Thomas Hardy created a fictional version of Dorset, renamed Wessex, as the setting for almost all his books.

The Hardy Way is a unique long-distance walking route through Hardy’s Wessex which connects many of the key locations that figured either in the writer’s life or in his fiction.

Starting from his birthplace at Higher Bockhampton, the route traverses the Piddle and Frome valleys, passing through towns and villages such as Bere Regis, Shaftesbury and Evershot.  It joins the Dorset coast between Lulworth Cove and the Encombe Valley and on to Corfe Castle.  Travelling back to the county town of Dorchester before it finishes in Stinsford Church where Thomas Hardy’s heart lies buried.

It is the first long distance path in Great Britain to be linked with the works of a great writer.

It is 216.5 miles (348.4 km) long although can be shortened into easier day walks.

The route is signposted with the letters HW on green waymarking discs.

The following Ordnance Survey maps show the route: Explorer OL15 Purbeck and South Dorset, Explorer 116 Lyme Regis and Bridport, Explorer 117 Cerne Abbas and Bere Regis, Explorer 118 Shaftesbury and Cranborne Chase and Explorer 129 Yeovil and Sherborne.

You can find more information on the Long Distance Walkers Association website.