Literary Tourism Alert

I’m always on the lookout for Hitchhiker’s articles, and this Literary Tourism Alert is about an article I read on Medium by Justin K Prim. Justin wrote about film locations from Hitchhiker’s projects. All of the places he mentions are on my list to visit (or visit again) and include in my book.

Justin’s Cambridge Tour

Justin enjoyed the Douglas Adams Cambridge Tour, guided by the incredible ZZ9 Past President David Haddock. David gave the tour this year on July 15th. If you’re an Adams fan in the UK and can get to Cambridge, I highly recommend looking David up and asking if he is available to give it. You can contact him by becoming a member of the ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha Fan Club and messaging him in their Facebook Group.

My Cambridgeshire Tour

In 2015, I took David’s extended tour. We not only walked to the in-town Cambridge sights but as there was only me, he generously drove me out to Buntingford. I got to experience the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside, plus see both Arthur Dent’s House and the Pub from the 2005 Movie. These locations are one of the day trips planned for the Douglas Adams Tour. Although postponed for now, it will happen sometime in the next few years.

As we walked the village on a sunny day, I took pictures of a nice horse, resting beneath a tree. In my imagination, he was about to be landed on by the Electric Monk from Dirk Gently. While driving, I kept an eye out for any substantial old abbeys that might’ve been owned by Gordon Way. I suspect the building that actually inspired the domicile of the Wayforward Technologies founder was someplace like Huntsham Court, where Adams checked himself in for a writing retreat and instead ended up planning a video game with Steve Meretzky.

Martin Freeman’s performance as Arthur Dent was one of my favorite things about the Disney film, so it was a thrill to wander the hamlet of Buntingford and recognize places I’d seen on the silver screen. You can find 2005 movie places here on Reel Streets and compare them to the pictures I took.

The Local Touch

David and I met a local woman named Nikki as we were walking through town. Her house was used as a waiting lounge for the actors between takes. She told us they were all very kind and funny during filming.

It’s Nikki’s house in the background of the movie’s flashback shot where Arthur Dent saves Ford Prefect’s life. The scene is a directorial choice that I particularly appreciate because it elegantly explains a central question of Hitchhiker: Why, of all the humans, does Ford pick Arthur?

Nikki also shared historical gossip about a derelict nearby lychgate. I had wondered what a lychgate was, and Nicki knew the local town legend about this one. The largish house behind hers belonged to a cardinal. His “housekeeper” (nudge, nudge, wink, wink), who inherited the house, built a large memorial after his death, including the Lychgate, or churchyard entrance. It was beautiful but in some disrepair. Nicki and her family hope to purchase the land and maintain the area but have had no luck so far.

Please send me any Literary Tourism Alerts that you come across. I am always interested in hearing stories about how book or film fans experience places from their favorite media in the real world.