The Puddles

This driving Trail takes you to four of the Puddles; probably the best known of the four is Tolpuddle, famous for the Tolpuddle Martyrs. It was beneath a great sycamore tree at Tolpuddle that Trade Unionism in England had its beginnings. Lawrence of Arabia made his last home in Dorset when he settled at Clouds Hill in 1935, situated on the southern edge of the parish of Briantspuddle. Unfortunately his passion for riding fast motorcycles cost him his life only a few months after he moved in. His house is now run by the National Trust. The timeless village of Affpuddle lies to the south of the river Piddle, and is only a stones throw away from Briantspuddle. The church in the village dates back to 1230 and is known as one of the most beautiful of the small Dorset village churches. The church is built mainly of Portland stone.

The final Puddle village in this Murder Mystery Trail is Puddletown. Puddletown was originally known as "Piddletown", but with effect from 1 October 1929, following a request from the Post Office, it was changed officially to its present form. Despite many claims to the contrary the name change had nothing whatsoever to do with Victorian "sensibilities". The village was featured in the novel Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, where it was renamed as the village of Weatherbury. All four of the Puddle villages are beautiful, and well worth exploring, but unfortunately they are not suitable for wheelchair users. This Trail will take about 3 hours, with 1.5 miles of walking and 16 miles of driving.