Escape to Pumpkin Cottage in Wye with Anna and Jacqui Burns

Submitted: 16th March 2025

Escape to Pumpkin Cottage in Wye

A mother and daughter writing team who have written a novel set in the Welsh Wye valley

Authors on location! (c) Anna and Jacqui Burns

Our novel Escape to Pumpkin Cottage tells the story of two rival bed and breakfast and is set in the Wye Valley. Visiting each other (Anna is in Derbyshire and Jacqui in south west Wales), we always passed the sign for Symonds Yat on the M50. We booked a weekend there once and it worked its magic on us, prompting us to spend another two delightful weekends in the village as research.

Location map of Escape to Pumpkin Cottage

Symonds Yat

Location map of Escape to Pumpkin Cottage

Negotiating the winding and impossibly narrow roads of Symonds Yat is the first challenge tourists face. In Escape to Pumpkin Cottage, Symonds Yat West and Symonds Yat East become Riverdean and Greenbrook respectively. Pippa likens the roads to the Amalfi Coast when she arrives there in the first chapter.

Location map of Escape to Pumpkin Cottage

The omnipresent River Wye is almost a character in itself. It is either sparkling in the autumnal sunshine or bubbling and gurgling in wintry weather. The storm at the end of the novel floods Pumpkin Cottage and threatens Pippa’s livelihood.

Location map of Escape to Pumpkin Cottage

The Trout is actually the Ye Old Ferrie Inn, a cosy, fifteenth century pub right on the river’s edge. It’s at the heart of the community of Riverdean, owned by Brett and Shaun. Many of the novel’s events take place there. Everything from the weekly pub quiz, Bonfire Night and Brett and Shaun’s engagement party. We spent many an hour in The Trout on our stays in Symonds Yat conducting our ‘research.’ It seemed fitting to have the final scene there, too.

Location map of Escape to Pumpkin Cottage

It’s thought that hand-ferries like the one that takes passengers across the river from Symonds Yat West to East have been in existence since Roman times. Pippa and Jake have their first casual, walking date in Symonds Yat East. They have to take the ferry, along with Archie the dog. It’s Pippa’s first introduction to bracing and muddy walks with the outdoorsy Jake. The actual rope was broken in real floods in October, 2019, which inspired us to create a devastating flood towards the end of the novel.

Ross on Wye

Location map of Escape to Pumpkin Cottage

The beautiful market town of Ross on Wye is just seven miles from Symonds Yat and features a few times in the novel. Jenny’s husband Phil has a carer looking after him for the first time, allowing her to enjoy the rare treat of an afternoon’s shopping. It’s also where she and Phil attend weekly choir sessions for Alzheimer’s sufferers and their carers.

Location map of Escape to Pumpkin Cottage

The imposing and historical Hereford Cathedral is where the candlelight concert is held at the end of the novel, filmed by the BBC cameras. It evokes cosy Christmas vibes and seems a fitting seasonal finale to Escape to Pumpkin Cottage.