Following Jane Austen

I left for England on July 9. What followed was a crazy, lovely, month-long journey through Austen's England.

Oxford: July 9 - 16
Oxford has strong Austen connections. (Among other things, Jane's father George and two of her brothers went to school at St. John's College.) In addition to the Austen research, I attended a week-long class at Wycliffe Hall.

Hampshire: July 16 - 21
Jane grew up here and lived here later in her life when she was writing and publishing. I stayed at Alton Abbey, a working monastery of the Anglican church.

London: July 21 - 25
After Hampshire I moved on to stay with a dear friend outside of London for a few days. I did day trips to Box Hill, the British Library, and Godmersham.

Winchester: July 25
On my way from London to Lyme, I stopped through Winchester to see Winchester Cathedral where Jane is buried.

Lyme Regis: July 25 - 27
I spent two gray days in Lyme where I stayed at an old (smelly!) hotel, walked the Cobb, and, of course, saw the "Granny's Teeth" steps from Persuasion.

Bath: July 27 - 31
From Lyme I was on to lovely Bath for four days. I stayed at a great little B&B -- the Villa Magdala.

Derbyshire: July 31 - August 4
In Derbyshire, I stayed with Jo and Rod Spensley at The Devonshire Arms.

Stoneleigh: August 4
On my way back to London and back home, I made one final stop at Stoneleigh Abbey, Jane's mother's family's estate.

I wasn't able to include all the details here, due to the character limit -- visit my blog for more.