For all you bookworms out there who might be feeling the pinch of the credit crunch this summer, the Best of Britain & Ireland 2009 event has announced its top literary attractions for 2009 across the UK and the Emerald Isle.
You don't have to go abroad for a your dream holiday
For the bookish traveller, a holiday at home offers the chance to explore some of the destinations made famous through the life and works of our home-grown novelists, poets and playwrights.
Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales visitor attraction offers a highly entertaining programme of events throughout the year, from live style performances of the Pardoner’s Tale to the somewhat bawdy Miller’s Tale. Visit The Canterbury Tales, one of Kent’s most popular attractions, to discover a reconstruction of 14th century England. Inside the historic building of St. Margaret’s Church you can step back over 500 years to join Geoffrey Chaucer (England’s finest poet) on his pilgrimage from London to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.
British Library
Concealed in the Vatican for almost five centuries, Henry VIII’s declaration of his intention to marry Anne Boleyn returns to London as part of the British Library’s major new exhibition Henry VIII: Man and Monarch. Find out more about the exhibition, and why this important document changed the course of history, at the British Library stand at Best of Britain & Ireland.
Shakespeare’s Globe
Shakespeare’s Globe 2009 Theatre Season is entitled Young Hearts and will run from 23rd April – 10th October. The Shakespeare plays this season include Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Troilus and Cressida and Love’s Labour’s Lost. Staff from Shakespeare’s Globe will be on hand at Best of Britain & Ireland to tell you more about this working theatre in the Soho of Elizabethan London and the forthcoming season.
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction
This must-visit attraction for children of all ages brings the 23 Peter Rabbit tales to life in a magical indoor recreation of the Lake District countryside. The first ever garden at The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction opens in May 2009 in Bowness-on-Windermere.
This new addition to the World of Beatrix Potter allows you to step outside the attraction and into a wonderful evocation of the kitchen and cottage gardens of the Peter Rabbit stories, complete with gooseberry bushes, fruit trees, and of course rows of lettuce and carrots. The World of Beatrix Potter will be offering throughout the show 50% off admission prices plus 500 VIP family passes for free.
250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth
This year is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns. An integral part of Homecoming 2009, Scotland will not only be celebrating their national poet this year but also the country’s contributions to the world, in a year-long calendar of events.
The Burns An' A' That! Festival 2009 taking place from the 16th-24th May, will act as the cornerstone of festivities as an attraction for devout Burns fans and those looking to immerse themselves in Scottish culture in his home county of Ayrshire.
DickensWorld
DickensWorld in Chatham, Kent, has an assortment of attractions to keep the whole family entertained; jump on board the Great Expectations Boat Ride for splashing good fun, take a trip back in time to a Victorian School complete with nasty schoolmaster or get spooked in The Haunted House of 1859. Visitors will get the chance to come face-to-face with some of Dickens' literary characters in their magnificent rendition of a Victorian town courtyard.
Sherlock Holmes Museum
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson lived at 221b Baker Street between 1881-1904, according to the stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The famous first floor study overlooking Baker Street is still maintained as it was kept in Victorian times. The museum is dedicated to the life and times of Sherlock Holmes, and the interior has been preserved exactly as described in the published stories.
Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage, Grasmere
Home to William Wordsworth from 1799 to 1808, the years of his supreme work as a poet. Breathe in the fresh country air and enjoy the stunning Lakeland landscape, fabulous gardens, Wordsworth’s famous daffodils and much, much more.
The Wordsworth Trust will also be exhibiting at Best of Britain & Ireland and will treat visitors to an illustrated talk titled "Beyond the Daffodils - Visionaries, Environmentalists, Adventurers, Revolutionaries, Poets" offering anecdotes and insights into Wordsworth’s inspirations.
Rock n Roll Writers Bus Tour, Dublin
The first ever Rock n Roll Writers Bus Tour hits the streets of Dublin this year stopping off at hot spots that helped shape the lives of some of the country’s best known scribes and musicians, from Beckett to Bono. This is your ticket to explore the history of Irish literary talent as well as the lives of some of its greatest exponents including Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Sinead O’Connor and Brendan Behan.
Agatha Christie’s holiday home, Greenway
The National Trust has recently opened Greenway House in Devon, the holiday home of Agatha Christie and her family. Visitors will now have the opportunity to view the many personal collections and mementoes of our best-loved mystery writer and her family and will find a house that portrays the spirit of a holiday home in its 1950s heyday.
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison