"Did these rivers, fields and woods inspire Tolkien's fantastical creation of The Shire?"
Walk directions
Begin opposite the memorial cross, walking beside the Shireburn Arms to a gate/stile below the car park. Head downfield, later slipping over a field bridge to put the stream on your left. Over a stile at the bottom, go left, crossing a couple of streams in a wooded dip. Over a rise, drop through more trees to a footbridge
Continue beside the River Ribble past an aqueduct, walking from field to field and later joining a track past Jumbles Rocks. Over a cattle grid, leave the track for the riverbank, following it around a bend past its confluence with the Calder. A track soon develops, taking you past another river junction. Walk on, now beside the Hodder, shortly reaching Winckley Hall Farm.
Winding through the yard, leave on a climbing track past Winckley Hall. At the crest, take a kissing gate on the right and bear left across the field. Beyond an intervening fence, join the right boundary over the brow of the hill. Leave at the corner, dropping through two smaller fields to the road. Turn right to the Hodder, where just downstream is Cromwell's Bridge.
Take the track left immediately before the road bridge. Winding around a bend, it rises to Hodder Place. Descending through woodland beyond, cross a stream and continue up a flight of steps. Go right at the top contouring above the river to Stonyhurst Park Cross, one of several on the estate. The ongoing path later falls to cross a succession of footbridges and exit the wood.
Abandoning the river, climb uphill to find a stile by a tree on the skyline, about 100yds (91m) left of Rydding's Farm. Follow the track left to a lane. Turn up Birdy Brow to a sharp bend.
Take the track off left, winding past cottages. Ignore a path off right and keep ahead past a farm, the track ending through a gate into a field. Walk away, accompanying the left boundary to a stile above a spring. Continue by the right hedge, watching for another stile hidden by holly. Carry on downhill beside the right boundary, leaving by Throstle Nest Cottage to follow its track to a road. Turn right, then shortly left into Stonyhurst College.
Follow the drive down, keeping ahead past the Great Hall, chapel and walled gardens. Where the track bends left by the observatory dome, leave through a gate on the right. Walk away, joining the right boundary beside a wood. Beyond a culverted stream, climb to a metal gate and keep on at the right-hand edge of two fields. Through a final gate, a path winds out onto a back street leading to the main lane. Go left past almshouses and the Bayley Arms back to the start.
You don't have to be a Tolkien fan to enjoy this walk, which has long been recognised as a logical and graceful outing. Tolkien connection Research by Jonathan Hewat (a teacher at Stonyhurst's prep school, St Mary's Hall) has uncovered the extent of the Tolkien connection. This much is certain: J... R R Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, knew this area well. One of his sons studied for the priesthood at Stonyhurst and Tolkien spent long periods here while he was writing the trilogy. The rest, though fascinating, is largely conjecture. In the hobbits' Shire there's a River Shirebourn, and the Shireburn family once owned Stonyhurst. But does that mean that Hurst Green is Hobbiton? Tolkien also drew great inspiration from the countryside of his boyhood in the West Midlands, deeply regretting its disappearance under roads and factories. Perhaps the enduringly green Ribble Valley reminded him of that lost landscape. No doubt The Shire owes something to both. If the Tolkien angle intrigues you, a locally available leaflet gives much more detail. Just after the Ribble, you pass the aqueduct, built in 1880 to supply water to Blackburn. An easy 0.75 miles (1.2km) brings you to Jumbles Rocks, outcrops of limestone which form natural weirs and a ford. The ford has been used, when the water's low, since time immemorial. Until the 1950s there was a ferry and the Boat House was the ferryman's home. In the fields near by are two mounds. The lower one was excavated in 1894 and dated to c1250 BC. The larger, though known to be artificial, has yet to be properly examined. As the Ribble swings round, the River Calder enters opposite, close to 17th-century Hacking Hall, where a ferry used to connect the footpaths on the three banks. Less than 0.75 miles (1.2km) further on is the confluence of the Ribble and the Hodder, which you follow briefly before leaving it near Winckley Hall. You'll soon return to the river at Low Hodder Bridge. Just downstream is the ancient Cromwell's Bridge – a misnomer. The bridge was built for one of the Shireburn dynasty in 1562. Legend has it that Cromwell vandalised it, destroying the parapets that impeded the progress of his troops. After continuing by the Hodder, the route makes a roundabout circuit to Stonyhurst College. The original Great Hall has been much extended, but remains a fine building commanding an impressive view along a half-mile (800m) drive flanked by two large ponds. The small astronomical observatory passed as you leave the college was part of a network, providing observations that helped the Norwegian physicist Kristian Birkeland confirm the magnetic origin of the Northern Lights.
Lancashire was at the centre of the British cotton industry in the 19th century, which lead to the urbanization of great tracts of the area. The cotton boom came and went, but the industrial profile remains.
"Did these rivers, fields and woods inspire Tolkien's fantastical creation of The Shire?"
Walk details
3hrs
Difficulty:
Medium
Gradient:
Moderate
Distance:
8 miles (12.9kms)
Ascent:
837ft (255m)
Walk directions
Begin opposite the memorial cross, walking beside the Shireburn Arms to a gate/stile below the car park. Head downfield, later slipping over a field bridge to put the stream on your left. Over a stile at the bottom, go left, crossing a couple of streams in a wooded dip. Over a rise, drop through more trees to a footbridge
1 of 7
Continue beside the River Ribble past an aqueduct, walking from field to field and later joining a track past Jumbles Rocks. Over a cattle grid, leave the track for the riverbank, following it around a bend past its confluence with the Calder. A track soon develops, taking you past another river junction. Walk on, now beside the Hodder, shortly reaching Winckley Hall Farm.
2 of 7
Winding through the yard, leave on a climbing track past Winckley Hall. At the crest, take a kissing gate on the right and bear left across the field. Beyond an intervening fence, join the right boundary over the brow of the hill. Leave at the corner, dropping through two smaller fields to the road. Turn right to the Hodder, where just downstream is Cromwell's Bridge.
3 of 7
Take the track left immediately before the road bridge. Winding around a bend, it rises to Hodder Place. Descending through woodland beyond, cross a stream and continue up a flight of steps. Go right at the top contouring above the river to Stonyhurst Park Cross, one of several on the estate. The ongoing path later falls to cross a succession of footbridges and exit the wood.
4 of 7
Abandoning the river, climb uphill to find a stile by a tree on the skyline, about 100yds (91m) left of Rydding's Farm. Follow the track left to a lane. Turn up Birdy Brow to a sharp bend.
5 of 7
Take the track off left, winding past cottages. Ignore a path off right and keep ahead past a farm, the track ending through a gate into a field. Walk away, accompanying the left boundary to a stile above a spring. Continue by the right hedge, watching for another stile hidden by holly. Carry on downhill beside the right boundary, leaving by Throstle Nest Cottage to follow its track to a road. Turn right, then shortly left into Stonyhurst College.
6 of 7
Follow the drive down, keeping ahead past the Great Hall, chapel and walled gardens. Where the track bends left by the observatory dome, leave through a gate on the right. Walk away, joining the right boundary beside a wood. Beyond a culverted stream, climb to a metal gate and keep on at the right-hand edge of two fields. Through a final gate, a path winds out onto a back street leading to the main lane. Go left past almshouses and the Bayley Arms back to the start.
You don't have to be a Tolkien fan to enjoy this walk, which has long been recognised as a logical and graceful outing. Tolkien connection Research by Jonathan Hewat (a teacher at Stonyhurst's prep school, St Mary's Hall) has uncovered the extent of the Tolkien connection. This much is certain: J... R R Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, knew this area well. One of his sons studied for the priesthood at Stonyhurst and Tolkien spent long periods here while he was writing the trilogy. The rest, though fascinating, is largely conjecture. In the hobbits' Shire there's a River Shirebourn, and the Shireburn family once owned Stonyhurst. But does that mean that Hurst Green is Hobbiton? Tolkien also drew great inspiration from the countryside of his boyhood in the West Midlands, deeply regretting its disappearance under roads and factories. Perhaps the enduringly green Ribble Valley reminded him of that lost landscape. No doubt The Shire owes something to both. If the Tolkien angle intrigues you, a locally available leaflet gives much more detail. Just after the Ribble, you pass the aqueduct, built in 1880 to supply water to Blackburn. An easy 0.75 miles (1.2km) brings you to Jumbles Rocks, outcrops of limestone which form natural weirs and a ford. The ford has been used, when the water's low, since time immemorial. Until the 1950s there was a ferry and the Boat House was the ferryman's home. In the fields near by are two mounds. The lower one was excavated in 1894 and dated to c1250 BC. The larger, though known to be artificial, has yet to be properly examined. As the Ribble swings round, the River Calder enters opposite, close to 17th-century Hacking Hall, where a ferry used to connect the footpaths on the three banks. Less than 0.75 miles (1.2km) further on is the confluence of the Ribble and the Hodder, which you follow briefly before leaving it near Winckley Hall. You'll soon return to the river at Low Hodder Bridge. Just downstream is the ancient Cromwell's Bridge – a misnomer. The bridge was built for one of the Shireburn dynasty in 1562. Legend has it that Cromwell vandalised it, destroying the parapets that impeded the progress of his troops. After continuing by the Hodder, the route makes a roundabout circuit to Stonyhurst College. The original Great Hall has been much extended, but remains a fine building commanding an impressive view along a half-mile (800m) drive flanked by two large ponds. The small astronomical observatory passed as you leave the college was part of a network, providing observations that helped the Norwegian physicist Kristian Birkeland confirm the magnetic origin of the Northern Lights.
Lancashire was at the centre of the British cotton industry in the 19th century, which lead to the urbanization of great tracts of the area. The cotton boom came and went, but the industrial profile remains.
