Weathertop and the Trollshaws

Between Weathertop and the Hoarwell the travellers were making very slow progress because of Frodo’s wound – probably no more than 15-18 miles a day. When they reached the eastern side of the dry valley they were crossing (to avoid the northerly loop of the road here) they climbed a long low slope. (Flight to the Ford; Bk 1.) It must have ended up as a noticeable hill, because from the top they were able to see a long way. In fact they saw not only the Hoarwell but also, in the far distance, a second river, the Loudwater. This must have been much closer than it appears in the maps of Middle-earth which are included in the three books of The Lord of the Rings. I believe, in fact, that the Loudwater must have made a sharp westward turn before swinging south again to join the Hoarwell. As shown in the map the two would have been some 100 miles apart and the hill would have had to have been a high mountain for it to have been visible. Furthermore Aragorn says that the road runs along the Loudwater for many miles before the Ford. (Flight to the Ford; Bk 1.)

The area must have been wooded, as it is called not only the Ettenmoors but also the Trollshaws. The hills got higher and more difficult as the travellers penetrated them.

 

The Trollshaws

There must have been even more woods among the Trollshaws than I have drawn, but this one is described in the text. (Flight to the Ford; Bk 1.) The travellers climbed down the southern side of the ridge and soon found a path; they followed this through dark woods until it turned sharply left round the rocky shoulder of the hill and there they found a Troll-hole with a broken door.

The path turned to the right and went on into the woods again, and in a clearing they found the Stone Trolls. After lunch they went on for a few miles until they came out onto the road, and a short while later they were overtaken by Glorfindel.

 

To the Ford

The road had taken a northward swerve when the travellers joined it, and was clinging close to the hills. (Flight to the Ford; Bk 1.) I have assumed that this was to avoid a steepish hill and perhaps a thick wood to the south of the road between it and the river.

The stretch between the camp on the high ridge above the Troll-hole and the Ford took three days and was a long and difficult one. On the first day Glorfindel made them push on through the night and by the time they were allowed 5 hours rest they must have covered some 30 miles in all. The next day they covered almost 20 miles and slept at a point where the road turned right and started running down to the river. On the third day they went downhill and passed through a deep cutting with tall pine trees before the road ran out for 'a long flat mile' to the Ford. In all they must have done over 70 miles in the three days. (Flight to the Ford; Bk 1.)

 

Rivendell

The map of Rivendell is based on the three drawings made of it by Tolkien. The road winds up from the Ford and then down again on the south side of the ravine. The cliffs were extremely steep and the gorge narrow to the west of the house but the valley opened out as it went east. The house itself lay on the further side of the stream and was reached by a bridge. There were trees at the top of the cliffs as well as in the valley itself.

The path I have marked running east up the valley from Rivendell is the route taken by Bilbo and the Dwarves on their way to the High Pass.

Frodo and the Companions took the road almost back to the Ford before turning south across rough country. (Flight to the Ford; Bk 1; The Ring Goes South; Bk 1.)

 

The Misty Mountains

There must once have been some sort of path leading south from Rivendell along the foothills of the Misty Mountains at least as far as Eregion, since Elves dwelt there too. (The Ring Goes South; Bk 1.) Possibly it went on to join the Old North Road between Tharbad and the Gap of Rohan. (See Map 49.) The travellers came up this way on their road home from Minas Tirith when their adventures were over.

On their outward way, however, the Companions avoided this path, so as to keep out of sight. (The Ring Goes South; Bk 1.) It took them a fortnight to travel between Rivendell and Eregion – a distance of 135 miles as the crow flies – giving an average of less than 10 miles progress a day, or rather night, as they walked mainly in the late evenings. They were covering broken country in the dark, and the pony, Bill, might well have slowed them up on the steep bits, although he was useful as a load-carrier.

The mountains bent westwards as they went; more so, in my opinion, than appears in the maps of Middle-earth, especially south of the Redhorn Pass. Frodo said that they then seemed to 'stand across the path' that the Companions were taking. (The Ring Goes South; Bk 1.)

I have assumed the existence of a stream running through Eregion to join the Sirannon before it flowed on down to the Hoarwell. In the old days Eregion was a fruitful land, so I imagine there must have been water there.

The travellers struck the old path running up over Redhorn Pass and down into Dimrill Dale. This path presumably branched off the path going up the Sirannon to Moria Gate.

The three peaks here, Caradhras, Celebdil and Fanuidhol (which is just off this map to the south-west, but is shown on Map 49), were the highest in the range and there were no other passes south of this until the Gap of Rohan. (The Ring Goes South; Bk 1.)