Celebrating Jane Austen - Hiking
Country
England
Region
London, Cotswolds
Theme
Limited Edition
6
Days
5
Nights
Accommodation
4*
Walking the places that shaped Austen's world.
This journey traces the landscapes, towns and cities that shaped Jane Austen’s life and writing. Moving from London to Hampshire and on to Bath, it connects places of residence, inspiration and legacy, allowing her world to unfold geographically as well as literarily. Rather than focusing solely on individual novels, the programme explores Austen’s relationship with place. Country lanes, cathedral cities and spa towns that influenced her social observation, humour and restraint. Time is allowed for walking, reading and reflection, with a pace that neatly mirrors the measured rhythms of her writing.
Highlights
- Guided exploration of Jane Austen’s London
- Walking Box Hill, featured in Emma
- Winchester Cathedral and Austen’s grave
- Chawton Cottage and Steventon, her birthplace
- Southampton and the New Forest landscapes
- Bath’s Georgian streets and the Jane Austen Centre
Handpicked Accommodation
The Dukes, Bath
A refined Georgian townhouse hotel set within Bath’s historic centre. The Dukes is true to the cities 18th-century architecture.
Why we chose it
Bath is inseparable from its Georgian townhouses, and The Dukes places guests within that architectural language.
The Wykeham Arms, Winchester
A historic coaching inn just steps from Winchester Cathedral, The Wykeham Arms has welcomed travellers for centuries.
Why we chose it
Winchester is central to Austen’s final years, and staying here allows guests to experience the city at a quieter pace, particularly in the evenings once day visitors have gone.
Itinerary
Day 1 – London to Box Hill and onto Winchester
Begin the journey with a morning pick-up from London Paddington and a guided exploration of Jane Austen’s London. Visit locations associated with her stays in the city, including areas near her family’s residence. After lunch, travel to Box Hill in Surrey, a setting immortalised in Emma. A gentle walk along the ridge offers wide views across the North Downs and a sense of the social excursions that feature so prominently in Austen’s work. Continue on to Winchester for the evening, checking into your hotel and settling in with time to read or relax.
Day 2 – The Jane Austen Museum
Begin the day at Winchester Cathedral, where Jane Austen is buried. The modest nature of her grave contrasts with the scale of the building, reflecting the limited recognition she received during her lifetime. Travel on to Chawton, where Austen lived from 1809 and wrote Emma, Mansfield Park and Persuasion. Visit her cottage, now a museum, which preserves personal letters, first editions and domestic spaces that shaped her daily routine. In the afternoon, continue to Steventon, the village of her birth, and walk through the surrounding countryside that informed her earliest writing. Return to Winchester for the evening.
Day 3 – Southampton and the New Forest
Travel south to Southampton, where Austen lived for several years and revised earlier drafts of her novels. Walk through parts of the old town, including sites associated with the Austen family and the Dolphin Hotel, where she celebrated her eighteenth birthday. Continue to Buckler’s Hard, a riverside village once central to shipbuilding for the Royal Navy. Its quiet setting offers a sense of the maritime world that sat alongside Austen’s domestic narratives. The day concludes with time in the New Forest, whose open heathland, ponies and ancient woodland provide a different but complementary landscape to her Hampshire villages. Return to Winchester for a final night.
Day 4 – Rural Lacock. Regency Bath
After breakfast, travel to Lacock, a remarkably preserved village frequently used as a filming location for period drama. Walk its streets and abbey precinct, which echo the architectural language of Austen’s era.Continue on to Bath and check into your hotel. The afternoon is free to begin exploring the city’s crescents, streets and pump rooms that Austen both frequented and satirised. Dinner is enjoyed in the city.
Day 5 – Austen's legacy
Spend the day deepening your understanding of Austen’s relationship with Bath. Visit the Jane Austen Centre and explore key locations connected to her time in the city, including places that informed Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. The remainder of the day is flexible. Options may include a themed dinner, a theatrical performance or further walking through the Georgian streets. Return to the hotel for a final night in Bath.
Day 6 – Departure
After breakfast, the tour comes to an end. Depart independently or continue your travels.
Itinerary Designer
Famous for her social commmentary, Austen paid close attention to where people walked, gathered and observed one another. We’ll do the same!
Gaby
Featured Experience
From Country to City
This journey highlights the contrast Austen knew well. Quiet Hampshire villages give way to spa towns and port cities, each with different expectations and behaviours.