Explore Hardy's Cottage and its Surroundings

Cycloan - Dorset Bike Hire (2.1 miles)
www.cycloan.co.uk

The Zorb South UK Ltd (1.1 miles)
Strap yourself into a giant inflated plastic ball and then plummet down a hill. Yes, really.
www.zorbsouth.co.uk

Athelhampton House and Gardens (3.0 miles)
An impressive 15th Century manor house with famous gardens and incredible interiors.
www.athelhampton.co.uk

Hardy's Cottage (.0 miles)
A classic cottage with real romance; close your eyes and imagine the characters of Far from the Madding Crowd coming to life here.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Kingston Maurward Gardens (1.0 miles)
Formal gardens in the ‘Arts and Crafts’ style of the Edwardian era, plus an animal park.
www.kmc.ac.uk/gardens

The Tutankhamun Exhibition (2.3 miles)
The story of this Egyptian king is as fascinating as ever.
www.tutankhamun-exhibition.co.uk

The Dinosaur Museum (2.2 miles)
An enduring favourite with kids everywhere.
www.thedinosaurmuseum.com

The Dorset County Museum (2.3 miles)
Recounting the rich social, geological and archaeological history of the county. Kids will love the Jurassic Coast exhibition.
www.dorsetcountymuseum.org

Plaza Cinema (2.4 miles)
www.reeltime-cinemas.co.uk

Yalbury Cottage (.9 miles)
Classic English dishes cooked to perfection.
www.yalburycottage.com

The Saxon Arms (4.8 miles)
Thatched village pub with good selection of beers and excellent menu for lunchtime and evening meals.

Dorchester (2.5 miles)
Dorset’s county town has more than its fair share of heritage. A stroll through the centre reveals Roman, medieval, Tudor and Georgian buildings jostling for space; Dorchester has numerous museums to help you make sense of all this history. The town’s most famous former inhabitant is novelist Thomas Hardy, who set his famous story ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ in Dorchester. His home, a gorgeous thatched cottage with lovely gardens, now belongs to the National Trust and is open to the public.

Tolpuddle (4.3 miles)
Between Dorchester and Poole, deep in Dorset’s hilly countryside, Tolpuddle is a picture postcard village of thatched cottages, leafy lanes and a pretty church. The village is famous for its Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of agricultural workers who attempted to form the first ever trade union but whose efforts resulted in their deportation to Australia as criminals. A museum in the village now tells the tale through a series of fascinating exhibits.