Five Fantastic UK Book-Lover Road Trips for Campervan Owners

“Libraries gave us power,” go the words of a massive alternative pop classic from the mid-1990s. At their most basic root, of course, libraries are civic buildings that contain books. Simple paper items which, when activated by human eyes, become something much more sacred and remarkable. Portals into other worlds and other lives, time machines, repositories of all human knowledge, experience, imagination and emotion… There is nothing on Earth that beats a good book. Even in this age when digital devices have crept into almost all human processes, learning and entertainment are never better than from a book.

The UK enjoys a particularly rich literary heritage – and there are many places around the countries of the UK where travellers can immerse themselves. Going by campervan provides the perfect blend of adventure and convenience, as you visit the landscapes and places that inspired some of our greatest literary works. From the rugged moors of Yorkshire to the historic streets of Edinburgh, this new edition of the Don Amott blog covers some top destinations for your literary campervan road trip…

1. Whitby (Yorkshire): Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Whitby in North Yorkshire is famously linked to Irish writer Bram Stoker’s atmospheric gothic horror novel Dracula (which went on to inspire a whole genre of films over the years). Stoker visited Whitby, seven years before his book was published in 1897, and was inspired to write by the coastal town’s dramatic scenery and eerie atmosphere – and a mysterious shipwreck five years earlier. Stoker lodged in a guest house on Royal Crescent (which is now a self-catering apartment, should you wish to ditch the campervan for one night and stay over).

He strolled around Whitby on a daily basis and encountered the imposing ruins of Whitby Abbey, overlooking the North Sea, the 199 steps to the church of St Mary (up which Dracula bounded from his shipwreck in the form of a dog) and the graveyard. The library, infamously, provided him with the name Dracula – it was a Romanian nickname for infamous historical figure Vlad The Impaler. Tour them all, and then enjoy some of Whitby’s great places to eat and drink.

Stay at: Middlewood Farm Holiday Park is located just five miles south of Whitby and to the west of Robin Hood’s Bay. It’s an excellently maintained dog-friendly park close to beaches along the coastline, with a set of hard-standings or grass pitches including electric hook-up. Site facilities include toilets, hot showers, a bath, private wash cubicles, a laundry and a baby changing room.

2. Haworth (Yorkshire): The Brontë Sisters

Nestled in the brooding moors of West Yorkshire, 8 miles north of Halifax and 10 miles west of Bradford, is the charming village of Haworth. This is a must-visit for lovers of the books written by the Brontë sisters. Here, Charlotte, Emily and Anne penned some of the most enduring classics of English literature: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Housed in their former home, the Brontë Parsonage Museum gives an intimate glimpse into the lives and works of the sisters. Atmospheric rooms are filled with personal objects plus original manuscripts and letters.

Haworth itself includes cobbled streets, quaint shops and cosy pubs, with lots of places to eat and drink. The countryside surrounding Haworth offers great opportunities to hike and explore, so you can fully appreciate the “wild and windy moors that roll and fall in green” (thanks, Kate Bush). The Brontë Stones Walk is a 9-mile trek taking in all four stones of a beautifully rugged yet tender art tribute to the sisters. All of this is about as close as you can get to the Brontës.

Stay at: Upwood Holiday Park is just five minutes south of Haworth and offers stunning panoramic views over the surrounding Brontë moors and the Aire Valley. There are grass or hard standing pitches with electric hook up included in the daily rate, plus a large centrally heated toilet and shower block including wet room with disabled access and a laundry room.

3. Stratford-upon-Avon (Warwickshire): William Shakespeare

No literary tour of the UK would be complete without a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon. This picturesque market town on the banks of the River Avon was the birthplace of ‘The Bard’ William Shakespeare. You can visit his childhood home, get up close to important objects from world class Shakespeare collections and explore his wife Anne Hathaway’s cottage, with its beautiful gardens and furnishings.

The RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) performs regularly in the town’s theatres, which is a fantastic opportunity to see some of his greatest works brought to life on stage. A visit to Stratford will help you discover how the extraordinary playwright’s wit, intelligence and insight continue to shape our lives to this day.

Stay at: Just twenty or so minutes’ drive to the north of Stratford-upon-Avon, Mousley House Farm offers a fantastic base. This idyllic rural site, with uninterrupted views of the Warwickshire countryside, offers a toilet block, a washing up sink and chemical waste disposal points. Outdoor showers are available in the summer months.

4. Birmingham (West Midlands): JRR Tolkien

The UK’s second-largest city is, surprisingly for some, closely associated with Tolkien, author of fantasy epics The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. Though he was born in South Africa, Tolkien spent much of his 1890s childhood in Birmingham. The landscapes and landmarks of the city and its surrounding influenced his creation of the mythological Middle-Earth for his novels.

The Tolkien Trail takes you to key sites, including Sarehole Mill, Moseley Bog, and Perrott’s Folly – each of which is believed to have inspired some of the locations in the author’s works. Bag End was a farm in Dormston (south of Birmingham and east of Worcester) where Tolkien’s aunt lived, and he borrowed the name for the idyllic home of his characters Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.

Stay at: The Umberslade Estate is a calm and picturesque site which is, as the name suggests, set in the grounds of a country estate. Well-maintained, it includes washing up facilities under cover, a toilet block with showers and a room where guests can charge their mobile phones and other devices. There are also playgrounds and even a coffee shop. Umberslade caters for families and couples only.

5. Alnwick (Northumberland): Harry Potter

For fans of more modern literature and film, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter is probably the biggest phenomenon of the last few decades. A visit to Alnwick in Northumberland is a must. Alnwick Castle, one of the largest inhabited castles in England, will be instantly recognisable to Potter-heads – it was used as a filming location for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. There are guided tours, interactive exhibits and even broomstick training sessions, making a day spent at Alnwick Castle a truly magical experience for visitors of all ages.

Alnwick itself is a charming market town with a rich history and the beautiful Alnwick Garden. This modern garden combines sculpture, water features and beautiful plants to create, with its grand cascade and Poison Garden standing out as particular highlights. A great way to chill out post-Potter!

Stay at: A 10 minute drive from Alnwick, the charming Coast & Castles campsite is no-frills, quiet, and dog and family-friendly. It’s also off-grid and green, running from a solar hybrid power system. There are hot showers, flushing loos and dish washing areas, plus a small play area for kids, a pop-up bar and a communal seating area.

Whether you own a new or used campervan from Don Amott, taking a book-lover road trip offers a really special way to explore the rich literary heritage of the UK. From the wild moors of Yorkshire to the elegant castle at Alnwick, each of the destinations we’ve mentioned here provides a unique insight into the lives and works of some of the greatest writers in English literature.

It’s great to know that these are not the only places book-lovers can visit – there are so many more around the UK: Cardiff (Dylan Thomas), Canterbury (Chaucer), Dorset (Thomas Hardy), Edinburgh (Irvine Welsh), London (Oscar Wilde) and London again (Conan-Doyle). Not advisable, of course, to take your campervan into densely populated major cities – but, once you have the literary travel bug, you’ll definitely want to make your way to some of these places. Start with the ones mentioned here, and let us know if you find others…