Fords of Isen to Minas Tirith

This map shows the whole course of the ride of Gandalf and Pippin on Shadowfax from the Fords of Isen to Minas Tirith, passing Helm's Deep, Edoras, and the seven great beacons, Halifirien, Calenhad, Min-Rimmon, Erelas, Nardol, Eilenach and Amon Dîn. (See also Map 30.) The overall distance was around 440 miles; some 135 from the Fords to Edoras and 306 from Edoras to Minas Tirith. (Helm’s Deep; Bk 2; The Muster of Rohan; Bk 3.) Gandalf and Pippin covered the whole of this in four days, whereas the Riders of Rohan took four days and a night to cover only the 306 miles from Edoras to Minas Tirith. But then Shadowfax was unique.

This map also shows the relationship between the point where the Entwash flows out of Fangorn and the junction of the Limlight and the Anduin, on roughly the same level. (The White Rider; Bk 2.)

As they started Gandalf told Pippin that it was 600 miles, as the Nazgûl flies, from Barad-dûr to Orthanc. (The Palantír; Bk 2.) If one adds together all the various distances mentioned between the two points this seems reasonable enough -30 miles from Isengard to the Fords, 440 miles from the Fords to Minas Tirith (see above), 60 miles from Minas Tirith to the Ephel Dúath (Minas Tirith; Bk 3), perhaps 30 miles through the mountains to the Morgai ridge, 40 miles from the Morgai to Orodruin (The Land of Shadow; Bk 3) and, as I estimate, some 10 miles from Orodruin to Barad-dûr (see notes on Map 48), making a total of some 610 miles. I make it, however, around 100 miles less in a straight line. (See Frontispiece map.) Perhaps Nazgûls did not fly in a straight line. Anyway Gandalf had presumably never actually flown the whole distance himself and must have been guessing.

Gandalf and Pippin’s arrival at Minas Tirith is charted on Map 39.

 

The Cliffs of Emyn Muil

This is a detailed map of the cliff in the eastern Emyn Muil down which Frodo and Sam climbed, and where they were joined by Gollum. It also shows the ravine down which Gollum guided them to the marshes.

This stretch is rather hard to follow, or at least I found it so, and I hope this map will help readers to envisage the route more clearly.

The route across the Emyn Muil is shown in the following map.

 

Emyn Muil and Nindalf

This map shows Frodo and Sam’s route after they landed under Amon Lhaw from the lawn of Parth Galen. They made their way east along the southern cliffs of Emyn Muil, trying to find a way down, and were finally forced north until they were stopped by the precipice shown in the preceding map. (The Breaking of the Fellowship; Bk 1; The Taming of Sméagol; Bk 2.)

When Gollum had led them down the ravine he persuaded them to take his secret route through the marshes, and this was probably quicker (though more disagreeable) than going round to the north, although the marshes did not stretch very far that way. (The Passage of the Marshes; Bk 2.) I have shown the Mere in the Dead Marshes and also two streams running out of Emyn Muil further west, which are not specifically mentioned, to help account for the marsh.

 

The Gate of Mordor

One road went north from Morannon – presumably to Dol Guldur – and one east for fifty miles along the foothills of Ered Lithui to a point north of Barad-dûr. It had never been finished and stopped there. (Cirion and Eorl, Note 15; Unfinished Tales.)The third skirted the northern foothills of Ephel Dúath to the west and then ran straight south to the Crossroads in the vale of Morgulduin. (The Black Gate is Closed; Bk 2.)

During this part of the journey Frodo, Sam and Gollum travelled by night and slept by day. They rested on the low hill shown in the centre of the map and thence crept down into the trench-like valley between it and the foothills of the mountains, not taking to the road itself until they were round the corner and out of sight of Morannon. (The Black Gate is Closed; Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit; Bk 2.)

The map also shows Durthang and the roads leading from it, one to the southern gate of the Udûn and the other south, past the Orc camps to the Pass of Cirith Ungol. (The Land of Shadow; Bk 3.)

Gollum said that it was 100 leagues (300 miles) from where they hid to the sea. I make it a little less south-west to the mouths of the Anduin, but somewhat more if travelling due south. Gollum admitted that he had never done the journey himself. (The Black Gate is Closed; Bk 2.)

 

Ithilien and the Vale of Morgul

The trees growing along the slopes and bluffs of North Ithilien were mostly resinous: fir, cedar and cypress. (Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit; Bk 2.) The travellers were now some 500 miles south of Hobbiton, about as far as Provence is from southern England, and the climate was distinctly warmer. The Vale of Anduin here was apparently more or less on two levels: the higher, which was heavily wooded and along which the road ran, and the lower fields by the river, which were less heavily wooded and very fertile, until devastated by Sauron. (The Council of Elrond; Bk 1; Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit; Bk 2.)

It was about 100 miles from Morannon to the Crossroads. On their second day going south, after passing through a deep cutting, they turned right, off the road, and came to a small lake. Henneth Annûn, to which Faramir led them, was about 10 miles away and some 30 miles from the east bank of Anduin. It was also some 75 miles from Minas Tirith. (Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit; The Window on the West; Bk 2; The Siege of Gondor; Bk 3.)

After leaving Henneth Annûn the Hobbits followed the sheer edge of the bluff south until the forest thinned out and they looked down into the Vale of Morgulduin. (Journey to the Crossroads; Bk 2.) Thence they turned back into the forest, then east to a hogsback and finally south to the Crossroads itself.

Going east up the Morgul valley they turned left just opposite the bridge to Minas Morgul, and climbed first the Straight Stair and then the Winding Stair up to the tunnel and Cirith Ungol. (The Stairs of Cirith Ungol; Bk 2.)