Jane Austen anniversary: Follow in her footsteps along the Writers’ Way in Hampshire

A Chinese woman exclaims to me: “Jane Austen changed my life,” as she snaps a photo of the author’s home.

“In Shanghai, we studied Chairman Mao at school, then I read Pride And Prejudice. It was a revelation, all about people, not politics!”

Although Jane died in 1817, her worldwide popularity has never been greater, thanks to her novels, TV adaptations and Austen-inspired films, such as Clueless and Becoming Jane.

The Writers’ Way, the walking trail in Hampshire, the county where she spent most of her 41 years, takes in some of England’s loveliest countryside and is an easy 13-mile route with picture-perfect villages, ancient churches and terrific tea and cakes.

The prime destination for “Janeites” is Chawton, in the north-east of the county. I am instantly charmed by the thatched cottages and climbing roses, the cricket pitch, pub and tearoom.

Jane moved here in 1809 and in the years that followed, success came with Sense And Sensibility and then Pride And Prejudice.

Her house, now a museum, takes me back to her world.

She would recognise the chairs, bookcase and patchwork quilt that she stitched.

In the dining parlour, I wonder how Jane managed to write page after page on such a tiny table – and with a quill pen.

Upstairs, from her bedroom window, she would have watched her mother tending the vegetables.

Today, the garden is perfect for a picnic, the ancient yew tree still stands while the beds are dense with flowers, especially roses.

Later this summer, Alan Titchmarsh will plant a new variety with apricot blooms – the Jane Austen rose.

Each visitor has a personal highlight.

For many, it is a selfie with Jeremy Knight, a direct descendant of Jane’s elder brother and an enthusiastic volunteer.

I am a child at heart, so I try on a Regency greatcoat and top hat.

Then I have a go at writing with a quill pen.

Jane’s copperplate is easy to read while mine looks like chicken scratches.

A 10-minute walk away, at the end of a long drive, is Chawton House.

Once owned by her brother Edward, Jane called it “the Great House”, where she “dawdled away an hour very comfortably”.

I dawdle much longer.

In the Oak Room, I picture Jane and her family dining at the original table then dancing minuets in the Great Hall.

“You can get married here,” I am told.

“Recently, a group of Regency dancers entertained at the reception.”

If that is a look back at “Upstairs”, then the kitchen with its massive copper pans ticks the Downstairs box.

Outside in the courtyard I scoff homemade fruit cake before exploring the estate, with its avenue of towering limes and walled garden full of flowers, herbs and bees.

You can follow all or just parts of the new Writers’ Way on foot, by bike or even by car along country lanes.

So I drive over to the hamlet of West Worldham, where Manor Farm welcomes guests.

The Brock family have been farming here for a century but they are bang up to date.

In fact, they opened a glamping site before that hipster word was invented.

I am tempted by the romance of the rustic chic tented cabins where oil-lamps and wood-burning stoves are balanced by running water and hot showers.

But for my one-night stay, I opt for the studio B&B.

Under a gabled roof, it is simple, clean and modern.

For supper, I take a footpath through the meadows to the nearby Three Horseshoes pub.

For townies like me, the clean air and rural calm are a treat.

So are the warm croissants delivered to my door next morning.

Manor Farm is on the Writers’ Way, so next morning I stride off through the woods and wildflowers towards the village of Selborne, home to another local author.

Less than two hours later, I am touring the house of Gilbert White, the David Attenborough of his day.

In 1789, publication of The Natural History Of Selborne made him a celebrity and triggered a very British passion for nature study and birdwatching.

His home has much to see. I peer at White’s four-poster bed, with its original curtains, and listen to recordings of bird calls, trying to identify his beloved chiffchaff and willow warbler.

Outside, the 30 acres of parkland and kitchen gardens look much as they did in White’s day, with the enormous cedar and old varieties of veg, such as purple podded peas.

As does the Zig-Zag Path up the hillside, cut by his brother in 1753. When I reach the summit I look out, as the author and naturalist would have, across the valley to rolling hills.

Although there is no record of Austen and White ever meeting, both would have known the nearby market town of Alton, another stop on the Writers’ Way.

Jane fans stroll the High Street, where the brick home of her kindly apothecary, William Curtis, still stands, as do her brother’s bank and the Swan Hotel, from where she took the coach to London.

In the Allen Gallery, with a special Austen exhibition, there is also a secret garden with medlars, viburnums and clematis.

But this corner of England offers so much more than history.

There is real pride in everything local, from home-made jams to stylish pottery in Selborne.

Best of all, there are miles of footpaths through unspoiled landscapes where I can dream of walking in the footsteps of Jane Austen and Gilbert White.

Getting there

Manor Farm, West Worldham (01420 543726/manorfarmhampshire.co.uk) offers tented cabins (sleeps six) from £120 per night, self-catering.

Studio from £85 (two sharing), B&B.

The Writers’ Way (hants.gov.uk/writersway).

Jane Austen events: janeausten200.co.uk

Hampshire Tourism: visit-hampshire.co.uk