The extraordinarily popular novels of Patrick O'Brian convincingly recreate navy life during the Napoleonic Wars, from the thunderous sea battles right down to the weevils in the ships' biscuits.

The heroes, Captain Jack Aubrey and his particular friend Dr Stephen Maturin, encountered numerous adventures around the world and in early 19th century English society.

Now readers can extend the sublime literary experience of the 20 volume series by following this trail designed especially for the 24 Hour Museum. It's suitable for lubbers and all ratings but laggards may miss the tide unless they hurry. There's not a moment to lose.

HMS Trincomalee, Hartlepool

Even though she was not launched until 1817, well after hostilities ended, the 46-gun Trincomalee, now moored at Hartlepool, is very similar in design to earlier ships and it is easy to imagine her crew practising their gunnery skills while Jack times them from the quarterdeck.

Frigates were the most dashing ships in the navy because they were fast and well-armed: highly suited to Aubrey's demeanour. The Trincomalee gives a fine insight into the cramped conditions on a warship and there is one particularly curious coincidence worth considering as you admire the futtockshrouds...

At the end of the 19th century the Trincomalee was renamed the Foudroyant, after Nelson's one-time flagship and upon which a certain (fictional) Lieutenant Jack Aubrey had served shortly before the beginning of the novel series.

Red House Stables Working Carriage Museum, Matlock, Derbyshire

O'Brian maintains the momentum of his novels on dry land with some memorably exhilarating carriage rides. Fortunately Caroline Dale-Leech can offer similar experiences in the Derbyshire countryside. They are more sedate and certainly safer than those taken by the impetuous Diana Villiers in the books.

The museum has nearly 40 carriages available, including a stage coach, a Royal Mail coach, a park drag and a Hansom cab. If you have the time, a pleasant day can be spent riding to the great houses nearby, stopping at country hostelries for appropriate refreshment. Budding Dianas may even take lessons in driving the carriages themselves ­ in period costume or otherwise.

HMS Victory, Portsmouth

But our main interest is the sickbay below decks. This is the kind of workplace of which Dr Stephen Maturin could only dream, being spacious, light, pristine, well-aired and as steady as a rock.

Yet it gives an excellent impression of where the ship's surgeon may have dispensed the bolus, potable soup and tincture of laudanum to crew suffering from the marthambles, the great pox and unbalanced humours.

The Historic Dockyard, Chatham

"She is a Chatham ship...she is pretty spry," said Jack Aubrey describing HMS Bellona which he commands in The Commodore, the 17th book in the series. And here you can see exactly how she was built by following the Wooden Walls exhibition, a tour of some of the twenty-six trades required to build a wooden warship.

Eleven ships of the line were built at Chatham, including HMS Victory, but the featured vessel is the Valiant, a third-rater with the same 74 guns as Bellona which was launched a year later in 1760. It was here also that the great naval architect and master shipwright Robert Seppings perfected diagonal bracing to strengthen ships.

Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth

The numerous models and displays illuminate the lexicon of O'Brian's text, from the Articles of War, which describes capital offences, through to the yardarm, from which offenders were hanged.

The area would have been quite familiar to Jack and Stephen, each joining and leaving several ships in Portsmouth harbour throughout the series of novels.

Explosion! The Museum of Naval Firepower, Gosport, Hants

Try, if you can, to ignore the 20th century atomic bomb on exhibition, and take a look outside at Powder Quay,above.

The powder was made in mills in Kent and Essex and stored in the Great Magazine at Priddy's Hard. It was only released to officers with permission from the Ordnance Board ­ or perhaps with a little of the captain's cash to buy more than the official quota.

Buckler's Hard, Hants

The exhibition of village life and its hardships in the 18th century gives a clue as to why so many man preferred to take their chances at sea, particularly if fortunate enough to crew a vessel commanded by 'Lucky' Jack Aubrey.

One cottage, above, is especially relevant. Inside is shipwright Henry Adams poring over plans under the scrutiny of an overseer from the Navy Board. As O'Brian readers know, Jack had particular ideas about ship design and a deep loathing of bureaucracy. He'd have befriended Adams and wasted not a moment with the overseer.

Websites worth visiting on the trail of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin :

www.io.com/gibbonsb/pob/ - an all-embracing compendium of O'Brian sites

www.aubreymaturin.co.uk - organisers of trips and events associated with Jack and Stephen's adventures

Max Glaskin is an award-winning freelance journalist regularly published in the Sunday Times, New Scientist and many other national publications.