Itinerary – Escape the madding crowds and enjoy an enchanting weekend discovering Thomas Hardy’s Dorchester
Dorset is a beautiful place for a weekend away. Many associate the county with beaches and fossil hunting, but the county was also once home to one of the worlds most celebrated writers, Thomas Hardy.
Forbes list Thomas Hardy in their top 50 Greatest Writers of all time. Where they state that he was a “novelist and poet who crafted a niche in his depictions of rural life and the struggles of ordinary, working-class people.”
Born in the village of Higher Bockhampton, he spent much of his life in the county, drawing inspiration from its landscapes for his evocative stories of love and loss.
Dorchester was the setting for one of Hardy’s finest novels, The Mayor of Casterbridge, in which he describes the town as being reminiscent of old Rome: “Casterbridge announced old Rome in every street, alley and precinct. It looked Roman, bespoke the art of Rome, concealed dead men of Rome”.
Step into Hardy’s Casterbridge with this 48-hour weekend where you will experience cosy pubs, beautiful woods, a chocolate box cottage, wonderful food and drink and a warm and welcoming town.
Image – Thomas Hardy at Max Gate
Friday Evening
Arrive in welcoming Dorchester and enjoy an evening meal at The King’s Arms where the chefs are famed for their ever changing, seasonal, fresh menu. Thomas Hardy was a frequent visitor to The King’s Arms and, if they don’t have a function, you might be able to ask if you can sneak a peek into their famous Casterbridge Room. on they may well let you pop up and see the famous Casterbridge Room.
If you are looking to stay in a hotel for the weekend then The King’s Arms have some beautiful rooms available with in-room roll-top bath tubs, super king size beds and luxurious linens.
Or you might prefer to enjoy some self-catered accommodation close to Hardy’s Cottage at the fabulous Greenwood Grange. Transformed from farm buildings built by Thomas Hardy’s father in 1849, Greenwood Grange has 16 stone cottages situated in a magnificent historical rural setting.
Both The King’s Arms and Greenwood Grange have dog friendly options, so you don’t have to leave four legged friends at home.
Image – Greeenwood Grange
Saturday morning – Hardy’s Cottage – Booking in advance essential
18th March to 30th October 2025. Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm (last entry 3pm)
November to March – Closed
If you are staying at Greenwood Grange then you can roll out of your cosy bed, pop on your wellies and walk the 10-minute walk through the beautiful Thorncombe Woods to Hardy’s Cottage.
If you are staying at The King’s Arms then you can either make your way to Hardy’s Cottage by car or follow this picturesque walking route – The return walk is approximately 7 miles long. It can be quite muddy in places and walking boots or stout shoes are recommended
Hardy’s Cottage is managed by National Trust. It is an evocative cob and thatch cottage, which was the birthplace of author Thomas Hardy in 1840 and was built by his great-grandfather. The house is where Hardy wrote his early works, including ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ and ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.
Take a stroll through the traditional cottage garden and immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and scents of the season.
The cottage sits next to Thorncombe Wood, owned and managed by Dorset Council. This is an ancient woodland and nature reserve that opens out onto heathland and the beginning of Hardy’s Egdon Heath. Next to the Thorncombe Wood car park (ANPR system run by Dorset Council) you will find the Hardy’s Birthplace Visitor Centre which has a lovely café where you can grab a quick lunch and piece of traditional Dorset apple cake.
On the way back from Hardy’s Cottage we recommend visiting the church yard at Stinsford where you can see Thomas Hardy’s grave. The ashes of the poet and writer Thomas Hardy were buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey, immediately to the north of the grave of Charles Dickens. But his heart is buried at Stinsford in Dorset. There are a lot of graves with the name Thomas Hardy in the church yard (all relations of the writer Thomas Hardy) so make sure you are looking at the right one!
Image – Thorncombe Woods
Saturday afternoon – Shire Hall Museum and Casterbridge
Journey back in Dorchester town centre, Hardy’s fictional Casterbridge, and visit Shire Hall Museum.
Shire Hall was Dorset’s courthouse from 1797 until 1955. Through that time, it saw everything from the 1834 trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs to the 1856 domestic abuse case that inspired Thomas Hardy to write ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’.
Thomas Hardy was also a magistrate at Shire Hall. He qualified as a Justice of the Peace, sitting at both Petty and Quarter Sessions, and served on the Grand Jury at the Assizes at least 16 times.
In Shire Hall’s courtroom, Hardy would have heard cases that covered a vast range of human experience.
Shire Hall Museum is a wonderfully immersive museum with a cracking café for a Dorset cream tea.
After Shire Hall Museum then take a little time to explore Casterbridge, look out for St Peter’s Church, The Corn Exchange, Greys Bridge and the Antelope Hotel (now Antelope Walk) which feature in novels The Mayor of Casterbridge, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Trumpet Major and Under the Greenwood Tree. The traditional thatched Hangman’s Cottage, located north by the River Frome, was the home of the town’s executioner and was cited in the short story The Withered Arm. Maumbury Rings located on the edge of town just beyond the market is a good example of a Neolithic Henge – it was the scene of Henchard’s secret meetings in The Mayor of Casterbridge.
Image – Shire Hall Museum
Saturday evening – Folk music and cosy pubs
After a busy day then it’s time to relax in one of Dorchester’s many cosy pubs. Thomas Hardy was a great violin player and loved to play folk music. Many of the local pubs have folk nights so it is worth checking out our what’s on pages to see what is happening when you are here.
Image – Convivial Rabbit Micropub
Sunday morning – Hardy’s House, Max Gate – Booking in advance recommended
18th March to 30th October 2025. Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sat 10:30am – 4:30pm, last entry at 3:30pm
November – March – Closed
Hardy’s House, Max Gate, an austere but sophisticated town house a short walk from the town centre of Dorchester. Hardy, who designed the house in 1885, wanted to show that he was part of the wealthy middle classes of the area, to reflect his position as a successful writer, and to enable him to enter polite society.
Many of Hardy’s possessions were dispersed before National Trust acquired the house, the rooms have been furnished to recreate the spaces as he lived in them. He wrote some of his most famous novels here, including Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure, as well as much of his poetry.
Max Gate has a beautiful garden designed by Hardy, was erected by his late wife, Florence, in his memory.
Image – Hardy’s House, Max Gate
Sunday lunch – The Trumpet Major
Just down the road from Max Gate you will find The Trumpet Major. They do a great Sunday Lunch, piled high with ruffled roasties, seasonal vegetables, melt-in-the-mouth meats, and don’t forget homemade Yorkshire puddings! The Trumpet Major Pub takes its name from Hardy’s novel “The Trumpet Major”. It is his only historical novel and revolves around the love story of Anne Garland.
Image – The Trumpet Major
Sunday afternoon – Dorset Museum & Art Gallery
The award-winning Dorset Museum & Art Gallery is one of the cultural centres of Dorset with four themed galleries, special exhibitions area, library and café.
One of the four themed galleries is dedicated to the work and life Thomas Hardy. The gallery includes a recreation of Hardy’s study with his desk and personal belongings from his home at Max Gate on Dorchester’s outskirts. The Hardy’s Life room has childhood toys, family portraits, musical instruments – and music from the Hardy family’s music books. Hardy’s Writing features original manuscripts and touchscreens for browsing digital manuscripts and personal letters.
Image – The Hardy’s Study at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery
One last thing……
Before you leave, pop up the road from Dorset Museum & Art Gallery to Top o Town Roundabout to see the Thomas Hardy Statue. It depicts Hardy sitting on a tree stump, looking thoughtfully ahead with a book on his lap (it is said that the decision to sculpt Hardy sitting was made to compensate for the fact that he was known to be very short in stature!)