Not too long ago I announced my intention to travel to England this year. The original plan was to go in August, but with the arrival of my niece/nephew scheduled for then, I was forced to reconsider. Apparently Mime found my not rescheduling the trip offensive. It isn't like I can even enjoy the auntly privileges of spoiling the child rotten and returning her/him to her/his parents all sugared up and out of control for at least a year. Although in the case of Mime, teaching her/him to love broccoli and eat organic would be the more sinister route. But I digress.
With my original plan frowned upon, I set about finding a new plan. I checked the schedule of the university I want to attend and discovered they don't actually start until the end of September. So the trip is back on, pushed into the beginning of September. Huzzah!
The next difficulty lay in organizing the itinerary. I had two travel guides I picked up at Barnes & Noble, but they seemed too overwhelming without a proper, unifying theme. Thanks to BlackJazz, I have one. He kindly emailed me with a few suggestions about places I should think about and specifically recommended Chatsworth, an estate at which bits of the most recent Pride & Prejudice adaptation was filmed. As I perused both the websites I just linked, I hit upon an excellent idea. I will visit places that play important roles in some of my favorite novels and/or adaptations of my favorite novels. My list of possibilities thus far:
Chatsworth (Pride & Prejudice, 2005)
Lyme Park and/or Belton House (Pride & Prejudice, 1995)
Whitby (Possession: A Romance)
Helmshore Textile Museum (North & South, 2004)
Haworth (the Bronte sisters' home, now has a museum)
Lots of other places in Derbyshire (Jane Eyre, 2006)
The Peak District (Mostly because it looks so breathtakingly beautiful, but also because it is features prominently in Pride & Prejudice AND the 2006 adaptation of Jane Eyre)
I'm sure I'll come up with more ideas, but if any of you have ideas, I would love th hear them!
With my original plan frowned upon, I set about finding a new plan. I checked the schedule of the university I want to attend and discovered they don't actually start until the end of September. So the trip is back on, pushed into the beginning of September. Huzzah!
The next difficulty lay in organizing the itinerary. I had two travel guides I picked up at Barnes & Noble, but they seemed too overwhelming without a proper, unifying theme. Thanks to BlackJazz, I have one. He kindly emailed me with a few suggestions about places I should think about and specifically recommended Chatsworth, an estate at which bits of the most recent Pride & Prejudice adaptation was filmed. As I perused both the websites I just linked, I hit upon an excellent idea. I will visit places that play important roles in some of my favorite novels and/or adaptations of my favorite novels. My list of possibilities thus far:
Chatsworth (Pride & Prejudice, 2005)
Lyme Park and/or Belton House (Pride & Prejudice, 1995)
Whitby (Possession: A Romance)
Helmshore Textile Museum (North & South, 2004)
Haworth (the Bronte sisters' home, now has a museum)
Lots of other places in Derbyshire (Jane Eyre, 2006)
The Peak District (Mostly because it looks so breathtakingly beautiful, but also because it is features prominently in Pride & Prejudice AND the 2006 adaptation of Jane Eyre)
I'm sure I'll come up with more ideas, but if any of you have ideas, I would love th hear them!
8 comments:
The idea seems great. I have a couple of comments which might help you as you consider your itinerary.
1. Derbyshire is a county. The Peak District is a piece of countryside that doesn't follow county boundaries. But most of the Peak District is in Derbyshire. It is divided into 2 parts: the White Peak and the Dark Peak. The White Peak is more southerly and includes some of Staffordshire. The Dark Peak is more northerly and extends into Yorkshire. The terms "White" and "Dark" refer to the geology of the areas. Bottom line - visiting the Peak District and visiting the Derbyshire countryside are more or less the same thing. I wasn't sure if you were clear on that.
2. I've never visited Burghley House (used in the Pride & Prejudice film) but I'm told it's very nice. It looks very grand. Information about it is on the P&P web site you referenced. (Somebody asked me to go last year and we didn't get round to it.)
Sounds amazing, if I wasn't filling young minds with lots of literary fluff during September I would come with you! :)
Do you mind if I borrow some of your itinerary when I'm in England?
Borrow away, Treat Queen.
E - I would feel sorry for you, but aren't you going to Italy this summer?
BlackJazz - Thanks for the details. I did know that Derbyshire and the Peak District shared some geography because I've been spending a lot of down time at work on Google Maps trying to see if my make-shift itinerary is feasible. But thanks for the explanation. I really appreciate your insider perspective!
Lady Jane grey's house in Bradgate park in leicester always seems to be popular with 'tourists'. Just ask Nemesis.
Nottingham castle is also good. You can take pictures and confuse people at home when they see that the castle is absolutley nothing like a 'typical' castle or ones which had appeared in films or Tv series with Robin Hood.
All my ideas are centered around Italy & parts of France...and Food of course. I always try to eat as much as a can knowing that I won't have food this taste worthy for another....lifetime. I'm not entirely sure that you're going to England for the food anyway.
You'll get a better deal on flights now, too, because you've shifted your dates from peak summertime to off-peak schooltime. More spending money, yah!
I'm sorry I missed it, but can't figure out my new TV.
Neat site and don't think it's boring people... just busy this time of year.
Blessings,
Ella
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