New guide pinpoints landmarks across the country from classic children’s tales

A new map will help bookish tourists find the Scottish locations that inspired some of the nation’s bestloved children’s stories.

VisitScotland has released Scotland’s Storybook Trail which showcases the birthplace of tales from Peter Rabbit to Peter Pan, Harry Potter to The Howlat.

It is hoped the guide will act as a tool for tourists to visit places they might not otherwise think to go and has been launched in celebration of Scotland’s Year of the Young Person 2018.

Courier Country is featured through Dundee’s comics, Beatrix Potter’s trips to Birnam and Kirriemuir, where Peter Pan creator JM Barrie was born.

Other Scottish creations on the map include Treasure Island, the Harry Potter series and Katie Morag.

The colourful map is on the VisitScotland website and will be available physically at selected VisitScotland iCentres, as well as bookshops and libraries throughout Scotland.

Tourism Minister Fiona Hyslop said: “In this, Scotland’s Year of Young People, the Storybook Trail not only celebrates Scotland’s rich literary heritage and incredible landscapes, but it also provides an opportunity to encourage children to read for pleasure and develop a lifelong love of books.

“With so many locations across the country linked to characters in children’s literature, I am sure the trail will act as a magnet for visitors from home and abroad who will experience our beautiful, vibrant country.”

The map takes in the whole of the country, from Haki the Shetland Pony from Shetland to Thumble Tumble in the Isle of Arran.

Jenni Steele, VisitScotland’s film and creative industries manager, said: “Scotland has world-class literary links.

“Our landscapes, history and people have inspired writers for centuries, helping to bring to life enduring characters that capture the imaginations of not just youngsters but grown-ups, too.

“A great story has to have great characters and that’s what inspired Scotland’s Storybook Trail.

“We wanted to create something, as we celebrate Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, that encourages book lovers of all ages to discover the places and people behind these famous fictional friends.”

VisitScotland plans to expand the map in future, admitting it is currently “in no way exhaustive”.