Thomas Hardy Self-Guided Walking Holiday or Tour

This is a very flexible weekend break in the heart of Hardy country. You can opt for a self-guided walk or an accompanied tour (or a bit of both) and therefore do as much or as little walking as you want.

The walk or tour goes to places that are closely associated with the life and work of Thomas Hardy, as well as with his famous friend, T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia).

It is not necessary to be a Thomas Hardy buff to enjoy this holiday, but if his novels or poetry appeal to you, then you should find these two days to be a very evocative experience.

The short break is packed with interest, and includes, amongst many other fascinating sites:

• Hardy’s Cottage (where Hardy was born and spent 28 years of his life)
• Max Gate, the house designed by Hardy and where he lived from 1885 until his death in 1928
• The attractive hamlet of Stinsford (Mellstock) and its church, where Hardy’s family is buried and his own heart lies alongside his first wife
• Lawrence’s interesting and unusual small cottage (Clouds Hill) and his grave at Moreton
• Two beautiful churches: one at Bere Regis with its amazing 15th century roof, and the other at Moreton which is flooded with light from its superb, hand-engraved plain glass windows
• Dorchester Museum, which has the largest Hardy collection in the world and a reconstruction of his study at Max Gate, including his furniture, notebooks, photographs and manuscripts.

For those who choose to do the full trail, it is an easy and very pleasant walk of 14 miles (22.5 km) over two days through beautiful countryside and attractive villages. For those who have opted to walk only part or none of the trail, the same sites are visited by car, as well as other places of interest in the area.

In either case, you will be collected each morning from your inn, B&B or hotel, and then driven back in the late afternoon.

Our Thomas Hardy walking holiday or accompanied tour is a short break of 2 or 3 nights (2 days). It can be done on its own or combined with our Dorset Gardens tour to make a superb 4 or 5 night holiday.

It would be quite possible to opt for a 2 night Thomas Hardy tour or a 4 night Thomas Hardy & Dorset Gardens tour, but then you would have to return home or continue your onward journey in the late afternoon directly after the final day’s walk or tour, i.e. without spending a final night in your accommodation.

Please note that the entrance fees to Clouds Hill, Hardy’s Cottage, Dorchester Museum and Max Gate are not included in the price of the holiday.

This is because many people are members of the National Trust, which owns three of these properties, and therefore have free admission, or else may be senior citizens or both. There are also reductions for children.

If you are in none of these categories, the maximum cost per adult to visit all four sites is under £20.

We will give you our detailed and informative Thomas Hardy Trail Guide that includes step by step walking directions and interesting background material on places along the trail, as well as all other information that you might need for your holiday.

If you click the banner on the right, please be aware that things have changed a bit since the article was written: the yellow car has been replaced with a people carrier, and the route itself has been improved. The “dishevelled bear of a man”, however, is still the same.

Occasionally we may propose accommodation with a standard and price between A1 and A2.
 
We can sometimes offer family rooms and special prices for children, depending on the accommodation that is available at the time, but early booking is advisable. Please give us details of your requirements on the enquiry form.

For our full range of holidays and how we operate, go to holidays 2008 and why footscape?.