World Book Day: Iconic Author's Favourite Walking Routes

World Book Day 2026 is on the 5th March, so to celebrate both the literary and outdoor worlds, GO Outdoors has picked out some of the UK’s most famous authors (or, in some cases, characters) to discover their favourite walks, showing just how the outdoors can bring about inspiration, motivation, and well-being.

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Charles Dickens

Jane Austen

Michael Bond & Paddington

Charles Dickens

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Dickens is lauded for championing the poor, suffering and oppressed, highlighting societal injustice throughout his catalogue, often through satirical and bombastic humour. Published weekly serialised instalments gripped the Victorian public for years at a time before being produced as full novels.

His impact in literary circles was also significant, forging a path for realist writers through his vivid, often grotesque observation of urban squalor in Victorian London. He is increasingly considered a catalyst or predecessor for the modernist movement, with some of his more complex work such as Great Expectations and Bleak House, sharing some characteristics of fragmentation and inner human conflict that modernist writing would become renowned for.

Did I lose some of you there? Sorry, that one was for the literary nerds (like me), but I talk about The Muppets in the next paragraph, so is everyone back on board?

Even today, his impact reverberates through pop culture. A Christmas Carol has over a hundred adaptations, including the greatest Christmas movie of all time – A Muppets Christmas Carol (who can deny a Caine, Kermit, Robin triple combo? Not me). I have friends who performed Oliver Twist as their primary school leaving play, admittedly a weirdly heavy leaving assembly, but I faintly remember playing a cloud singing about reaching a pot of gold, so it could be worse. “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” is still perhaps the most recognisable line in literature.

So, what inspired a man of such renown? Walking, of course! Charles Dickens was an avid walker; in fact, he was an obsessive walker. It’s estimated he walked at least 12 miles a day.[1] If I walked that much every day, I’d be a world-renowned writer too. Right, guys? Maybe not, but let’s check out some of the places he loved to walk –

Dover to Folkestone – The Two Harbour Walk

Length: 8.5 miles

Estimated Time: 4 hours 12 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Digital Route Link: https://explore.osmaps.com/route/3061866/dover-to-folkestone

A favourite of Dickens’, the Folkestone to Dover (or Dover to Folkestone) point-to-point was an established walk Dickens completed on his daily mission to walking oblivion. He frequently visited Folkestone and waxed lyrical about the Kentish town in his journalistic essay ‘Out of Town’ (1885).[2]

Clocking in at a reasonable (but to Dickens a fairly rookie) 8.5 miles, this gorgeous walk takes you across stunning coastline and past beautiful country parks such as Warren Country Park, ending close to Folkestone beach. Be sure to check out the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne, which is directly along the walking route. The walk can be done in either direction. It’s not considered particularly challenging, although a pair of walking poles may come in handy. There are benches along the route for a nice rest or spot of lunch (Make sure you clean up afterwards; I’ll know if you don’t).

Higham Walk

Situated in the beautiful Kent countryside, Higham is the location of Dickens' country home, Gads Hill Place, with the surrounding area acting as a profound source of literary inspiration for the writer.  Perhaps the most well-known inspiration is for Great Expectations, with the marshlands acting as the setting for the Victorian epic opener. Close by, the town of Rochester is the home of the first adventure (quite literally, Pickwick Papers was Dickens' first novel) of the Pickwickians, where they encounter the scoundrel Alfred Jingle.

Following country lanes, open fields, and luckily for you, skirting around the edges of the marshland, this varied and beautiful walk offers a gentle circular route, around 6.5 miles in length. Charles would have to do this one twice to hit his daily quota; he’d be crushing the daily 10,000 steps- legend. If he swapped the rather dapper Victorian overcoat and ankle shoes for a waterproof jacket or pair of walking boots at GO Outdoors, he probably would have been able to cover even more ground.

You can get full details of this incredible walk here, including a download of a map -

https://explorekent.org/activities/charles-dickens-and-higham-walk/

Jane Austen

It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.

Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

While Jane Austen saw respectable success during her lifetime, the Georgian writer only deservedly started to be recognised as one of Britain’s greatest ever writers after her death and well into the Victorian era.

She was a master of wit, sarcasm and irony, a bitingly funny author who subtly critiqued the country gentry, looking at social, economic and moral behaviour within that class. Renowned for her pioneering of the free indirect speech style, the blending of third person narration with internal thoughts, feelings and voice of her characters.

Her most famous novels, Pride and Prejudice and Emma, sharply critique and satirise the rigidity of the social hierarchy and those who used it for monetary or vanity gain. Austen was a literary realist, and no novel perhaps embodies her distaste for sentimentality more than Sense and Sensibility, exposing excessive emotion as the antithesis to rationality.

Wow, that was three paragraphs of literary analysis. Pfft, what a loser, right guys? Come back, I’m about to throw some pop references at you.

Her influence was profound on exceptionally gifted modernist authors such as Virginia Woolf. Modern authors such as Helen Fielding took the concept of Bridget Jones (which in turn spawned about fifty movie adaptations) from Pride and Prejudice. Pride and Prejudice itself has multiple movie adaptations, including the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, the BBC 1995 series and an upcoming Netflix show.

Jane Austen’s Chawton

Length: 5.3 miles

Estimated Time: 2 hours 12 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Digital Route Link: https://explore.osmaps.com/route/522162/jane-austens-chawton

The home of Jane Austen during her most prolific writing period, Jane Austen moved to Chawton when the manor house was inherited by her brother Edward from their uncle.[3] It is now a popular museum, with people travelling far and wide to get a glimpse of where the literary magic happened. This trail can either start or finish with the Jane Austen House (you know you've made it when you're having houses named after you), covering peaceful open countryside before moving to the furthest point at Farringdon, where Austen used to walk for tea with a friend, Harriet Benn (he must have been the sole PG Tips provider of the area at the time).

Other highlights include passing old railway lines, strolling through woodland and farm tracks. There’s a free village car park opposite the museum. The route is short, it’s just over 5 miles, and should take around 2 hours, with a meagre 41m of total ascent, making it a perfect relaxed stroll.

*In 2026, the house will be closed for maintenance from 23rd February to 24th March; with the garden being open on weekends only during that period. It will be open as normal after these dates.

Jane Austen’s Bath – Sydney Gardens

Jane Austen is notoriously linked to Bath through its reputation as a place of luxury during the Georgian period, although it has links to the Romans through its famous Roman Baths. The cultural significance of Bath was elevated to new heights during the Georgian era, its renaissance, if you will, a place for high society people to mix. Austen lived here from 1801 to 1806, where she finished Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. In typical Austen fashion, she picked at Bath ironically throughout her novels, satirising the perceived ‘high culture’.

Whatever her personal feelings (I’ll be generous and call it love-hate, probably quite heavily leaning towards the latter) towards Georgian Bath, it is undisputedly one of England’s most beautiful places, and Austen did find plenty of inspiration during her stay.

While there are many stunning walks around Bath, I want to highlight perhaps her favourite place in the city: Sydney Gardens. She lived opposite the gardens on 4 Sydney Place[4], the peaceful green space surrounding acting as inspiration, particularly for Northanger Abbey. The Georgian pleasure garden, the only remaining one in the city, has the Kennet & Avon Canal running directly through it, passing between the Holburne Museum and the railway line. It’s well worth a visit during a trip to Bath, offering gentle, peaceful strolls suitable for the entire family.

Michael Bond 

Please look after this bear.

Michael Bond, A Bear Called Paddington

Michael Bond, responsible for perhaps the cutest character ever (sorry, Gromit, you’re a close second), introduced into British culture, in fact, a character so iconic that he is THE quintessential British national personification. It is, of course, Paddington! Red hat, blue duffel coat, dropped off at Paddington station, you know the rest, and so does the rest of the world with Paddington stories translated into over 40 different languages around the globe[5]. The bumbling bear’s personality was based on his father, whom he affectionately claimed was “a very impractical person”.

Paddington is confirmed to have been inspired by Bond’s experience as a thirteen-year-old watching fellow peers at Reading being evacuated during World War Two to the countryside[6], where the risk of bombing during the Blitz was reduced compared to the cities. It left a deep impression on Bond; the name tags and suitcase are directly inspired by those memories. Bond was a deeply compassionate man and, through his literature, challenged prejudice, promoted kindness toward refugees, and championed the vulnerable.

Paddington Trail

Photo by Alex  Stone on Unsplash 

Since Bond’s personal wanderings aren’t public, we’ll have to make do with the Paddington trail, statues situated on benches throughout the UK and Ireland. Adorably chomping on a marmalade sarnie (the only creature I know that likes marmalade), these statues were temporarily placed in town centres for the launch of Paddington 2, but many have extended their stays, such as in Penrith, where they will stay until at least September 2026[7].

We’re going to use the Penrith Paddington trail from our good friends at Ordnance Survey as an example of the charming town and city walks you can do in pursuit of your nearest talking bear. Difficulty: 0.86 miles

Estimated Time: 20 minutes

Challenge: Easy

Digital Route Link: https://explore.osmaps.com/route/23491795/paddington-visits-penrith

This small walk shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes as you take in the beauty and majesty of the Cumbrian jewel, Penrith, with its sandstone buildings, slate roofs and narrow alleyways. The walk is gentle with little ascent – the perfect family outdoor adventure.

You can find the location of the nearest Paddington statue below, double check that your closest Paddington hasn't been removed or moved elsewhere beforehand.

https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/paddington-visits/

Ultimately, of course, walking alone did not contribute wholly to the success of these world-class writers; writing to that level takes consistent hard work and extreme talent. However, it also requires experience of the world and its surroundings. Walking may not have been the sole reason for their success, but as a small foundational pillar of inspiration and creative vigour – a chance to reset, think and plan. That’s what writing and getting outdoors have in common: it doesn’t matter what we want to do in life; most of us won’t be world-famous authors (as I am demonstrating), but the outdoors offers a chance to be inspired and boost mental well-being, no matter what we do. It gives us something to think about on World Book Day, a chance to be inspired once again by these long-enduring authors, and to appreciate the brilliance of both the world of literacy and the outdoors.

References

1.      https://lukemckernan.com/2013/06/09/walking-with-charles-dickens/

2.      Charles Dickens, Out of Town (1885), Household Words, Volume 12, pg. 193 via https://www.djo.org.uk/household-words/volume-xii/page-193.html

3.      https://janeaustens.house/visit/visitor-info/

4.     https://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/sydney-gardens-p56491

5.      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26938914

6.      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-16964890

7.      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c740wg7ejjjo