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Hardy's Cottage & Puddletown Forest: guided walk in Dorset
Start at Thomas Hardy's birthplace in Thorncombe Wood and walk through Puddletown Forest to Puddletown, the Weatherbury of his novels, with a view of Kingston Maurward House.
- Distance7 miles (11.3 km)
- Time3–4 hours
- DifficultyEasy
- TypeHalf Day
- StartThorncombe Wood car park, DT2 8QH
- PriceFrom £200 (private guided walk), £50 pp (small group)
The terrain
- Woodland paths and forest tracks, mostly gentle.
- Heathland and field paths.
- Village lanes in Puddletown.
What you'll see
- Hardy's Cottage. The thatched cottage where Thomas Hardy was born in 1840.
- Puddletown Forest. Beech, pine and heath, with bluebells in spring.
- Puddletown. Hardy's 'Weatherbury' in Far from the Madding Crowd.
- Kingston Maurward. A grand Georgian house across the fields.
From walkers who've been with us
“A brilliant adventure through some of Dorset's most beautiful countryside — every step was enjoyable and worthwhile. So much chatter, I don't know where the time went.”
Walk it with a local guide
Every WildBoots walk is led by a qualified Mountain Leader with outdoor first aid training. Book it as a private guided walk for your own group, or join one of our small group walks. Dogs are welcome on most walks.