A Tolkien route: Locating the actual Middle-earth
Even though Tolkien’s stories are set in the made-up world of Middle-earth, you might be surprised to see how similar the breathtaking settings are in the books, movies, and television series.
The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, was published in the summer of 1954, 70 years ago.
Not only that, but on August 29, 2024, the second season of the legendary television series The Rings of Power debuted.
Marking another significant milestone for Tolkien’s legendarium.
The locations are stunning, ranging from idyllic, rolling hills to plummeting valleys and harsh deserts.
As befits the greatest epic fantasy series.
Furthermore, despite the fact that Tolkien’s stories are set in the made-up world of Middle-earth.
The breathtaking settings found in his writings, movies, and television shows are not as fantastical as you might think.
Seeing them brings to life not only the imagined realms that Tolkien created.
But also the landscapes themselves, since many of them are based on actual places.
The Tolkien Route : England’s lancashire
Tolkien spent some time living at the renowned Lancashire boarding school Stonyhurst College.
Where his son was a teacher, during the 1940s when he was composing The Lord of the Rings.
The woods and undulating hills of the nearby Ribble Valley are believed to have served as inspiration for the elder Tolkien as he penned the Shire.
The hobbits’ rural homeland. He was known to stroll around these areas frequently.
The Tolkien Route : England’s lancashire
Currently, enthusiasts can discover the region via the Tolkien Trail, which debuted in 2002 and leads hikers through the very settings that served as the author’s inspiration.
The tour begins in Hurst Green village at the evocative Shireburn Arms pub.
Which dates back to the 17th century and is frequented by Tolkien.
The route then meanders over gently rolling farmland for around seven easy miles.
Passing the impressive structures of Stonyhurst College and historic sites like Cromwell’s Bridge.
An overgrown packhorse bridge that was formerly utilized by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War.
While Tolkien did not specifically record the impact of locations along the route, there are a number of possible inspirations.
The path passes the aristocratic mansion Hacking Hall, where, in the days of Tolkien.
Passengers were transported across the River Ribble by the Hacking Ferry, a wooden ferry barge.
Similar hobbit transportation over the Brandywine River is provided by the.
Bucklebury Ferry (located outside the grand residence Brandy Hall) in The Fellowship of the Ring.
As the hobbits flee from a terrifying phantom horseman.
In contrast, the Shireburns were a local landowner family near Stonyhurst; Tolkien’s Middle-earth geography included the River Shirebourne with the same name.
In contrast, Tolkien’s maps show the confluence of three rivers in a manner that is precisely similar to the way the Hodder, Ribble, and Calder rivers meet here in
Lancashire: the Shirebourne, Withywindle, and Brandywine.
Furthermore, halfway up the tower is a unique feature of St. Mary’s Church in the nearby village of Newchurch-in-Pendle: an eye-shaped carving known as the Eye of God.
Which mimics the all-seeing Eye of Sauron from the films and literature The Lord of the Rings.
Cheddar Gorge, England’s somerset
While most of the real-world locations linked to Tolkien’s imagination of Middle-earth are merely educated guesses.
The author himself acknowledged one location as the real-world source of inspiration for The Lord of the Rings.
After getting married in 1916, Tolkien and Edith spent their honeymoon in the Somerset town of Clevedon.
While there, they visited Cheddar Gorge, a vertical limestone valley adorned with caverns whose walls are adorned with exquisite rock formations.
Including stalactites and stalagmites, one of Britain’s most breathtaking vistas.
Taking notes, the honeymooning author always at least partially married to his work confirmed in a private correspondence from 1971 that the Cheddar Gorge.
Caverns served as the inspiration for The Lord of the Rings’ Glittering caverns of Helm’s Deep (released in 1981 as part of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien).
You may probably recognize parts of Tolkien’s description of the Glittering Caves when you visit Gough Cave.
The most well-known of the caves in Cheddar: “columns of white and saffron and dawn-rose… fluted and twisted into dreamy forms.”
Denize Bluffs: New Zealand’s Waitomo
Denize Bluffs, a region of towering rock formations and untamed bush on New Zealand’s North Island.
Is instantly recognizable to ardent fans of The Lord of the Rings.
This terrain appears in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
The prequel film, as the Trollshaws, a hillside forest where Bilbo Baggins meets some angry trolls.
Conversely, Denize Bluffs is a section of the highland home of the hobbit characters of the TV series, the Harfoots.
Sitting on a privately owned sheep and cattle farm that has been in the same family for three generations is actually Denize Bluffs.
The current stewards, Warrick and Suzie Denize.
Are extremely proud of their involvement with the Lord of the Rings and currently oversee Hairy Feet Waitomo.
They offer tours of the property that highlight the many sites from the TV series and movies and bring them to life with stories from the showbiz world.
Reservations are required for tours. The property is located around eight miles to the west of Piopio town.
Stow-on-the-World, England; Gloucestershire
The Lord of the Rings is imbued with spirituality, despite the fact that Tolkien.
A devout man, consistently rejected the notion that the book was a Christian allegory.
Throughout his career, Tolkien was a professor at the University of Oxford.
It is well known that he frequently traveled to the Cotswolds.
A gorgeous region famed for its golden-stone villages, softly undulating hills, and incredibly stunning churches.
St. Edward’s Church, located in the market town of Stow-on-the-Wold.
Is one of those churches that has long been identified as Tolkien’s most likely inspiration.
Among the most photographed doors in the nation is its north door.
Which is made of thick, studded wood, has an oil light hanging from it.
And is topped with an arching architrave.
The two enormous, twisted, and gnarled yew trees that flank the doorway are its most outstanding feature. They were planted three centuries ago and have grown into the actual church’s structure.
Beautiful hand-drawn illustrations by Tolkien, one of which shows the Doors of Durin.
A secret opening to a mountain’s interior that houses the Dwarf city of khazaddum, were included with his books.
The long-running rumor that Tolkien took inspiration for his magical mountain doors from the north door of St. Edward’s Church is based on the fact that.
Despite being style his drawing bears striking similarities to the actual door, even down to the lamp hanging above it and the trees that bookmark the entrance.
Tenerife, Spain’s Teide National Park
In the latest series of The Rings of Power, the moon-like deserts of Tenerife play a major role as a desolate wasteland that two hobbits and the enigmatic Stranger, a wizard who has lost his memory, are traveling through.
It is understandable why the indigenous Guanche people of Tenerife with its harsh winds intense heat and dusty plains peppered with skeletal twisted trees.
Formerly thought that Teide was the entrance to the nether abode of the wicked deity Guayota.
It should come as no surprise that Teide was selected as the real-world location for the realm of Rhûn, which is a mysterious place of evil sorcery and moral depravity in Tolkien’s writings.
Trekking up Mount Teide, an active volcano that has not erupted since 1909, is a well-liked activity in the park. If you are feeling less daring, you can alternatively use the cable car.
Fiordland: New Zealand’s South Island
The entire film series of The Lord of the Rings was notably filmed in Peter Jackson’s native New Zealand.
The films make extensive use of the rivers and forests of Fiordland.
An area of green sloped, snow capped mountains that fall to glacier-carved inlets known as sounds.
It is not surprising that Jackson selected this area to symbolize some of the most untamed areas of Middle-earth.
Is it is New Zealand’s most pristine and biodiverse territory.
Scene of The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the other Fiordland locales featured in the movies.
Most people who come to Fiordland start their exploration at the lakeside town of Te Anau, which has a variety of lodging options, dining options.
And tour companies that offer boat and hiking excursions into the Fiordland National Park.
