Hardy's Wessex: 'Mayor of Casterbridge' Building

Shortly after getting off the train at Dorchester, the first Hardy memorabilia I came across was this:

Was a little surprised to see that the building, commonly viewed as the model for Michael Henchard's house in 'The Mayor of Casterbridge', was now a bank.

Hardy's Wessex: Sleeping under the Stars

While walking from Thomas Hardy's childhood/young adulthood church at Stinsford towards his childhood/young adulthood village of Higher Bockhampton, it started to get dark and the 30-35 pound rucksack started to gnaw on my back. Hence, I decided to try to camp in the field above.

However, it was a chalk field so it was impossible to get the tent pegs in, and I ended up in my sleeping bag, on top of my tent, with just the flysheet covering me.  Thus, was just looking up at the stars, reflecting on how Hardy had been fascinated by astronomy, especially in one of his lesser-known novels, 'Two in a Tower', which I had read many years ago.

Dozing in this way was okay until about four in the morning when the dew started becoming heavy. Fortunately, it didn't rain so I was able to dry out my camping gear in the later morning sun, as shown in the picture above.  Fate was on my side here, rain would've been an absolute disaster.

 

Hardy's Wessex: From Dorchester to Stinsford

After a lengthy train journey from Manchester to Dorchester, I arrived at the latter early evening, and walked two miles or so, the second half of this alongside the river Frome, to reach Stinsford village church at sundown:

Where I caught my first sight of the grave where Thomas Hardy's heart is buried:

Hardy's Wessex: Dorchester Corn Exchange

Had just arrived in Dorchester after a phased train journey (stopping off at Winchester) down from Manchester when I soon found myself passing the famous Corn Exchange building:

If I remember correctly, some of the main meetings and tense exchanges between Michael Henchard and Donald Farfrae occur at the Corn Exchange in Hardy's Dorchester novel, 'The Mayor of Casterbridge'.

Bury (Lancashire): Chippy Tea in Tottington

Really enjoyed this chippy tea from the Chinese in Tottington one early Saturday evening.  It was cheese and onion pie, chips, peas, and curry, not the healthiest meal, true, but it was delicious.

Me and an old friend had walked from Brandlesholme to Greenmount, then Greenmount to Tottington.

Kerry: Camp to Castlegregory Walk

Here, me and a good old friend are setting off from Camp to Castlegregory in county Kerry, Ireland. 

It wasn't long before we came across the beautiful (Church of Ireland) church below:

Soon after, we were into the great expanse of it all, walking along the beach for a good few miles:

Really like this shot below from a mobile:

 

Really enjoyed this walk as the dark clouds never materialised into rain:

Man looked solitary and insignificant in such wonderful terrain:

Thomas Hardy Statue, Dorchester

Been away for almost a month touring round a few parts of England and Ireland, and finally got round to doing a bit of a Thomas Hardy pilgrimage in and around Dorchester, Dorset.

Had to get a few shots of the Thomas Hardy statue in Dorchester from several different angles.

For me, the greatest ever British novelist is a toss of the coin between Hardy and DH Lawrence (who, in terms of the male-female polarity theme, may be viewed as something of a continuation of Hardy's work).

Love the tragedy and malevolent fatalism in Hardy novels such as 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' (for me, one of the greatest books ever written); 'Jude the Obscure'; and 'The Mayor of Casterbrudge' (set in Dorchester, of course).