It is a truth universally acknowledged that today is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The house where Jane Austen lived with her mother and sister for the last years of her life is in Chawton, Hampshire and is now the Jane Austen House Museum. The tiny writing table where she redrafted her manuscripts for Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility and where she wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion has pride of place in the front parlour of this charming 17th century cottage. As you step through the door you are immersed in Jane Austen's world with its family portraits, 18th century style wallpapers, personal effects such as letters and jewellery, and dresses - it is as if she has just left the room.
Look round the house and soak up the atmosphere before stepping out, as she frequently did, and walk down past St Nicholas's church to see the graves of her mother and sister (Jane Austen is buried at Winchester Cathedral). Carry on to the Rose and Crown pub in Upper Farringdon, converted from alms houses in 1810 by Jane's brother, Edward. It's a three mile loop back to Jane Austen's house: a perfect walk for a sunny spring day. The walk is detailed in Adventure Walks for Families In and Around London, chapter 25.
