As a child, Thomas Hardy attended school first in Lower Bockhampton and then in Dorchester. His daily walk was from Hardy’s Cottage across the Kingston Maurward estate and then followed the Frome river into town.

This walk from Hardy’s Desperate Remedies ‘Knapwater House’ (Kingston Maurward) to his childhood home, Hardy’s Cottage. The route takes you through Hardy’s real and imagined landscapes, through Kingston Maurward college estate and Lower Bockhampton.

The route via the Visitor Centre is 1.8 miles, with an optional return via Lower Bockhampton (2.7 miles).

All admissions to Hardy’s Cottage are through the Visitor Centre.