Walking in Inspirational Landscapes

The landscapes, rural life and nature of SW England have inspired many writers, poets, and painters through the centuries.

Jane Austen, who spent time living in Bath and Hampshire, was an avid walker and many of her characters like to walk, none more so than Elizabeth in Pride & Prejudice.

"They entered the woods, and bidding adieu to the river for a while, ascended some of the higher grounds, whence, in spots where the opening of the trees gave the eye power to wander, were many charming views of the valley, the opposite hills, with the long range of woods overspreading many, and occasionally part of the stream"

For Thomas Hardy, another avid walker, place was a key part of his novels with vivid descriptions of his beloved Wessex (Somerset, Dorset & Wiltshire). "There are downs in Wessex, shaped as if by a kindly hand" wrote Hardy

Alison Howell in Dorset

Poets too from John Milton and Alexander Pope to Percy Bysshe Shelley have found wandering and seclusion in the landscape a source of inspiration.

"Happy the man whose wish and care a few paternal acres bound, Content to breathe his native air, in his own ground" Alexander Pope

Dorset by John Nash

And Painters have wandered the landscapes of SW England. John Constable was a regular visitor to his good friend in Salisbury. His paintings of Salisbury Cathedral are some of his most celebrated.

Salisbury Cathedral by John Constable

The modernist John Nash (above above) had a great love for nature and painting landscapes. He toured Dorset and Bath in the 1920's and you can see some of his work in Bath's public gallery.

Explore many of these scenes and find your own inspiration in SW England on your own Foot Trails adventure