Navigating England's Literary Landscape - NYTimes.com Dylan Martinez/Reuters Broadstairs, in Kent, has strong ties to Charles Dickens. As celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" hit full stride this summer, those seeking to experience England's literary destinations will have a dubious luxury of choice: in a country where seemingly every seaside cliff, meticulous garden, cobbled street or quiet watering hole has some connection to British authors or stories, how does one choose among the abundance of tours, excursions, museums and festivals? For Louise Allen, the English author of dozens of historical romance novels, visiting the museums and haunts of her country's most celebrated writers has become a welcome byproduct of researching settings for her tales of lustful lords and ladies. Ms. Allen's travels led to her own contribution to the "Pride and Prejudice" celebrations - a guidebook titled "Walking Jane Austen's London," available in the United States in July from Shire Publications. Below are edited excerpts from an interview in which Ms. Allen discussed her favorite destinations and tips for navigating England's literary landscape. Q. What advice would you give for anyone trying to decide which tours and attractions are the best? A. Check out the amount of detail in the brochure or Web site and see how good the response is to any queries you send them. Ask about the qualifications of the tour guide and the size of the group; you want to make sure you can hear the tour guide, and some destinations can get quite crowded. Also ask how you will be traveling. Some problems with some tours that I've seen are that they spend an awful lot of time traveling. People think England is a small country, but so are a lot of our roads, and traffic can be heavy, and you can spend an awful lot of time between places. So make sure you will be spending maximum amount of time at the things that interest you. Q. What are some of your favorite destinations that might be a little less known? A. Broadstairs in Kent is something that foreign tourists just never seem to get to even though it's a fairly easy trip from London. It is a charming, rather old-fashioned seaside town with a beach and great cliff walks and has strong ties to Charles Dickens. For lovers of Keats, there is Hampstead with his house and walks on the Heath with great views of London. For fans of C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien, the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford is a great place to drop in. It has an English pub interior and is where the Inklings, the drinking club they belonged to, used to meet. Q. What if you're traveling with kids? A. Mix in some child-friendly activities along the way. If you want to see the Globe Theater, why not start at Southwark Cathedral where Shakespeare worshiped, take in the original 1822 Old Operating Theater, explore the fantastic Borough Market full of foodie treats, see the full-sized replica of Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hinde, then walk along the river to the Globe for fantastic views. For Harry Potter fans, visit Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross so they can have their photos taken pushing a trolley through the wall. Q. For those hoping to get in on the Jane Austen celebrations, what are some of the highlights? A. In London, I think it's Poets" Corner in Westminster Abbey for the real fans. It's a remarkable collection of monuments and memorials for her and all sorts of people - Burns, Keats, Shelley and many writers of Austen's period. Also, go to the houses she visited, particularly the one at Henrietta Street in Covent Garden where she stayed with her brother Henry. She writes a lot about going to the theater there, and you can visit the theater and do a behind-the-scenes tour. Bath, of course, is the other obvious one, and the Jane Austen House Museum at Chawton, which is absolutely delightful.