Have you ever been on a book or author pilgrimage? I know a guy who became obsessed with the Twilight books (like so many before and after him) and travelled to as many sites connected with the books as he could. This included Forks, of course, but also the house used in the films for the Cullens’ home.

Recently I went to Prince Edward Island in Canada, best known as the home of Anne of Green Gables. Now, I’m not saying I’m a massive fan of the books. I’ve only read the first one and I finished it the day I arrived on the island. I did, however, watch the movie (one of them) with my mum when I was little and she was a fan of the books. Perhaps it’s because she had red hair too. Really, my trip to the island is more of a pilgrimage by proxy.

However, I’m man enough to admit that I enjoyed reading the book. It brought a smile to my face and jogged my memory of scenes from the film that I’d forgotten. Reading the names in (digital) print sparked auditory memories of the names spoken in the film and I got a warm rush of nostalgia every time.

So it was with that in mind that we visited Prince Edward Island, which, if not for Anne of Green Gables, wouldn’t have quite so much to boast about. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful island and in the summer it looks like there are plenty of things to do, but the main reason to visit is Anne, and has been ever since the book was published in 1908.

I found that fact fascinating, that a book could be so loved that it sparked a whole tourism industry around it and made Prince Edward Island a must-see place to visit.

Unfortunately, we went in not the most wonderful time of year to visit. It was mid-to-late autumn and getting cold (about 8°C), and on the day we visited Green Gables, it rained. However, we did get to Green Gables.

That is, the building that inspired Green Gables. It exists and was owned by relatives of Lucy Maud Montgomery (author of Anne). It’s quite large on the inside, larger than I’d expect of a farm house for the early 1900s. It’s been done up on the inside in the style of the times and we walked through the rooms, trying to imagine what it must be like to live there.

The building itself, from the outside, is quite eye-catching, especially with its green and white paint. In LM Montgomery’s own words:

Green Gables was drawn from David Macneill’s house, though not so much the house itself as the situation and scenery, and the truth of my description of it is attested by the fact that everyone has recognized it.

A couple of other places from the book exist including the Haunted Wood and Lover’s Lane. We only went for a walk through Haunted Wood, in the rain, during daylight. It’s beautiful though I’m sure that if I’d been forced to walk through it at night, much as Anne did, my imagination would run away with me too.

The beech trees rub against each other and make an awful groaning noise. Plus with the scream of foxes in the night air, it’s enough to send anyone running for safety.

We didn’t get to the other sites on the Anne of Green Gables list, like the home of LM Montgomery or “Avonlea” (which was closed for the season), but I’m pleased to have been able to at least see Green Gables.

The only other place I’ve been to that’s used as a book setting is Chateau d’If in Marseilles (Count of Monte Cristo). Now that is really something.

How about you? Have you been on a book pilgrimage before? Or been to sites connected with your favourite author?