For many of us, one of the greatest things about travel is going to the places that we’ve read about in our favourite books. Similar to how a good book can transport us to farflung world’s and unknown cities, every author also needs a form of inspiration. Quite often, you’ll find that inspiration comes from the landscapes of their very doorstep. From vistas to volcanoes, here are 6 places that inspired some of our most loved pieces of literature.
Dublin, Ireland
BOOK: Ulysses by James Joyce
The entire city of Dublin is filled with places that are associated with James Joyce and his fictional characters. If you’re after an alternative method to discovering Ireland’s capital, you can join in on a ‘Footsteps of Leopold Bloom’ (the main character in Ulysses) city tour, which recreates the hero’s epic day in Dublin.
Yorkshire, England
BOOK: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
A now-ruined farmhouse at Top Withens, near the town of Haworth is rumoured to be the inspiration for the Earnshaw family house in the literary classic, Wuthering Heights. While the farmhouse doesn’t bear any real resemblance to the fictional family home, the moorland does have a plaque affixed to the decaying walls that notes it is associated with the much-loved novel.
Hannibal, Missouri, USA
BOOK: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The fictitious McDougal’s Cave which acts as the exploration grounds of Tom Sawyer is actually based on the real McDowell’s Cave (now known as the Mark Twain Cave) in Twain’s hometown of Hannibal in Missouri, USA. Real-life events that happened inside the cave were actually included in the novel’s plot!
Lake District, England
BOOK: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
The beautiful scenery of England’s Lake District is all the encouragement we need to want to visit the area, so it really comes with little surprise that here is where Beatrix Potter was inspired to bring her children’s tales of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck to life.
Whitby Abbey, Yorkshire, England
BOOK: Dracula by Bram Stoker
Despite being set in Transylvania, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula actually comes from the dilapidated 7th-Century Christian monastery Whitby Abbey. When the fog rolls over the hills, it’s easy to imagine the silhouette of a vampire lurking in the shadows!
The Big Woods, Wisconsin, USA
BOOK: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Through her Little House series, Laura Ingalls Wilder lets us relive her childhood travelling through the midwestern states of America during the 1870’s and 1880’s. The first book in the series, Little House in the Big Woods is based on her memories of Big Woods in Wisconsin. You can even visit the forest playground and replica wooden house based on the Wilder’s family home.
Interested in continuing your travels around the world from home? Check out our blog post ‘The Best Virtual Tours You Can Do From Home’.
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