Continuing on our journey, now on a country lane down to a small shire valley, we found ourselves confronted with a 10 foot tall sculpture of Gandalf, Tolkien’s wise wizard. (photo above)
The finale of the Trail for us was crossing an ancient cobblestone bridge that spans the Hodder River, named Cromwell’s Bridge. (Of interest, it’s also known as Devil’s Bridge.) Its three archways tower 30 feet over the rocky bed of the Hodder; Tolkien based Brandywine Bridge on it in Lord of The Rings.
As I picked my way over the ruined bridge, “paved” with rough, inset stones that date to the 1600’s, I imagined an army of eight thousand men -- Cromwell’s or Orcs -- making their way across in pursuit of the inhabitants of the shire and their companions.
As I stopped to take in the beautiful view of the Hodder, the valleys and the dale of the shire in the distance, I thought that Tolkien must have done the same thing decades ago.
He imbued his Hobbits with a deep love for their shire, and the satisfaction of being blessed to view Middle Earth and its beauty.
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