Brandywine Bridge to Bree

JOURNEYS OF FRODO

An Atlas of J.R.R. Tolkien’s

The Lord of the Rings

 

Foreword

When I first read The Lord of the Rings I wished I had a complete set of maps covering the journeys of Frodo and his companions. Each time I reread the books I felt the same way, and finally I decided to compile such an atlas myself.

This is, of course, based on the very clear and detailed descriptions to be found in the text of The Lord of the Rings. I have also consulted The Hobbit, Unfinished Tales and Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien, in addition to the maps in the books themselves/ At times, however, I believe that the latter differ from the text or from each other in matters of spelling, distances and relationships, and in these cases I have tried to follow the written information.

The fifty maps and the Frontispiece are drawn to different scales varying from ¼ mile to the inch to 100 miles to the inch. Tolkien used feet and miles, not metric measurements, and therefore so have I. The numbers round the edges of the maps represent the distance in miles north/south and west/east of Hobbiton Hill, which is used as the 0, or 'Greenwich' point in each case. Contour lines, drawn in red, are 50, 100 or 200 feet apart according to the scale. Here and there I have added geographical details such as tributary streams, contour indications or path and villages, which are for the most part implied but not specifically mentioned in the text. These do not, I trust, contradict, but only support existing evidence, and are, of course, not given names.

The evidence is – as one might expect – splendidly consistent. I have found only one or two difficult points which I have dealt with in the notes to the relevant maps.

I have tried to use all the topographical logic I can summon to make the maps complete, consistent at all scales and self-explanatory, but I am not a cartographer and I have deliberately not tried to work on the basis of projections, but drawn everything as though the earth were still flat and not spherical. We know, however, from The Silmarillion that after the Change of the World it was, in fact, spherical. No doubt this is unscientific of me, but I can only hope that the majority of those who read and enjoy the books will not worry unduly and that the minority who are experts will forgive me.

The route is marked in red, or red and black where it runs along an existing path or road. I have marked the places where the travellers slept wherever possible, and given each day’s journey its date by the Hobbit calendar, using the English names for the months. Major events are also marked. I have given references only to the chapter title and Book, as page numbers are different in the various hardback and paperback editions of both the British and American publishers and, therefore, page references would be confusing. For clarity, Book 1 refers to The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 2 to The Two Towers and Book 3 to The Return of the King.

I have also added symbols showing the phases of the moon. The evidence for this is based on the Full Moon noted on 8th January, the night the travellers reached Hollin (Book 1, The Ring Goes South), also confirmed by Sam on the Anduin (Book 1, The Great River). The next firm point is the New Moon which occurs on their seventh day on the River (i.e. 22nd February), while they see 'a thin crescent' the next night (Book 1, The Great River) when they are attacked by Orcs.

The next Full Moon is seen by Frodo and Sam at Henneth Annûn on 7th March. There is a slight difficulty here, as Éomer states on 6th March that the Riders would reach Dunharrow in three days, and that night (i.e. 9th March) the moon would be one day past full, thus putting the Full Moon on 8th not 7th.

The next Full Moon after this (6th April?) tallies with 'the round moon' seen at the Field of Cormallen on 8th April. Working backwards from these point and allowing a 29½ day cicle, on the assumption that all was the same (or very nearly) as it is today, it is possible to establish all the other phases.

It should perhaps be noted that the 'Young moon' Frodo saw, when in Tom Bombadil’s house he dreamt of Gandalf’s escape from Orthanc, must have been the moon actually shining as he slept, a brand new crescent, and not the one Gandalf would have seen. This would have been half full and waning that night (18th September, see Book 3, Appendix B).

 

Hobbiton to Brandywine Bridge

This map is, of course, based on the very clear and detailed map, A Part of the Shire, which appears in The Fellowship of the Ring.

I have put Hobbiton and Bywater closer together (the Book map sets them about 4 miles apart) as in The Hobbit it is noted that from Hobbiton to Bywater was 'a whole mile or more' (Roast Mutton; The Hobbit). Bilbo did the run in 10 minutes, so if it had been four miles he would have achieved a remarkable world record – particularly in view of his short legs.

I have spelt Waymeet as it is spelt in the text (The Scouring of the Shire; Bk 3), not Waymoot, as in the map.

Frogmorton was 22 miles from the Bridge and 18 miles from Bywater, and the Three-Farthing Stone was some 4 miles east of Bywater. (The Scouring of the Shire; Bk 3.)

I have marked Causeway banks for both the roads leading into Stock. I imagine that Stock was built on a small rise above the marsh, like the city of Ely in the Cambridgeshire marshes of East Anglian England, or it would have been an unhealthy place for a village. Details of the route will be seen in Maps 3 to 5.

 

Hobbiton to Bywater

The map of the Hill is based on the picture in The Hobbit, which shows clearly that the road from Hobbiton to Overhill runs west of the Hill, not east, as drawn in the map A Part of the Shire in The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Gamgees lived in No 3 Bagshot Row. I imagine that the numbering would start in the east, where the Row branched off the through road.

When Bilbo overslept and had to run all the way from Bag End to Bywater, it is said that he went past the Mill and over the Water to the Inn, which we know was The Green Dragon and the last house on the Hobbiton side of Bywater. (The Scouring of the Shire; Bk 3.) It seems to me, however, that he would have done better to have taken a short cut across the fields. There must have been a bridge of some sort over the Water at the west end of Bywater Pool to give access to the Smials along the north shore. (The Scouring of the Shire; Bk 3.)

The map shows the avenue of trees along the road by the edge of the Pool which were cut down by the Chief's men (The Scouring of the Shire; Bk 3) and also the Old Grange (which must have been the large house west of the road in the picture) and Sandyman's Mill.

 

Green Hill Country

The travellers had supper under some birches after walking 'for about three hours' (Three is Company; Bk 1); say 8 or 9 miles. This must have been three hours in all, not just since crossing the Water, as they reached their first camping place at 'nearly midnight' and had started out soon after sunset, around 7 p.m. at that time of year. One has reason to suppose that the seasons, and therefore the times of sunrise and sunset, were approximately the same in the Shire as those now applicable in England.

I reckon that they did not travel more than about 14 or 15 miles that first evening.

There was 'a patch of fir-wood' just beyond the top of the hill after they had passed through 'a deeply cloven track between tall trees'. The stream dived under the road at the bottom of the hollow.

They started after ten o'clock next morning and after 'some miles' – perhaps 7 or 8 – they came to a steeper hill with a view ahead, where they lunched. (Three is Company; Bk 1.)

 

Woody End

The travellers started late after lunch and were delayed when they had to hide from the Black Rider on a long straight level stretch of road. It was dusk when they stopped for supper – say 6 miles from the lunch halt – and perhaps another 2 miles before they met the Elves, when they still had, as the Elves told them, 'some miles to go' before they reached the greensward where they spent the night. So it was a much longer and more strenuous day for them, more than 20 miles in all, I reckon, but at least they managed to fit in two suppers – always a welcome treat for Hobbits.

The greensward was on the edge of a steep bluff overlooking the Stockbrook.

 

Maggot’s Farm

Frodo decided to cut across country to the Ferry, which at that point was 18 miles south-east in a straight line through open country after passing through a belt of trees. I make it more nearly east-south-east, in fact, but in any case it must have been south of due east. If they had succeeded in keeping to their line they would certainly have run into difficulties in the marsh, as Pippin warned Frodo.

They lost their way, however, and no doubt started walking in a circle in the woods, as one does when one is lost, so that they came out of the wood much too far south. By now I reckon they had travelled some 8 or 9 miles – 2 of them after the lunch halt. (A Short Cut to Mushrooms; Bk 1.) At this point the Ferry was 'to their left'. Time was getting on and they would have made as straight as possible for the Ferry, bearing somewhat left, until they struck the lane leading to Maggot’s farm.

If the Causeway ran due south here, parallel to the river, as it appears to do in the map of the Shire in The Fellowship of the Ring, we have a problem. We are told that the lane from Maggot’s farm to the road was 'a mile or two' and from the point where it joined the Causeway to the Ferry 'somewhat over 5 miles'. We also know that the lane to the Ferry was only 100 yards long, though the Shire map makes it nearer 2 miles. Consequently, if the Causeway ran due south at this point Maggot’s farm would have had to be much too far east to have been anywhere near the Hobbits’ route, and I do not think they would have gone far out of their direct way – particularly to the south – and especially as they were nervous of trespassing.

I have therefore assumed that there must have been a considerable westward swing in the Causeway – perhaps to bring it to the 'island' on which I have assumed Rushey to have been built. (A Short Cut to Mushrooms; Bk 1.)

 

Brandywine Bridge to Bree

Part of the ground covered is to be found in the map, A Part of the Shire, but I depart from this on the course of the Causeway road between Bucklebury Ferry and Rushey. My reasons for the change were given in the Note to Map 5.

There is another point, namely the distance from Brandywine Bridge to the Ferry. When the Black Rider reached the Ferry, Merry says that to get to them he would either have to swim the river or go 20 miles north to the Bridge. (A Conspiracy Unmasked; Bk 1.) I have assumed that he meant 20 miles in all – 10 miles north to the Bridge and 10 miles south on the other side. To assume that the Ferry was 20 miles south of the Bridge won't work, as then the Hedge, which is said to be 'well over 20 miles from end to end', would have had to be more like 40 or 50 miles long if it was to end at the confluence of the river Withywindle, as stated. (A Conspiracy Unmasked; Bk 1.)

I have put Rushey, like Stock, on an 'island' in the Marsh. I have also marked the avenue of trees along the East Road between the Bridge and Bree, and the hedge which misled the travellers when they saw it from the Barrow-downs. (Fog on the Barrow-downs; Bk 1.)

The Greenway bent a little east at the point where it goes off the map, and entered the defile of Andrath, between the Barrow-downs and the South Downs. (The Hunt for the Ring; Unfinished Tales.)

Details of the route can be seen in Map 5 and Maps 7 to 9.