The Charles Dickens Series is a circular walk of just under 3.5 miles starting and finishing at the end of Mill Lane near Kibworth. Parking is available adjacent to cache 1. Ebenezer Scrooge. N52 32.097, W1 01.356. The walk follows footpaths and bridleways and sections can be muddy.
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth on February 7, 1812, the son of a clerk at the Navy Pay Office. Charles was the second of eight children. His father, John Dickens, continually living beyond his means, was imprisoned for debt in 1824. 12-year-old Charles was removed from school and sent to work in a boot-blacking factory earning six shillings a week to help support the family. The family lived in Chatham in Kent until 1822. Charles began writing short stories while employed as a parliamentary reporter in London. Dickens went on to write 15 major novels and towards the end of his life he travelled throughout Britain and USA giving public readings of his work.
Following a stroke Charles Dickens died an old man of 57, worn out with work and travel, on June 9, 1870. He wished to be buried, without fanfare, in a small cemetery in Rochester, Kent, but the Nation would not allow it. He was laid to rest in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey, the flowers from thousands of mourners overflowing the open grave.
The series of caches highlights the most loved characters from his books.
Ebenezer Scrooge is the main character of A Christmas Carol. He is a selfish and miserly old man who despises Christmas. The tale of his redemption by three spirits (the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come) has become a defining tale of the Christmas holiday in the English-speaking world.