Sherlock Holmes is one of the UK’s greatest inventions, originally written as a serial in Victorian newspapers by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he has become a key figure in British Literature and while you might think that going on a Sherlock related trail of the country will limit you to Baker Street in London but you’d be wrong!

Start your tour in Devon…

Head to Dartmoor National Park in Devon which led to The Hound of the Baskervilles. Conan Doyle visited the moor in 1901 searching for somewhere eerie to set his next book. Apparently he took many long walks around Dartmoor and writing down his experiences in his hotel room, which is now a visitor centre in nearby Princetown. While the wilderness of the moor still exists, there is a huge focus on arts in the area, so you’ll find plenty to do when in Dartmoor and the surrounding area. Click here to see what you can get up to while there.

What about Norfolk…?
Norfolk can also be credited for helping Conan Doyle with his mysteries. It is said that he was inspired to write the Adventure of the Dancing Men while staying in Happisburgh after finding out that the son of the landlord of the inn he was visiting used stick men to communicate.
Have your own adventures in Norkfolk by seeing what is going on there.

Portsmouth is where it all began… 

The stories actually all began in Portsmouth, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle moved there in 1882 to set up his medical practice and wrote two of Sherlock Holmes’ first adventures while living in the city. A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four were both penned while he was working as a doctor there. If you’re in Portsmouth, a large, permanent exhibition dedicated to Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and Sherlock Holmes can be found at the Portsmouth Museum, which has free entry. Find out what else you can do in Portsmouth here.

The TV show isn’t filmed where you might think…
Like many of the BBC’s flagship shows, Sherlock is filmed in a variety of locations in and around Cardiff. Though eagle eyed viewers might also spot London, Bath and Bristol posing as various other settings. The café beneath the ‘Baker Street’ flat can be found in Cardiff (and it is a real café so feel free to pop in for coffee!), as can the National Museum which was featured in one of the first episodes. If you’re in Cardiff, you can find events going on there by clicking here, but if you head over the bridge into England on your Sherlock hunt, be sure to check out what is going on in Bristol here and Bath here.

Of course we have to mention London…

Despite being inspired by locations across the UK and the various screen incarnations being filmed outside the capital, London plays a big part in the Sherlock stories. A good place to start would of course be Baker Street. Head to the tube station for some Sherlock décor on the platforms and then seek out his fictional address, the actual 221B is a bank, but there is a Sherlock Holmes Museum at 237 which is posing as 221B. It is laid out as you would imagine a Victorian town house to look with added wax work figures and a bobby on the door. You’ll also find links to Sherlock at The Langham Hotel where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spent many an evening and was featured in several of the stories. Fleet Street is another prominent location, as is The Strand. While you’re on your voyage, stop by the Sherlock Holmes, a pub near Charing Cross Station, though established after the publication of the books, it is full of memorabilia and you can always stop for a drink while on a trek.

There are Sherlock Holmes related walking tours that can be booked around London, but if you want to do your own thing and check out some other attractions and events, click here to see what else you can get up to when in the capital.

Spot any Sherlock Holmes related locations from this list?
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