The Hardy Way

Wednesday, 18 April 2018

The Hardy Way Charity Walk starts today - 18th April 2018.

The Hardy way is no more than 3 miles from The Victorian Barn

The Hardy Way is a unique 220 mile long distance walking trail through Thomas Hardy’s Wessex with his words and poems alongside each section of the route. It can also be walked in shorter sections with the aid of Ordnance Survey maps and public transport options. The Way begins at Hardy’s Birthplace near Dorchester and ends just over a mile away in the country churchyard where his heart is buried. In between is the varied and beautiful countryside of the county of Dorset and a short but stunning section in Wiltshire.

In the 1990s, in Dorset, Margaret Marande was looking for a project to combine her love of walking (especially long distance walking) with her interest in literature and, in particular, the work of Thomas Hardy. Solution – to create a long distance footpath linking locations in Hardy’s novels and poems using his wonderfully evocative descriptions of the Dorset landscape more than a hundred years ago. Many of the scenes he describes are remarkably unchanged today. The Hardy Way – A 19th Century Pilgrimage was first published in 1995.

HardywayforHarry - Sponsored Walk, April - May 2018.

Margaret Marande, 81, from Fontmell Magna In Dorset to walk the 220 mile Hardy Way - The long distance path she created 20 years ago - To raise funds for three good causes.

Most days the walk is about ten miles except for those marked with an asterisk which are a bit shorter.

Wed. April 18th 10.30 a.m. - Hardy’s Birthplace Visitor Centre 10.30 a.m. 12noon walk to Athelampton*

Thursday April 19th - Athelhampton to Bere Regis * Friday April 20th – Bere Regis to Wool

Saturday April 21st – Wool to Lulworth* Sunday April 22nd – Lulworth to Kingston

Monday April 23rd – Kingston to Wareham Tuesday April 24th – Wareham to Sturminster Marshall

Wed. April 25th – Sturminster Marshall to Witchampton Thurs. April 26th – Witchampton to Cranborne

Friday April 27th – Cranborne to Tollard Royal Saturday April 28th – Tollard to Shaftesbury*

Sunday April 29th – Shaftesbury to Sturminster Newton Mon. April 30th – Sturminster to Buckland Newton

Tues. May 1st – Buckland to Chetnole Wed. May 2nd – Chetnole to Beaminster

Thurs. May 3rd Beaminster to Bridport* Friday, May 4th – Bridport to Abbotsbury

Sat. May 5th – Abbotsbury to Weymouth (before Ferrybridge) Sun. May 6th - Weymouth via Portland to Weymouth

Mon. May 7th – Weymouth to Owermoigne Tuesday, May 8th – Owermoigne to Stinsford

The routes in red are the closest to The Victorian Barn