In 2003 I was approached by American tour company, Beyond Boundaries, to be part of Harry Potter inspired trips. I was already a fan of the series (then in its infancy) and was delighted to be part of the team and have continued to contribute to the trips ever since.
My role within the trips is to celebrate the wealth of British, Norse and Irish folklore and tradition that J. K, Rowling used as the bedrock of her series, rather than to retell any of her material. It has been a delight to explore the themes touched upon in the Harry Potter books and my repsect and admiration for the author have continued to increase with each book and trip as I’ve discovered how deeply researched and tied in even the most casual throwaway line can be!
The trips have taken me all over England and Scotland to have a huge amount of fun: banqueting in Oxford colleges and Edinburgh Castle; pushing the sweet trolley on the steam train used in the films for the Hogwarts Express; visiting a hand of glory in Whitby Museum; playing land based quidditch at Alnwick Castle; visiting lakes in caves at Wookey Hole…the list goes on and on!
Their are a variety of trips available, visiting London, Oxford, Edinburgh and Glencoe. There are also wizard school castle based holidays where you can experience student life living in a castle and attend a variety of magical lessons.
The HP fan trips have been an opportunity to introduce fans to the British ballad and storytelling tradition, telling the stories of Britain in the landscape where they are so deeply rooted.
For more information visit: http://www.hpfantrips.com
