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Map of the Travels of Samuel Pickwick and His Friends

Explore the travels of the Pickwickians in the days before the coming of the railway

Pickwickian Travels Descriptions:

Journey 1 (Red)

The Pickwickians leave from the Golden Cross in London where they meet Alfred Jingle who accompanies them to the Bull Inn in Rochester. After a mixup between Nathaniel Winkle and Dr Slammer that almost results in a duel they observe a military exercise on the Chatham Lines where they meet Mr Wardle who invites them to his home at Manor Farm, Dingley Dell. While there they attend a cricket match and again run into the scoundrel Jingle. Jingle runs off with Wardle's spinster sister, Rachael, with an eye on marrying her for her money. Pickwick and Wardle pursue them to London where they foil Jingle's plan. Back at Dingley Dell Pickwick discovers that Tracy Tupman, suicidal because he had fallen in love with Rachael, has gone to Cobham and the rest of the Pickwickians pursue. They find Tupman quite well and all return to London (The Pickwick Papers, p. 6-149).

Journey 2 (Orange)

The Pickwickians go to Eatanswill to observe the heated election between two rival political parties, the Blues and the Buffs. Eatanswill is a fictitious town thought to be based on Sudbury where young Dickens covered an election when he was working as a reporter in 1834. The group are invited to a party at the home of poetess Mrs Leo Hunter where they again run into Alfred Jingle who is using the assumed name Captain Charles Fitz-Marshall. Pickwick and Weller pursue Jingle to Bury St Edmunds where they are duped by Jingle and his servant, Job Trotter. Licking their wounds Pickwick and Weller return to London (The Pickwick Papers, p. 150-246).

Journey 3 (Blue)

Pickwick and Sam Weller, hearing from Sam's father Tony that Jingle and Trotter are in Ipswich, plan to follow them. They leave in Tony Weller's coach from the Bull in Whitechapel. Snodgrass, Winkle, and Tupman, who had remained at Eatanswill, meet them at Ipswich. While in Ipswich Pickwick suffers the embarrassment of the accidental encounter with The Lady in Yellow Curl Papers (Miss Witherspoon) who turns out to be the intended of Peter Magnus, whom Pickwick met on the journey to Ipswich. When Magnus finds out about the encounter Witherspoon reports Pickwick to the local magistrate (Mr Nupkins) fearing Magnus's rage. Meanwhile Weller learns that Jingle has designs on Nupkins' daughter. When Pickwick foils Jingle's plans Nupkins releases him. All of the Pickwickians return to London (The Pickwick Papers, p. 297-356).

Journey 4 (Light Blue)

When Sam Weller learns that his father, Tony Weller, has married (Susan Clark) he travels to the Marquis of Granby, a tavern in Dorking kept by his new mother-in-law (stepmother), to meet her (The Pickwick Papers, p. 364-373).

Journey 5 (Yellow)

The Pickwickians celebrate Christmas with the Wardles at Manor Farm, Dingley Dell. While there they attend the wedding of Wardle's daughter, Isabella, to Mr Trundle (The Pickwick Papers, p. 374-417).

Journey 6 (Black)

Pickwick is awaiting execution for costs having been found guilty in his breach-of-promise suit filed by Martha Bardell. Having never been there, the Pickwickians decide on a trip to Bath to take the restorative waters. There they meet Mr Dowler and his pretty wife. In a madcap mixup Dowler is led to believe that Nathaniel Winkle has designs on his wife. Fearing Dowler's wrath, Winkle escapes to Bristol. Finding him gone, Pickwick sends Weller to find him. While walking from Bristol to Clifton Winkle runs into Bob Sawyer and Ben Allen and learns that Allen's sister, Arabella, is in Clifton. Weller finds Winkle and is soon joined by Pickwick. Together they search for Arabella, finding her with the help of Mary. The group returns to London where Pickwick refuses to pay damages to Bardell's lawyers and is imprisoned in the Fleet (The Pickwick Papers, p. 489-560).

Journey 7 (Green)

After the secret marriage of Winkle and Arabella Allen, Pickwick accepts a commission from Arabella to travel to Bristol to smooth things over with her brother, Ben, who had hopes of his friend Bob Sawyer marrying his sister. After accomplishing this Pickwick, along with Weller, Allen, and Sawyer travel to Birmingham to break the news of the marriage to Winkle's father who receives the news without emotion. They travel back to London, stopping at Towcester for the night where they meet Mr Pott and Mr Slurk, editors of rival newspapers in Eatanswill (The Pickwick Papers, p. 679-727).