2026 is the year that many literary classics are brought to our screens – and literary tourism is already emerging as one of the biggest travel trends, as Global Google searches are up 114% in the last quarter, accounting for 44,000 searches in the past month.
Last year, the UK’s film industry saw a 22% increase, resulting in £6.8 billion spent by film and high-end TV production companies, driving interest in filming locations across the country.
As audiences rediscover these stories, global car hire company Avis has created a series of UK literary road trips, revealing the real-life filming locations and landscapes behind some of the most highly anticipated adaptations of 2026 — complete with estimated driving times, mileage and daily fuel costs.
The Bridgerton Regency Tour
Bridgerton (Series 4, 2026)
150 miles | 4-5 hours driving | 2-3 days recommended
Total petrol cost: £21 | EV: £22.50
Season 4 of Bridgerton aired in February 2026, and eager fans can step into the elegant world by following the Bridgerton Regency tour. Starting at No. 1 Royal Crescent in Bath, which famously appeared as the exterior of the Featherington family home. The location has become a social media hotspot, attracting more than 1,358 TikTok posts using its hashtag as fans visit the series’ filming locations.
Full route:
No. 1 Royal Crescent, Bath → The Holburne Museum, Bath → Assembly Rooms, Bath → Ranger’s House, Greenwich → Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich → Lancaster House, London → Syon House, Brentford → Wilton House, Salisbury
The Yorkshire Windy Drive
Wuthering Heights (Film, 2026)
55 miles | 2.5–3.5 hours driving | 1–2 days recommended
Total petrol cost: £7.70 | EV: £8.25
Emily Brontë’s 1847 Gothic masterpiece tells the love story of Heathcliff and Catherine on the Yorkshire moors. For your own windswept countryside escape, the Yorkshire Windy Drive explores the dramatic landscapes used in filming including the village of Low Row, the valley of Arkengarthdale, finishing at the Yorkshire Dales, a breathtaking setting that has become a social media favourite, with more than 28.4K posts under the TikTok hashtag #YorkshireDales.
Full route:
Swaledale (village of Low Row) → Old Gang Lead Mines/ Smelt Mill → Arkengarthdale → Surrender Bridge → Healaugh Crag→ Bouldershaw Lane & Melbecks Moor → Bridestones Moor → Simonstone Hall, Hawes, Yorkshire Dales
The Mary Bennet City Escape
The Other Bennet Sister (BBC/BritBox, May 2026)
150 miles | 4–5 hours driving | 1-2 days
Total petrol cost: £21 | EV: £22.50
Based on Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel, this Pride and Prejudice spin-off re-centres the story on overlooked middle sister Mary Bennet and her journey of self-worth and happiness. For those wanting a day trip to step into Mary’s journey, The Mary Bennet City Escape spans Wales and Bristol.
Beginning at Cardiff’s civic squares, which were transformed into Regency London streetscapes and ending at Orchard Street in Bristol which was dressed as Meryton’s market town. Cardiff city centre has also gained traction on social media, with more than 1,008 TikTok posts highlighting the location.
Full route:
Cardiff Civic Centre → St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff → Dyffryn House and Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan → Llancaiach Fawr Manor, Caerphilly → Penpont House, Brecon → Orchard Street, Bristol
The Victorian Grand Tour
Young Sherlock (Prime Video, 2026) + The Forsytes (PBS, 2026)
180 miles | 4.5–5.5 hours driving | 3 days recommended
Total petrol cost: £25.20 | EV: £27
With Young Sherlock and The Forsytes both released this year, travellers intrigued by Victorian intrigue and high-society drama can follow The Victorian Grand Tour, a multi-city trail through South Wales, Bristol and Oxford.
Several locations were dramatically transformed for The Forsytes filming. Bristol’s Arnos Vale Cemetery was converted into a boxing ring, while Goldney House stood in for the elegant gardens of the Forsyte family estate.
Although Young Sherlock is set in London, much of the production was recreated 1870s London in Bristol, with Broad Street heavily dressed to double for the capital’s historic streets. The route finishes in Oxford, where Young Sherlock’s central mystery unfolds after a killing at Oxford University places the young detective’s freedom at risk. Today, the university is also a major social media hotspot, gaining more than 70.6K posts on TikTok.
Full route:
Ashton Court Estate → Goldney House→ Arnos Vale Cemetery → St Mary Redcliffe Church → Christmas Steps → Broad Street → Monmouth Town Centre → Cardiff Civic Centre → Oxford University
The Highland Legends Drive
Outlander (Final Season, Starz, 2026) + The Odyssey (Film, 2026)
450 miles | 11–12 hours driving | 4–5 days recommended
Total petrol cost: £63 | EV: £67.50
Travellers craving epic landscapes and cinematic drama can head north for The Highland Legends Drive, inspired by two major literary adaptations arriving on screens in 2026: Outlander and The Odyssey.
A key stop on the route is Doune Castle, which appears as Castle Leoch, the ancestral seat of Clan MacKenzie in Outlander. The striking 13th-century fortress features across the series, including the upcoming final season, and has already become a social media favourite with 24,700 hashtags on Instagram.
Further along the journey, the dramatic clifftops of Findlater Castle evoke the windswept landscapes associated with Odysseus’s legendary voyage. Perched above the Moray Firth, the atmospheric ruins have also captured the attention of travellers online.
Full route:
Blackness Castle → Hopetoun House → Midhope Castle → Linlithgow Palace → Doune Castle → Culross → Falkland → Drummond Castle Gardens → Kinloch Rannoch → Glencoe
The Odyssey locations extend north to:
Culbin Forest → Burghead → Buckie Harbour → Findlater Castle
The Dashwood Coastal Journey
Sense and Sensibility (Film, Sept 2026)
305 miles | 6–7 hours driving | 3–4 days recommended
Total petrol cost: £42.70 | EV cost: £46
Sense and Sensibility is the new adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1811 novel, which follows sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood across 18th-century southern England’s most scenic counties. For those who favour windswept coastlines and emotional journeys, the Dashwood Coastal Journey is the ultimate Austen-inspired road trip.
A key stop along the route is Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, a historic stately home a favourite filming location of Fiona Shaw, who plays Mrs Jennings in the upcoming adaptation. The grand estate has also gained traction online, with over 604 TikTok posts showcasing its dramatic architecture and landscaped grounds.
Full route:
Knebworth House, Hertfordshire → Wilton House, Wiltshire → Dorset → Dartmoor, Devon → Saltram House, Devon → Hartland Abbey, North Devon
