's best selling novel, “Atonement”.
Location: Craven Arms, Shropshire
Visit Shrewsbury Abbey, fictional home of Brother Cadfael
Visit Shrewsbury Abbey and follow in the footsteps of Cadfael, the monastic sleuth, where the books and TV series were set.
Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Explore Hawkstone Park Follies fantasy land
Spend the day exploring an historic woodland fantasy with cliffs, crags, caves, deep woods and towers built hundreds of years ago.
Location: Weston under Redcastle, Shropshire
Discover DH Lawrence country
Discover DH Lawrence country on the edge of Nottingham and follow in the footsteps of the county's most controversial literary hero.
Location: Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
Find Byron's Nottinghamshire on the Byron Trail
Lord Byron was famous during his lifetime as a figure who could inspire love, romance, political change and liberation through his powerful works.
Location: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Lose yourself in Neverland at Nottingham Arboretum
The Arboretum just outside Nottingham’s city centre is said to be the inspiration behind J.M. Barrie’s classic children’s tale ‘Peter Pan’.
Location: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Visit the real Wayne Manor in Nottingham
Wollaton Hall took on a very special role in when it appeared as ‘Wayne Manor’ in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Location: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Add Stratford Literary Festival to your list of things to do in April
Be in the company of celebrity authors and best-selling writers at this lively literary event in the UK.
Location: Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Spend the day playing at Lyme Park, House and Garden
Get transported back to Edwardian times, at the mansion and extensive grounds of Lyme Park.
Location: Disley, Cheshire
Step into the magical world of JRR Tolkien
Celebrate this great literary mind by exploring his childhood haunts, the inspiration for literary classics Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
Woo your true love in Stratford-upon-Avon
Relax by the river, recite a romantic sonnet, indulge yourself in Shakespeare’s England. It is a heavenly break for you and your true love.
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Rainy Day Activities: Be inspired in Shakespeare's Schoolroom
Explore the historic building where William Shakespeare spent his schooldays and discovered theatre for the first time; an ideal thing to do when it rains.
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Visit New Place, Shakepeare's final home
Walk in Shakespeare's footsteps in the site of his final home, New Place.
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Discover Lord Tennyson’s Somersby
Visit Somersby House, Tennyson’s birthplace, and the village’s "silent woody places" that featured in much of the Victorian poet’s work.
Location: Somersby, Lincolnshire
