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'Far
from the Madding Crowd'
  The
richly varied landscape and the historical treasures of Dorset
have inspired generations of authors including Jane Austen, Thomas
Hardy (born near Dorchester or ‘Casterbridge’ as he called it)
and more recently John Fowles who wrote ‘The French Lieutenant’s
Woman’. The film of this book contained a famous scene of Meryl
Streep walking along ‘The Cobh’ at Lyme Regis, which is where
we start our walk. You can’t walk far without encountering
places immortalised by Hardy in his Wessex novels and ‘Far from
the Madding Crowd’ is still an appropriate description of the
many rural villages which lie peacefully unspoilt in Dorset’s
hidden valleys and rolling hills.
From Lyme Regis we follow the coast as it stretches eastwards, first to Charmouth, an area famous for its fossil-encrusted cliffs, and then to the l90m headland of orange sandstone known as the Golden Gap - highest point on the south coast of England. We turn inland to discover a wealth of historic and prehistoric sites; the British hill fort of Maiden Castle, sacked by the Romans in AD70, the Roman walls and historic town centre of Dorchester and the medieval tithe barn of Abbotsbury, still used as a storehouse for reeds cut from the nearby lagoon. Abbotsbury is also famous for its ‘swannery’, a nature reserve for wild swans founded in medieval times.
On day 6 you can walk from Dorchester past Hardy’s birth place on the edge of Egdon Heath to the 18th century village of Milton Abbas with its parallel rows of white thatched cottages before returning by bus or taxi to Dorchester. We then return to the coast to walk past the natural arch of Durdle Door to Lulworth Cove, a sandy bay ringed with magnificent cliffs.
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Accommodation
7
nights/8 days - The villages of Hardy’s Dorset have been accommodating visitors for many centuries. We spend the first 2 nights in
Lyme Regis where Jane Austen would still feel at home. Our accommodation is a former coaching inn, it has modern comforts, but still maintains its superb 17th Century character. Our second stop is at a regency style country house hotel about 300 metres from the picturesque harbour and beach of
West Bay. The rooms are spacious and have ensuite facilities. At the beautiful old monastic village of
Abbotsbury we stay in a friendly and intimate hotel with the high standards of service and facilities you would expect from a Premier Inn. Centrally located in the historic county town of
Dorchester, we spend 2 nights in an attractive Georgian property built in 1815 by Lord Ilchester for his coachman, it has now been converted to a hotel. Our last night is spent at a comfortable family run hotel overlooking
Lulworth Cove. All rooms are tastefully decorated and are ensuite. This hotel also boasts an outdoor swimming pool.
Sherpa Notes
Waymarks
The coastal section is well signposted and relatively easy to follow. Inland (days 5 & 6) close attention has to be paid to the map and route notes.
Accommodation and Meals
Bed and breakfast throughout in comfortable country inns and hotels.
Start
and End of Tour
Most convenient major city and international airport is London. By train from London Waterloo to Axminster. Service about every 2 hours; Then taxi or bus to Lyme Regis.
Taxi or bus from Lulworth Cove to the nearest train station at Wool (5 miles). Then hourly fast train service to London Waterloo. |
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