Bits and Bobs

 

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Destination Information and Author/Illustrator Connections

Harlaxton

Things to do:

  • Guided tour of the manor
  • Read, rest, regroup
  • Walk on the groomed trails around the manor
  • Play croquet, Quidditch, or other lawn games
  • Walk to the village pub
  • Find the secret passageways between the walls

London

Things to do:

  • Warner Bros Harry Potter Study Tour
  • Hop on / hop off double decker bus tour with live guide or audio guide
  • Sightseeing cruise on the Thames River
  • British Library
  • Show in the West End of London
  • Platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross Station
  • London Eye
  • Tower of London
  • British Museum
  • Watch the changing of the guard
  • Tate Museum
  • Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
  • Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Kew Gardens
  • National Gallery
  • Natural History Museum
  • House of Illustration
  • Play Poohsticks
  • Look for Prince Harry

Author/Illustrator Bits and Bobs:

  • Our bus tour will bring us by the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens and JM Barrie’s former home. JM Barrie took many walks in Kensington Gardens, and during one of these walks he met the sons of Arthur and Sylvia Llewlyn Davies. Barrie told his stories of Peter Pan to the boys, which he then transformed into a play titled Peter Pan, and eventually a book called Peter Pan and Wendy.
  • Our bus tour will also swing by Paddington Station. Michael Bond, author of A Bear Called Paddington, was inspired to write his first children’s book after a last minute Christmas Eve shopping trip whereby he picked up a forlorn stuffed bear sitting by itself on a toy shelf. The bear was named after the nearby Paddington railway station.
  • JK Rowling included many real London locations in her books and films, including Kings Cross Station, Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge, and Millennium Bridge.
  • The story of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins’s life-size replicas of dinosaurs installed near the Crystal Palace in London was told in a picture book written by Barbara Kerley and illustrated by Brian Selznick titled The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. E. Nesbit visited Crystal Palace as a child and was fascinated by the sculptures. She incorporated several in her fantasy books for children.
  • The real Christopher Robin enjoyed visiting the London Zoo with his father, AA Milne. Christopher Robin’s favorite animal was an America black bear named Winnie.
  • Many authors and illustrators called London home at some point in their lives,
  • During her years in London, Beatrix Potter frequented the Victoria and Albert Museum which, at the time, was called the South Kensington Museum. She often did sketches of the pictures and objects she found in the museum. A display case near the museum’s restaurant is devoted to Potter’s drawings, manuscripts, and early editions of her books.

Oxford

Things to do:

  • Guided walking tour of Oxford, special focus on children’s literature

Author/Illustrator Bits and Bobs:

  • Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) worked as a mathematics lecturer and lived at Christ Church College, one of the many colleges that make up Oxford University. He befriended the daughters of the dean and took a special interest in Alice Liddell. He told the girls a fantastical story about Alice going on an underground adventure. The girls enjoyed the story so much that Dodgson wrote it down and eventually had it published. We will look for Alice’s Shop, a store that the real Alice frequented and the fictional Alice visited in Through the Looking Glass.
  • JRR Tolkien studied Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon, and other old languages at Oxford, where he eventually was awarded a teaching position. Tolkien, Lewis, and poet Charles Williams called themselves the Inklings. They frequented a pub called The Eagle and Child to read and critique one another’s work.
  • CS Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland, and was educated in England. He was a teacher at Magdalen College,  one of the colleges that make up Oxford University. It was here that he formed a friendship with JRR Tolkien. Lewis is not only famous for the Narnia series, he also is a renown Christian theologian and religious writer.
  • Click here to read more about literary tourism in Oxford.

Lake District – Ambleside

Things to do:

  • World of Beatrix Potter
  • Kayaking
  • Ferry to Bowness
  • Armitt Library and Museum
  • Eat fish and chips
  • Play mini golf
  • Take a hike
  • Gaze at the grazing sheep
  • Hilltop Farm, Beatrix Potter’s cottage

Author/Illustrator Bits and Bobs:

  • Beatrix Potter spent many childhood vacations in the Lake District. She called the place home later in life. With the profits from her publications, she bought Hill Top farm, other hill farms and estates in the Lake District. She left Hill Top to the National Trust when she died with the provision that it be maintained exactly as it was when she lived there.
  • Beatrix Potter was a key figure in saving the traditional Herdwick sheep from extinction. You will see these sheep all over the region. Potter became an expert Herdwick sheep breeder and the first female president designate of the Herdwick Sheepbreeders’ Association. 
  • The Armitt Library and Museum maintains a permanent exhibit on Beatrix Potter and her pictures of fungi.
  • The movie Miss Potter starring Renee Zellweger tells the story of Beatrix Potter and includes many Lake District sites.

Edinburgh

Things to do:

  • Hop on / hop off double decker bus tour with live guide or audio guide
  • Royal Mile
  • Edinburgh Castle
  • Writer’s Museum at Lady Stair’s House
  • Hillwalking on Arthur’s Seat
  • National Museum of Scotland
  • Elephant House
  • National Library of Scotland
  • Listen to the bagpipers
  • The Scotch Whiskey Experience
  • Buy a kilt
  • Go on a ghost walk
  • Eat haggis

Author/Illustrator Bits and Bobs:

  • Robert Louis Stevenson captured the dichotomy of Edinburgh’s rich-poor society in the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a story based on a real man named William Brodie (aka Deacon Brodie). The Deacon Brodie’s Tavern can be found where Bank Street changes to High Street and intersects with George IV Bridge.
  • Just off the Royal Mile, across from the National Library of Scotland, you will find the cafe(s) where JK Rowling is thought to have written the early drafts of the Harry Potter stories. The Elephant House, just off of the Royal Mile, is a popular destination for JK Rowling fans. A short walk from The Elephant House, you can find the Balmoral Hotel, the place where JK Rowling finished the last lines of the Harry Potter series. In fact, she left a note in her room on a marble bust of Hermes that reads  “JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (652) on 11th Jan 2007”. 
  • JM Barrie was born in the Scottish town of Kirriemuir, which is about 70 miles north of Edinburgh. He received a master’s degree from the University of Edinburgh.
  • Kenneth Grahame, author of The Wind in the Willows, was born in Edinburgh.

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Planning, Packing, and Practicalities

  • A watch
  • Rain coat or a jacket with a hood
  • Journal
  • Plug adapter
  • Walking shoes
  • Money
  • All of the obvious stuff (e.g. your toothbrush, phone charger)
  • Be sure to pack light!
  • Most of our accommodations will have wifi, including Harlaxton Manor
  • You will have access to laundry facilities at the manor
  • Weather in England
  • Weather in Scotland

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Smart and Courteous Travel Tips

  • Know where your passport is at all times
  • When a meeting time is given, plan to be there 10 minutes early
  • Keep hold of your money, especially in crowded areas
  • Don’t travel anywhere alone

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Suggested Resources

  • Rick Steves’ free audio guide apps (British Library, British Museum, London, Edinburgh)

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