- George Inns and the like
- Literary connections
- Areas of Natural Beauty etc
- Other routes walked by our group
- Some waterways on the route
- Some places to visits and things to do near the route
George Inns and the like
- Pub at Abbot’s Leigh called the George
- We stayed at George Hotel in Castle Cary
- We stayed at George Hotel, Crewkerne
- Charmouth has a George Inn
- Charles paused at the George Inn Bridport
- Charles stopped at the George Inn Broad Windsor, aka The Castle Inn
- Charles paused at the George Inn, Mere
- There was a George Inn in Hambledon, the landlord was once Richard Nyren. It is now residential accomodation.
- Charles paused at the George and Dragon, Houghton
- At Wanford, there is a George Hotel, possibly visited by Wilmot while he waited for Charles
- Charles stopped at the Old George Inn, Brighton, on the final night. It is not certain where this was.
Literary connections
- Tong has the supposed grave of Little Nell, from The Old Curiosity Shop.
- It has been suggested that the memorial verses on a tomb inside Tong Church were written by William Shakespeare.
- An Elizabethan / Jacobean playwright was born at Stratford-upon-Avon.
- Bromsgrove is the birthplace of AE Housman, author of A Shropshire Lad.
- TS Elliot’s ashes are interred at East Coker, a place which gives its name to one of his Four Quartets.
- Brighton Rock by Graham Greene is set among the Brighton underworld and is one of the great Twentieth Century novels.
- John Nyren of Hambledon wrote (or perhaps just provided material for) The Young Cricketer’s Tutor, possibly the most important cricket book ever.
- Bristol is the birthplace of Robert Southey.
- Lyme Regis, near Charmouth is the setting for The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles.
- Lyme Regis is also the setting for important scenes from Patience by Jane Austen.
Areas of Natural Beauty etc.
- Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site
- Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site
- The Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty
- The Mendips Area of Natural Beauty
- Dorset Area of Natural Beauty
- Cranborne Chase Area of Natural Beauty
- South Downs National Park
Note – The Monarch’s Way books suggest that the route goes through six AONBs. As far as I can see, that is not correct, it only touches four, but it does come close to two others (Blackdown Hills and East Devon).
Other routes walked by our group
- Diamond Way
- Cotswold Way
- Three Choirs Way
- Clarendon Way
- Gloucestershire Way
- Mortimer Way
- Donnington Way
- West Mendip Way
- St Kenelm’s Trail
Some waterways on the route
- River Severn (Worcester, again near Madeley)
- Droitwich Canal
- Stourbridge Canal
- Staffs & Worcs Canal
- Shropshire Union Canal
- Wyrley and Essington Canal (Curly Wyrley)
- Walsall canal
- Birmingham Main Line canal
- Netherton Tunnel branch canal
- Dudley number 2 canal (part-derelict)
- Worcester Birmingham canal
- Warwickshire Avon
- River Windrush
- River Coln
- River Churn
- Thames & Severn canal (derelict)
- Bristol Avon
- River Cale
- Salisbury Avon
- River Bourne
- River Test
Some places to visits and things to do near the route
- The Commardery at Worcester
- Harvington Hall (Historic House)
- Boscobel House (NT)
- Ironbridge Gorge and museums
- All Nation’s Inn, Madeley – one of just four home-brew houses which survived into the 1970s
- Moseley Old Hall (NT)
- Old Swan Inn, Netherton – aka Ma Pardoe’s – another of the four home-brew houses which survived into the 1970s
- Black Country Museum
- Bristol Floating Harbour ferry trip
- Search for Norton Court ruins
- Trent Manor (not open to the public, view from outside)
- Bishop’s Palace Garden, Wells (Historic Houses)
- TS Elliot memorial (East Coker)
- Montacute House (NT)
- Heale Gardens (Historic Houses)
- Mottisfont Abbey (NT)
- Broadhalfpenny Down Cricket Field, near Hambledon
- Search for King’s Rest Cottage, Hambledon
- Arundel Castle (Historic Houses)
- Brighton Pavilion
Bold means closely connected to the escape