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Tolkien comes to life:Hobbit & Lord of the Rings Tour

The first instalment of Peter Jackson’s trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit films is taking the world by storm. To celebrate, Classic England now has a tour of locations associated with Tolkein, visiting the sites that inspired the Middle Earth setting of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Please CONTACT US if you would like further information regarding this tour or any of our popular Movie and Literature tours.



The Middle Earth Tour itinerary includes the following sites, situated in the heart of England:

  • Oxford Universty’s Exeter College, the 14th Century school of learning where Tolkien studied in 1911.

  • The Eagle and Child pub where the Inklings regularly met, plus other drinking holes of Tolkien including The Mitre, The King’s Arms and The White Horse.

  • The Radcliffe Camera – the reading room of the Bodlean Library in Oxford was Sauron’s Temple to Morgoth in the Silmarillion.

  • The Church of St Edward in Stow-on-the-Wold in the beautiful Cotswolds – here Tolkien conceived the idea for the gates of Moria from a pair of tree trunks which arch majestically over one of the church doors.

  • The Malvern Hills – the inspiration for the White Mountains, marking the border between Rohan and Gondor, where the Dead Men of Dunharrow lived as Wraiths beneath the dramatic volcanic peaks.

  • Camp Hill in Gloucestershire – Tolkien visited an archaeological dig here wherea Roman Temple overlooks the Severn Estuary. The hill is covered in holes that local folklore says were the homes of a race of small people. The holes are about 4 feet across with entrances framed by stone posts and look very much like Hobbit holes.

  • Warwickshire – The Shire from Tolkien’s childhood. He lived in Sarehole, on the outskirts of the great city of Birmingham and it is here that you see Sarehole Mill, used in the books as the Hobbiton Mill and Moseley Bog, the inspiration for the Old Forest on the borders of the Shire.

  • Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is Britain’s Oldest pub, by Nottingham Castle, and was Tolkein’s favourite.

  • The Ribble Valley – Here Tolkien stayed at Stonyhurst College where his son was studying for the priesthood. He based Tom Bombadil’s House in the Old Forest on the visitor’s lodge here and the convergence of the three rivers here, the Hodder, Ribble and Calder, map exactly on to that of the Shire’s Brandywine, Withywindle and Shirebourn.

  • Hacking Hall- this is a Jacobean house and was used as Brandy Hall in Buckland. When Tolkien visited, there was a ferry across the river here as there was in Lord of the Rings.

  • Brill in Buckinghamshire – this is the village of Bree where Hobbits meet humans.

  • The White Horse at Uffington – a prehistoric horse carved into the chalk hills of the Berkshire Downs is the symbol of Rohan and along the Ridgeway Path here you find Wayland’s Smithy, a fine example of a pre-Celtic burial mound. This wonderful site is surrounded by a ring of beech trees and is an atmospheric location.


    • Classic England’s Middle Earth Tour can be adapted to meet your requirements, staying in a choice of accommodation ranging from quaint bed and breakfasts to luxury spa hotels and castles. As with all out tours it can be completely tailored to your specific location preferences and can come with an expert tour guide.

    Whatever part of Middle Earth you want to explore you tour can take it in.

    Write to us at INFO@CLASSIC-ENGLAND.COM or FILL OUT OUR CONTACT FORM for the full details on this grand tour of a piece of English literary history.
    Make an enquiry about this tour

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