As we emerge in the season of long days and short nights, the desire for travel blossoms.

For many, with summer comes an extended break from education or some annual leave to rest, recover and do something out of the ordinary – see something extraordinary. For many environmentalists, travel can be a concern, particularly if leaving the country and being reliant on air travel. However, England is host to some beautiful locations that can easily be visited by car or train. This may not eliminate the environmental impact, but it certainly lessens it, after all life is about balance.

A personal interest of mine has always been literature combined with a passion for visiting new places. Taking this into consideration, the following is a tailored guide to some personal favourite literary inspired destinations here in England. Perhaps some inspiration for your summer?

Oxford

Oxford is a city steeped in literary wonder. Located just a 50-minute train journey from London, step back in time and retrace the footsteps of scholar C.S. Lewis, the mastermind behind The Chronicles of Narnia. The inspiration for the entrance to Narnia and faun, Mr Tumnus, is nestled just off from the high street – I wonder if you will stumble across the iconic lamppost? You can even visit C.S. Lewis’ house and the neighbouring woodland which greatly inspired the world of Narnia.

Cambridge

Immerse yourself in a city where some of England’s brightest and creative minds once lived, just over an hour’s train from London. Cambridge comes alive in the summer, bustling with tourists from all over the world. Tour the famous Cambridge University Colleges and marvel over the student experience as encapsulated by Virginia Wolf. Both Jacob’s Room and essay, A Room of One’ Own were heavily influenced by the university, including the female only colleges – Newham and Girton. Did you know that outside term time, you can stay inside some of the Cambridge Colleges?

Bath

Dearest gentle reader, Bath is the perfect destination for lovers of Bridgerton and Jane Austen. Located just an hour and 20 minutes from London, Bath is ideal for a literary weekend escape! Although the Bridgerton books are set in Regency era London, the increasingly popular series used Bath as the ideal backdrop to transport viewers back in time with its 18^th century architecture. Persuasion by Jane Austen used the location of Bath during the 19^th century to lay the scene of social circles and marriage in this novel. Austen was living in Bath at the time and visitors can visit the Jane Austen Centre just stone’s throw from the Royal Crescent to see what life was like when the author frequented the streets of Bath.  

It is easy to feel that you should be off swimming with pigs in the Bahamas or scaling the Great Wall of China on your next trip because this is what we see others doing on social media. However, for many this is simply too expensive and may challenge personal beliefs about travel and the impact of this on the environment. It is not necessary to go far to visit somewhere new and unique. These recommendations have the potential to take you to different worlds and times entirely. My advice to you, should you visit one of these cities, take one of the books inspired by them and read as you go. Let words on a page take you far, far away and go further than you thought possible.

Which city would you like to visit the most?

Some recommended tourist attractions:

• CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien Tour | Oxford Official Walking Tours
• Tours | Visit the Bodleian Libraries
• University of Cambridge, Cambridge | Book Now Tickets & Tours Online (Updated 2026)
• The Jane Austen Centre Bath celebrates author Jane Austen

By Madeline Polston, SGO Projects Officer