Tolkien Walk

In Lancenshire, the county I was staying in, is a place where J.R.R. Tolkien lived for a time. Stonyhurst Collage is located inland from Blackpool right on the border of the Forest of Bowland national park. This college is where Tolkien's son attended and he himself spent much time staying there in a guest house while working on the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. The natural landscape around Stonyhurst Collage is beautiful and many have speculated that this scenery may have helped to inspire and shape the world of Middle Earth. The most direct example is seen in the feature image of Shire Lane, a street that would have been around back in Tolkien's day.

When the co-living host found out I was a fan of Middle Earth he told me about this walk and we planned to go on the last Saturday that I was in England. I was really excited to walk where Tolkien walked and to experience more of the English countryside. We went on the 23rd of March, the weather held out for most of the walk, but we did get rained on about three quarters of the way through.

We first stopped at Shire Lane to get a picture with the sign but this isn't where the walk started. From here we drove a further five minutes or so to the village of Hurst Green.

We first walked through some fields filled with sheep. This area definitely gave me some Shire vibes.

We passed this forest that looked really wild and dense. I imagined this could be the Old Forest in Middle Earth, located next to The Shire where it was said the trees spoke to each other and the hobbits only survived with the help of Tom Bombadil.

Next we came to Stonyhurst Collage, where Tolkien would have stayed in a guest house somewhere. We had to divert of the main trail to take a look at the collage buildings, following the road pictured above.

Here are some pictures of the main building with a large rectangular pond situated right out the front. This collage is a typical example of a British boarding school. I could see elements that I recognised from many works of fiction that drew inspiration from these type of schools, such as Hogwarts in Harry Potter.

I think this might have been the guest house where Tolkien stayed. I couldn't find a definitive answer online about exactly which house he lived in but one source indicated it could have been this place. If not, he would have definitely been somewhere on the grounds nearby.

We passed a field with a good view of Pendle Hill situated on the horizon. I recognised the hill as I had been considering doing a walk there before deciding to go to the Lake District instead.

We walked through a forested area and into a little valley. So much of the scenery was covered in moss and I imagined this as a place where one could meet an elf. In fact, this place reminds me of a scene from the Lord of the Rings where Frodo and Sam encounter a group of elves in the forest as they were leaving Middle Earth.

I was really happy with how this image turned out. With the film simulation on my camera the vibrant greens of leaves and moss stand out brilliantly in this photo.

We crossed this bridge that looks like it might have been there for a very long time. I could see Gandalf crossing this bridge with his cart full of fireworks.

The path wound its way next to this old wall that I found particularly appealing. I loved how it was tinted with green all along its length.

We passed a little pond with daffodils on the side. This pond was part of a larger complex of farm buildings. It was also at this time that the rain became heavier hampering my ability to take photographs.

We walked passed this tree that looked like it could have been the tree on top of Bag End, the home of Bilbo Baggins.

For the final third of the hike we walked along this river. We had the worst weather for this part of the hike, with near constant rain, but I don't think any of us minded too much. Walking by the river was peaceful and I had the opportunity to chat with my companions.

As we walked we saw this optical illusion where it looked like there was a pointless bridge situated in the middle of a field. The bridge does cross the river, but from this angle the river was hidden.

Close up of the bridge once we walked passed it.

After following the river, we only had a short walk up the hill and back to Hurst Green where we had started the walk.

I apologise if I made a bit too many references to Middle Earth in this post. I couldn't help making the comparisons and more than that, I think that a good author does draw inspiration from the world around them. So for me, I enjoyed seeing some of the scenery that may well have inspired Tolkien to imagine a fantastical world that many of us, including myself, have fallen in love with.

The local cafe in Hurst Green had a map of Middle Earth on the wall! I also did like that there is an official Tolkien Trail, with some nice signs, though not in all the sections.

Thanks for reading – Edward

Written 31st of March 2024