In the footsteps of Jane Austen’s heroines Back to News

If our new walking route wasn’t enough of a reason to hike through The Southern Cotswolds to the gorgeous city of Bath, there are plenty more!

Visit in autumn 2025 to catch some of this year’s celebrations of the 250^th anniversary of the birth of novelist Jane Austen. She lived in the city from 1801 to 1806, and though she grew weary of the superficiality of the social scene, the fashionable spa town appeared as the backdrop to parts of her novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.

The architecture of the city today is still very much that of the Georgian town that Austen would have known, with elegant crescents, parks and busy shops. The social scene, however, is now a little different – gone is the rigid class structure centred around dances at the Assembly Rooms, replaced by a more relaxed and inclusive stylishness, with plenty to ‘divert the visitor’ (as Jane might have said).

Visit medieval Bath Abbey in the centre of the town, taste the waters at the Pump Room beside the Roman Baths, relax with a cream tea or a ‘Sally Lunn Bun’. Or just wander the streets and alleyways to take in Pulteney Bridge with its little shops above the river, the stately Royal Crescent, or Sydney Gardens where Austen would have looked for inspiration among the fashionable young people out for a stroll.

Activities for Austen fans visiting Bath

See what’s happening in Bath here – Austen fans might like to visit the special exhibitions at The Holburne Museum or No 1 Royal Crescent, try a guided tour, or drop into the Jane Austen Centre.

Other entrancing places to visit for echoes of Jane Austen and her characters

Bath is the final destination of our new walking holiday, The Southern Cotswolds, but is not the only place on our English routes where you’ll find echoes of Jane Austen and her much-loved characters.

Walk through the luscious green landscapes of Dorset to Lyme Regis on the famous Jurassic Coast. This pretty seaside town sits above a sandy beach leading to a little harbour protected by ‘The Cobb’ – a wide seawall that was the setting for a pivotal scene in Persuasion. Take care on the stone steps, as you won’t want to fall as Louisa Musgrove did – there’s unlikely to be a gallant naval Captain ready to catch you!

Visit stately Chatsworth House, probably the grandest house in Derbyshire, while hiking our Peak District route. It is widely assumed that the home of the Dukes of Devonshire is the model for Mr Darcy’s ‘Pemberley’ in Pride and Prejudice. Indeed, the 2015 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel starring Keira Knightley was partly filmed at the house. Austen visited Chatsworth while staying at nearby Bakewell in 1811, and called the town ‘Lambton’ in the novel.

See all On Foot routes in England and Wales

More literary inspiration