Middle-Earth Tours

Tour 2: The Places of Middle-Earth

The Shire at Large
Forty leagues it stretched from the Fox Downs to the Brandywine Bridge, and fifty from the western moors to the marshes in the south. The Hobbits named it the Shire, as the region of the authority of their Thain, and a district of well-ordered business; and there in that pleasant corner of the world they plied their well-ordered business of living, and they heeded less and less the world outside where dark things moved, until they came to think that peace and plenty were the rule in Middle-Earth and the right of all sensible folk.... --FotR, Prologue, "Concerning Hobbits"
Green Hill Country, by Ted Nasmith

Last Sight of Hobbiton,
by Ted Nasmith		 They were now in Tookland. As they began to climb its first slopes they looked back and saw the lamps of Hobbiton far off twinkling in the gentle valley of the Water. Soon it disappeared in the folds of the darkened land, and was followed by Bywater beside its grey pool. When the light of the last farm was far behind, peeping among the trees, Frodo turned and waved a hand in farewell.
    'I wonder if I shall ever look down into that valley again,' he said quietly. --FotR, "Three Is Company"

Round the corner came a black horse, no hobbit-pony but a full-sized horse; and on it sat a large man, who seemed to crouch in the saddle, wrapped in a great black cloak and hood, so that only his boots in the high stirrups showed below; his face was shadowed and invisible.
     When it reached the tree and was level with Frodo the horse stopped. The riding figure sat quite still with its head bowed, as if listening. From inside the hood came a noise of someone sniffing to catch an elusive scent; the head turned from side to side of the road.
     A sudden unreasoning fear of discovery laid hold of Frodo, and he thought of his Ring. He hardly dared to breathe, and yet the desire to get it out of his pocket became so strong that he began slowly to move his hand. --FotR, "Three Is Company"

image from the Cannes film book
on the official movie site
from the second commercial on
the official movie site
The Black Rider, by John Howe
There should really only be two hobbits in these pictures, because Frodo was on the opposite side of the road at this point in the story, and Merry was still in Buckland! Blame John Howe, who painted the image on the right and who was a concept designer on the movies. But don't blame him too much; they're still great pics.


Woody End, by Alan Lee		 The hobbits sat in shadow by the wayside. Before long the Elves came down the lane toward the valley. They passed slowly, and the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes. They bore no lights, yet as they walked a shimmer, like the light of the moon above the rim of the hills before it rises, seemed to fall about their feet. They were now silent, and as the last Elf passed he turned and looked toward the hobbits and laughed.
    'Hail, Frodo!' he cried. 'You are abroad late.' --FotR, "Three is Company"

image from the FotR DVD, via theonering.net
Black Rider At Buckleberry Ferry
(a widely reproduced image)
After riding for about an hour, slowly and without talking, they saw the Hedge looming suddenly ahead. It was tall and netted over with silver cobwebs.
     'How are you going to get through this?' asked Fredegar.
     'Follow me!' said Merry, 'and you will see.' He turned to the left along the Hedge, and soon they came to a point where it bent inwards, running along the lip of a hollow. A cutting had been made, at some distance from the Hedge, and went sloping gently down into the ground. It had walls of brick at the sides, which rose steadily, until suddenly they arched over and formed a tunnel that dived deep under the Hedge and came out in the hollow on the other side.....
     It was dark and damp. At the far end it was closed by a gate of thick-set iron bars. Merry got down and unlocked the gate, and when they had all passed through he pushed it to again. It shut with a clang, and the lock clicked. The sound was ominous.
     'There!' said Merry. 'You have left the Shire, and are now outside, and on the edge of the Old Forest.' --FotR, "The Old Forest"

Crickhollow, by Ted Nasmith
Leaving the Shire, by Ted Nasmith		 As I've said in several other places, I really don't like Ted Nasmith's depiction of hobbits (although I love his depictions of the Pelennor fields and Mount Doom). Still, he's the only artist I've found so far who's painted the High Hedge -- or, for that matter, Fatty Bolger (See him in back, against the treeline?) -- which makes this a worthwile picture to include on my tour.
Full-size versions of these pictures are on display at Rolozo Tolkien, the official LotR movie site, and theonering.net.