Flight Time / September 2016

30 / 132

CONCIERGE SPEND TIME
30 SEPTEMBER
JK ROWLING AND HARRY POTTER
IN EDINBURGH (EDINBURGH)LAn
Edinburgh institution, The Elephant House opened in 1995
and was soon adopted by JK Rowling as one of her favourite
haunts to sit with a cup of coffee and slice of cake and write
the Harry Potter novels. Overlooking Edinburgh Castle, this
popular tea and coffee house has also inspired other
contemporary authors, such as Ian Rankin, author of the
bestselling Rebus novels, and Alexander McCall Smith,
whose tales of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency have also
sold in their thousands. From here, you can also take the
unofficial Potter Trail, exploring Edinburgh’s old town to
learn about the locations that fed into JK Rowling’s magical
wizarding world and hear stories about the city’s real-life
medieval witches and wizards.
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ASHDOWN FOREST –
A. A. MILNE (LONDON GATWICK)
The adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Owl,
Eeyore and co. will be familiar to many of us, though not
all will be aware that the locations visited in A. A. Milne’s
classic stories – such as Hundred Acre Wood, Galleons
Lap and The Enchanted Place – were inspired by the
Milne family’s time spent in Ashdown Forest in East
Sussex. Lying around 30 miles south of London, the forest
encompasses almost 10 square miles of public-access
land, with the village of Hartfield serving as the centre for
Pooh-related exploration. Visit Pooh Corner in the village
to pick up a guide to the area, shop for souvenirs or enjoy
a light bite to eat, and then head out to one of the points
of interest, such as Pooh Bridge, where Milnes’ son
Christopher Robin first played Pooh Sticks, the Heffalump
Stump and the Enchanted Place Memorial, a site chosen
by Christopher Robin to celebrate his father and the
books’ illustrator E.H. Shephard.
TORQUAY – AGATHA CHRISTIE
(EXETER)
In Agatha Christie’s 85 years, she wrote more than 80
books, many of them bestsellers, which were translated
into over 45 languages. The UK’s “Queen of Crime” was
born in Torquay, on the English Riviera, and spent many of
her summers completing her books at Greenway, her
summer home overlooking the River Dart, just outside
Torquay. It’s now owned by the National Trust, so you can
visit the house to get more of an insight into Christie’s life.
Pick up a free Agatha Christie Literary Trail leaflet in
Torquay’s Visitor Information Centre and you can follow
the Agatha Christie Mile, with places of interest highlighted
along the route. There is also an annual festival in the
writer’s honour, such is her popularity.