Thomas Hardy's Portland: Avice Caro's Cottage and Beyond

After the euphoria of encountering St. George Reforne church the previous evening, it was Sunday morning and time to travel to Easton and beyond, first in search of Avice Caro's cottage from Hardy's 'The Well-Beloved'.

I was confident of finding Avice Caro's cottage (one of the buildings that makes up Portland Museum), as I had Margaret Marande's 'The Hardy Way' with me as a (tried and trusted) helping hand.

Marande's description that despite being built in 1640, "the stony essence of the cottage remains the same" (page 156 of 'The Hardy Way') was apt:

After seeing Avice's cottage, I made my way towards the sea and came across the 15th century ruin of Rufus (Bow and Arrow) Castle where as Marande puts it:

 "Pierston visits the castle overhanging the cliff and sees his initials carved on the stones with those of Avice Caro" (page 158 of 'The Hardy Way').

Marande also explains that "The third Avice meets her lover, Henri Leverre, here before eloping from Hope Cove", with the Castle standing "as a square black mass against the moonlit, indefinite sea" ('The Hardy Way' page 158).

From here, I followed some steps down to Church Ope Cove:

This place, which had once been used for "landing fish and for loading stone barges and smuggling" ('The Hardy Way' page 161) looked magical on a bright summer's day:

I then turned up some other steps to the ruins of St. Andrew's church:

St. Andrew's is the oldest church on the Isle of Portland:

And Margaret Marande informs that it is "The solemn spot where Pierston kissed Avice Caro" ('The Hardy Way' page 158).

Really love the mystical-looking doorway of St. Andrew's below:

After seeing St. Andrew's, I found my way to Pennsylvania Castle (now a hotel), and got the picture below through standing on some logs on a compost heap at the back of the hotel:

Regarding Pennsylvania Castle, Margaret Marande reveals that Marcia Bencomb rented this before her meeting with Jocelyn Pierston, while 20 years later, Pierston rented it to be close to "the second Avice" ('The Hardy Way' page 156).