The moor the merrier: More than 200 acres of 'magical' heathland that inspired Thomas Hardy saved

UK Daily Mail ^ | November 5, 2014 | Paul Donnelley

[C19fan]

More than 200 acres of the wild and 'magical' heathland that inspired author Thomas Hardy have been bought for the nation by the National Trust. The £650,000 acquisition of Slepe Heath, Dorset, will connect existing protected heathland areas as part of efforts to conserve the landscapes of Hardy's novels. Slepe Heath, whose windswept landscape was immortalised as fictional Egdon Heath in Hardy's Return Of The Native, is an important site for wildlife, including rare birds such as Dartford warblers, nightjars and woodlarks, the National Trust said.

[C19fan]

Really enjoyed the opening chapters of Hardy's Return of the Native especially where Eustacia Vye is introduced on the moors; romantic mystery.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

Was wondering about what England looked like 1000 years ago, and found what I think is an interesting history of England’s forests.

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/jul/27/history-of-englands-forests

[DanielRedfoot]

And now...

Number 3...

The Larch,

[Conan the Librarian]

“A Saturday afternoon in November was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast tract of unenclosed wild known as Slede Heath embrowned itself moment by moment” doesn’t have the same ring to it.

[Tax-chick]

Very scenic. I’ve enjoyed several of Hardy’s novels as an adult (but not particularly as a high school student ;-).

[Peter Libra]

Thanks for this informative post and Daily Mail link. Quite by chance I was taken to live in Dorset as a child, my father being in the County regiment. I remember the sudden fading of the light on the heath at Poundbury. Scared me and I ran fast to the barracks. Hardy wrote of this strange trick of nature on Egdon Heath.

Also it was mentioned in the novel "Far From The Madding Crowd". I tried to have my two daughters called Eustacia and Thomasin after the heroines in "The Return Of The Native". I had to settle for this being officially entered as their middle names.