Explore Thomas Hardy’s childhood home at Higher Bockhampton and some locations that inspired his wild Wessex landscapes.
This Thomas Hardy themed walk begins in the hamlet of Higher Bockhampton where, on 2 June,1840, he was born in the cob and thatch cottage built by his great-grandfather – now known as Hardy’s Cottage and run by the National Trust. We cross the wild heathland that inspired Hardy’s Egdon Heath, and sheep pasture to Lower Bockhampton where he attended the National School before changing to Dorchester’s Non-Conformist school 2½ miles away. Along the River Frome tributary path to Stinsford, we visit Hardy’s ‘most hallowed spot’, St Michael’s Church and hamlet on which he based ‘Mellstock’ in Under the Greenwood Tree, written whilst he was still living at the family cottage. Hardy died on 11 January 1928. His heart is buried in his beloved Dorset at this church, his ashes are in Poets’ Corner, St. Paul’s Cathedral. Our return route takes us through Kingston Maurward estate which sold the land where Hardy’s Cottage was built.
The Walk
1. Walk back towards the Visitor Centre. Before the Centre’s terrace, fork right up the path signed ‘Hardy’s Cottage’ curving into Thorncombe Woods. Meander past pink ‘Hardy’s Cottage’ and blue ‘Rushy Pond’ arrows up to the three-way junction. Continue up and over the top. Then, undulating past various pink and blue arrows, reach a pink arrow-post and left picket fence. The half-gate leads to Hardy’s Cottage. If visiting, return here afterwards. At the nearby three-way signpost, take the ‘Black Heath - Access to Rushy Pond’ ascending path passing more blue arrows. Then, with cleared heath left, reach a kissing-gate and 1½ gates complex. Explore Rushy Pond then return here.
2. Go through the ‘Duddle Heath’ footpath kissing-gate. Along the narrow path, meet Ackling Dyke Roman road - between Durnovaria (Dorchester) and Old Sarum (Salisbury) - at left notice board. Cross over. Follow the narrow stony ‘Norris Mill ½’ footpath down through scrub, passing several footpath-posts and with good views right. Down to a crossing track, cross over at the footpath-post into the continuing narrow path, undulating with more arrow-posts through scrub, gorse and heather, and across deforested area to the wood’s footpath half-gate. Through, follow the path down, meandering on the clearest path through trees and rhododendron tunnels. Occasional yellow rectangles on trees confirm the way. Later, through another ‘tunnel’, go over a stile, footpath-signed back, onto a wide track hairpin.
3. Careful! Turn instantly right off the track into the hidden un-signed path through rhododendrons. Past a yellow-triangle tree, go over the fence’s footpath-stile into the field. Follow the left fence to the footpath-stile onto the Tincleton road. Cross over into the BOAT (Byway Open to All Traffic) track. Past the right house and through the gate, walk down the track, bending left to the gate into Norris Mill Farm’s barn-yard. Through, turn right, signed ‘Footpath Bockhampton and Dorchester’ on barn wall, then left at the arrow-post to the un-signed gate. Through, continue up to the next un-signed gate. Through, follow the fenced track up and over to the footpath-stile/gate. Through, bear half-right down to footpath-stiles and bridge in the hedge, with a half-hipped roof house beyond and River Frome tributary below left. Over, cross the field to a footpath-stile with the house and barns left.
4. Cross the drive and, over the opposite footpath-stile, continue to the hedge-corner footpath-stiles with bridge between. Into the next field, cross to the hedge’s gateway. Through, turn left onto the lower grass path, slightly boggy at first, with hillside right. Stay on the path with marshy fields left, then ascend to pass a brick cottage left. Over the end stile, cross the grass to the gravel drive with a footpath-post. Walk up the drive between cottages and bend right/left to footpath-signed 1½ gates. Go through onto the track, but only to the nearby left ‘Lower Bock’ton’ footpath kissing-gate. Through, walk ahead down the field to the fence-stile by left boggy woods. Over, follow the wood’s edge to the footpath kissing-gate. Through, follow the right fence over the field to the footpath-gate/kissing-gate. Through, follow fenced track to another gate. Through, cross the yard to the exit gate and footpath-post. Through, follow the track past Lower Bockhampton Farm House right, to the road with two-way footpath-signpost.
5. With thatched Bridge House on the corner, turn left down through Lower Bockhampton. Over the river bridge, turn right onto the bridleway-signed path between twin streams. Keep straight on for half-mile, passing old sluice gates and a footpath for ‘Kingston Maurward’. Over a brick-arched bridge, take the right ‘Stinsford’ bridleway up along the right iron-fenced woods and becoming Tarmac. Go through the left wall-gate into St. Michael’s churchyard. Thomas Hardy’s heart grave is beyond the chancel’s east end on the right of the path. From there leave through the top gate. Walk up Church Lane past left cottages.
6. Continue past right Stinsford Farm units and down to the T-junction. Turn right. It’s a Permissive Path route. Past the next right ‘Visitor Centre’ turning, walk up to and round the right bend. Follow the fenced parkland road, passing the right fork ‘from’ Kingston Maurward House and another right fork ‘to’ Kingston Maurward House. Continue past the Car Park and down to the right bend. Here, fork left onto the bridleway-arrowed track signed ‘Equestrian Centre’ and ‘Hardy’s Cottage’. Walk up to the bridleway-gate with right stables. Through, follow the fenced track, using the pedestrian ‘channel’, up to the first-left bridleway-gate. Through, cross the equestrian track and go through the facing bridleway-gate into the track between paddocks.
7. Over and down, then swinging right, reach the end gate. Through, cross the Tincleton road to ‘Hardy’s Birthplace Visitor Centre ½’ bridleway-track. Through two sets of 1½ gates, fork right for ‘Hardy’s Birthplace Visitor Centre’ up the field’s faint path with right woods. Up to the facing fence’s bridleway and footpath-gate, go through and, ignoring the left stile, follow the bridleway’s left fence to the half-gate. Through, follow the left fence to 1½ un-signed gates by a left barn. Through, follow the hedged track to 2½ gates onto the road, bridleway-signed back ‘Kingston Maurward 1, Stinsford 1¼’. Turn left then right down the lane to the Car Park where you started.
COMPASS POINTS
Distance: 5 miles/8 km
Time: 3½ hours
Start: Thorncombe Woods car park off Hardy’s Cottage drive (Grid Ref: SY725922)
Terrain: Not strenuous. Several slow ascents
Map: OS Landranger Sheet 194
Public Transport: None
Dogs: On leads, ground nesting birds March 1 - July 31, as well as livestock, abide by The Countryside Code
Refreshments: Thomas Hardy Visitor Centre for coffee and snacks
