This was a case of third time lucky, as the previous two years, I'd failed to find Waterston Manor despite generally heading in the right direction. Hence, it was a relief to eventually find the place which is the inspiration for Weatherbury Farm in Hardy's 'Far from the Madding Crowd'.
Unlike the previous two years, I had a travelling companion, one of my best friends, Dave, and one of the highlights of this year's trip was seeing his astonishment as Waterston Manor came into view. Like Dave said, it was easy to imagine Bathsheba Everdene opening one of the top windows there.
While staring in almost adoration around Waterston Manor, it was also easy to imagine the likes of Gabriel Oak and Joseph Poorgrass carrying out their farm duties around the place:
Like Dave said, such a place may've been difficult to find by car which pointed towards the virtue of trekking parts of the Hardy Way.
As soon as I saw the sign for Lower Waterston, I knew we were on the right path for Waterston Manor:
A little earlier, I'd got a closer look at Keeper's Cottage, the inspiration for Keeper Day's cottage in 'Under the Greenwood Tree', than last year:
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