Hardy & Wellingtons

A Personal Guided Walk – with Poetry in

Thomas Hardy’s Boscastle

Thomas Hardy met his future wife, Emma Lavinia Gifford, at the Rectory of St Juliot’s (at the head of the Valency Valley, in Boscastle, Cornwall) when he was commissioned to restore the ancient church. His courtship is captured in the semi-autobiographical novel, A Pair of Blue Eyes, as well as many of his poetical works and journals.

Hardy & Wellingtons is a guided tour, led by actress/storyteller, Jill Lamède, who performs extracts from Hardy’s writings in the very spots that they describe.

The tour starts at St Juliot’s Church, includes a visit to the Rectory, and makes its way in a gentle downhill stroll along the length of the beautiful Valency Valley. The walk ends in the welcoming warmth of the bar at The Wellington, Boscastle, lit by the very lamps that Thomas Hardy originally installed in the church.

If you are coming to Cornwall, a personal Hardy & Wellingtons walk can usually be arranged, even at short notice, to suit your timetable and the weather.

The entire walk takes approximately 2½ hours, with many stops for poetry and gazing at the view. It is not strenuous, but may be muddy.

Just contact Jill Lamède

The cost is £6.50 per head for groups of four or more

(There is a minimum charge of £25 for small groups of less than four people)

The tour is not suitable for very small children or restless youngsters with no interest in poetry.

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