From London to Austen County
Step into the pages of Britain’s most beloved novels on this intimate nine-day journey through England’s literary heart. From the Bloomsbury streets of Virginia Woolf and Charles Dickens to the libraries of Oxford, the wartime stories of London, and the Hampshire landscapes that shaped Jane Austen’s final works, this itinerary is designed for readers who want to experience literature beyond the page. Along the way, guests will enjoy exclusive cultural experiences, historic hotels, private guided visits, and thoughtful moments inspired by the books themselves, including a hands-on bookbinding workshop and a shared farewell reading from journals created during the journey. With just 14 guests, UK’s Literary Greats offers a deeply personal exploration of the places, stories, and writers that continue to define English literature.
Day 1
ARRIVAL day
Guests arrive independently and check in to our 5-star Bloomsbury hotel (TBC). The afternoon begins with a guided walking tour of Literary Bloomsbury — the garden squares where Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster convened, the streets that shaped a century of English literature. Welcome dinner at a characterful Bloomsbury restaurant, with your guide joining for the evening.
Day 2
BOOKS, CRAFT, AND THE V&A
The most hands-on day of the tour begins at the East London studio of book conservator Keara Burr. Guests take part in a bookbinding class — each person makes and takes home a handmade journal. The vision is that they write in these journals throughout the nine days and share a favourite passage at the farewell lunch on Day 9.
The afternoon moves to the V&A National Art Library for a private group visit.
Day 3
VICTORIAN LONDON
The day follows a natural east-moving route through the city’s literary history. Morning at the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury. Then along Fleet Street to Dr Johnson’s House on Gough Square — the Georgian townhouse where Johnson compiled the first Dictionary of the English Language between 1748 and 1755.
Lunch at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street — the pub frequented by Johnson, Dickens, Yeats and Conan Doyle, largely unchanged since the 17th century. Private room for the group.
Evening: Dennis Severs’ House in Spitalfields — a still-life drama set in a Georgian
Day 4
WARTIME LONDON
A day shaped by the women who kept culture alive under fire. Morning at Bethnal Green tube station — during the Blitz, this disused station became a wartime shelter and, in Kate Thompson’s novel The Little Wartime Library, a makeshift library that kept a community reading through the bombing.
Afternoon: A walk through the Bloomsbury streets of Natalie Jenner’s novel Bloomsbury Girls and lunch. Then to Primrose Hill for a walk through the neighbourhood at the heart of Madeline Martin’s The Last Bookshop in London. Free evening.
Day 5
LONDON FREE DAY
A deliberately unhurried day. Free morning; Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street and the London Review Bookshop in Bloomsbury are both within easy reach.
Afternoon: A guided walk through the Mayfair and Belgravia streets of Bridgerton: the garden squares, the Regency townhouses, the world of the ton. Afternoon tea at Claridge’s or The Langham. Free evening.
Day 6
Bletchley & Hartwell
Morning departure by private coach. En route to Hartwell House, the coach stops at Bletchley Park — the once top-secret home of the WWII codebreakers. Ninety minutes to explore the faithfully recreated huts, the Bombe machines, and the extraordinary story of the men and women who worked there. For anyone who has read The Rose Code, arriving here is a genuine step into the story.
Thirty minutes onward to Hartwell House — a National Trust country house hotel set in 90 acres of Buckinghamshire parkland. Afternoon free: the grounds, the spa, and afternoon tea. Dinner in the two-AA-Rosette restaurant.
Day 7
OXFORD
A half-day excursion to Oxford by private coach (30 minutes). A guided tour of the Bodleian Library — one of the oldest libraries in the world, and the setting that opens A Discovery of Witches. Then a walk through the city’s literary streets: the Eagle and Child where the Inklings met weekly, and the Oxford that fired so many imaginations.
Return to Hartwell for a final dinner before the journey south.
Day 8
jane austen’s hampshire
Check out from Hartwell and luggage onto the coach. The day travels south through Hampshire, Austen’s county.
First stop: Jane Austen’s House in Chawton — the cottage where she completed Persuasion at a small writing table in the front room. Lunch nearby.
Then to Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey, set on a 5,000-acre Hampshire estate: the State Rooms, the Egyptian Exhibition, and the grounds.
Late afternoon: Winchester Cathedral, where Jane Austen is buried in the north aisle. Check into the Winchester hotel and have dinner together.
Day 9
FAREWELL
A gentle final morning to explore Winchester at your own pace — the medieval streets, the cathedral close, the River Itchen.
Farewell lunch in Winchester. Each guest shares a favourite passage from the trip. The handmade journals from the Day 2 bookbinding class are presented as keepsakes.
Departures at guests’ own pace. Heathrow approximately 1 hour, Gatwick approximately 45 minutes, Southampton airport approximately 20 minutes.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
• All accommodation — 5-star throughout
• Private coach throughout
• All specialist guides
• Bookbinding class with Keara Burr (Day 2)
• V&A National Art Library private visit (Day 2)
• All entrance fees:
Bletchley Park, Bodleian Library, Jane Austen’s House, Highclere Castle, Winchester Cathedral, Dickens Museum, Dr Johnson’s House, Dennis Severs’ House, Bethnal Green memorial
• Welcome dinner (Day 1)
• Afternoon tea — Claridge’s or The Langham (Day 5)
• Group dinners: Days 6, 7 and 8
• Farewell lunch Winchester (Day 9)
• Handmade journal keepsakes