VisitBritain - Welcome
Britain has produced some of the world's most famous authors and poets. The stunning diversity of the British countryside has inspired some of the greatest stories, myths and legends the world has come to know and love.
For the first 25 years of her life Jane Austen lived in the tiny hamlet of Steventon, near Andover. Here, she began to distill her experiences of the social mores of 18th century society.
The short, tragic and unhappy lives of Charlotte Brontë and her literary siblings, Emily and Anne produced some of the best-loved and popular classics ever written.
Scotland's most celebrated bard Robert Burns is renowned the world over. Author of famous poems such as Auld Lang Syne and Tam O' Shanter, Burns was born in Alloway.
One day in the summer of 1862, Lewis Carroll took Alice Liddell, the ten-year old daughter of the dean of Christ Church College, Oxford and her two sisters on a boating picnic.
England's greatest medieval poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, was born circa 1345 the son of a wealthy London vintner.
Catherine Cookson was raised on the cobbled terraces on the banks of River Tyne, which formed the backdrop for so many of her stories.
Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1855, and studied medicine at Edinburgh University. Here he met Dr Joseph Bell, one of his lecturers, the persona for Sherlock Holmes.
Daphne Du Maurier first came to Cornwall in the 1920s and it became her home for the rest of her life. Most of her books are based on real or fictional places in Cornwall.
Thomas Hardy was born in a cottage in Higher Bockhampton on 2 June 1840 and it is where he spent most of his life apart from a short time in London and Weymouth in Dorset.
In his much loved novels, James Herriott captures the magical beauty of North Yorkshire, the joys and sorrows of its inhabitants, and the richly rewarding experiences of a country veterinarian.
When you read the eloquent lines of 19th century poet John Keats it is hard to remember that this passionate writer was only 26 when he died.
Milne's inspiration for the 100 Acre Wood, Poohsticks Bridge, Galleon's Lap, Roo's Sandpit and the North Pole, were inspired by the Ashdown Forest area in East Sussex.
Mention the name Beatrix Potter to children or adults and images of Peter Rabbit, Jemina Puddleduck, Pigling Bland, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, to name but a few, come to mind.
Rather like that of her central character, Harry Potter, Joanne Kathleen Rowling's life has the makings of a fairy tale.
Sir Walter Scott was fired from his earliest years by a patriotic love of his native Scotland - 'Caledonia' - which he eulogised in 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel'.
The world's most performed playwright enriched British culture with new words and dazzling imagery as no author before or since. From knockabout comedy to searing tragedy.
The green hills and walking country of the Lincolnshire Wolds still breathe the 'calm and deep peace' which inspired Alfred - later Lord - Tennyson as a boy.
Dylan Thomas was just 39 when he died. Yet this charismatic poet, playwright and short-story writer left a prodigious body of work notable for its brilliant imagery.
Tolkien's early life was split between the rural hamlet of Sarehole, just south of Birmingham, and darkly urban Birmingham itself, where he was sent to school.
Born in Cockermouth, Cumbria in 1770, Wordsworth was one of the first Romantic poets. He was deeply touched by natural surroundings, and particularly by the rivers, lakes and mountain views.
For any of you garden lovers or those planning a history or heritage themed trip around Britain, the essential "buy before you leave" product is the Great British Heritage Pass. Providing free entry into over 580 castles, gardens and stately homes across the length and breadth of Britain, it really is the key to unlocking Britain's secrets.
For full details and to order click here.