Virginia Woolf's Country Retreat, East Sussex
A garden studio sleeping two at Virginia Woolf's country retreat, Monk's House, is now available through the National Trust. Monk's House, a modest 18th-century weatherboard property in the village of Rodmell near Lewes, was used by Woolf and her husband Leonard as an escape from London. The house is open to visitors until 28 October.
• 0844 8002070, nationaltrustcottages.co.uk, from £189 for three nights
Tolkien Trail, Birmingham
With the first instalment of The Hobbit film out in December, delve into the countryside that inspired much of Tolkien's work by following the Tolkien Trail around the area where the author spent his childhood. The trail begins at Sarehole Mill, which is open until 28 October and was the model for Hobbiton Mill in the book. It continues through atmospheric Mosely Bog, which feels like Middle Earth but is just a 15-minute drive from the centre of Birmingham. Pick up a trail leaflet from the city's museums, or download from bmag.org.uk/sarehole-mill.
Literary London
The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel has teamed up with the British Library and the Folio Society to offer guests a literary stay in the hotel and the surrounding area. Guests in one of the hotel's 38 Chambers Suites can select from volumes in the hotel's reading corner, including A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, who famously had a brawl in what is now the hotel's Gilbert Scott restaurant. Also included is a ticket to the British Library's Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands exhibition.
• 020 7841 3540, stpancrasrenaissance.com, Chambers Suites from £330
Dickens trail, Lake District
Though Charles Dickens is normally associated with Kent and London, in 1857 he took a trip to the Western Lake District with fellow author Wilkie Collins. The pair recorded their travels in the Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices, a trail you can still follow today.
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, Neil Bartlett's adaptation of Great Expectations runs on selected dates at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick until 10 November.
• Theatre tickets from £15, 0176 877 4411, theatrebythelake.co.uk
The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour
The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour is an unusual way to take in the history of Edinburgh's most famous writers. Visitors are led through the city by actors who share their enthusiasm for the city's rich literary culture, re-enacting scenes from Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde and reciting some of Robert Burns' dirtyist poetry, as well as taking visitors to the pubs favoured by some of Edinburgh's other literary heroes, from Robert Louis Stevenson to Irvine Welsh.
• Tickets from £7 or free with an Edinburgh Pass. www.edinburghliterarypubtour.co.uk. The tour takes place daily until the end of September
Thomas Hardy walks, Dorset
A range of walks around Hardy's Country have been put together by the Thomas Hardy Society, which take both the locations of Hardy's novels and poems, and places linked to Hardy himself. The walks, which are free to download from the Society's website, include guides to the area surrounding Stockwood, which many believe was inspiration for the village of Little Hintock in The Woodlanders, and Egdon Heath which features heavily in Return of the Native.
• hardysociety.org
