Mass trespass to highlight loss of public access in Hardy country

Heaven only knows what Thomas Hardy would have made of it. Today, protesters are set to arrive at the Bridehead Estate in Dorset, hop across a low stone wall and take part in a "peaceful trespass".

- Steven Morris

Their intent is to express anger and sadness at the loss of access to a spot in the sort of landscape Hardy wrote about.

They will picnic near a lake, listen to songs and some will join a writing workshop, all while drawing attention to the closure of a permissive path that local people and visitors have used for generations.

The estate in the village of Littlebredy, which includes a manor house, thatched cottages and a lake, was sold last year by the family that had lived there for more than two centuries to Oxfordshire-based Belport, a company that specialises in acquiring and managing rural property.