Joe Tutwiler
From the Old Forest and Beyond: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legacy as a Writer/Walker
J.R.R. Tolkien, known for his sprawling epic The Lord of the Rings, is intimately connected with walking as both a narrative device and a method of generating creativity. Tolkien’s relationship with nature is well documented in both his letters and the plethora of material he published. The legacy of his walks, both those of his childhood and those of his adult life, is seen through an abundance of walking tours based on the paths he trekked while composing stories of Middle Earth. Tolkien’s acknowledgement of the importance of walking comes most prominently in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, as the entirety of the novels are about a walking journey across all of Middle Earth. For Tolkien’s characters, walking is not only a means of transportation but more a means of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Several walking tours have arisen that track the paths Tolkien walked throughout his life. Paths appeared in a handful of locations, each claiming that Tolkien spent at least a small portion of his life traipsing the wilderness of their locales. One specific walking tour designed around Tolkien’s extensive walks blends the ideas of nature adoration, the enriching nature of walking, and Tolkien’s own words into a multi-media psychogeographical exercise. These contemporary walking spaces show Tolkien’s legacy as a walker is not just in the physical texts of his novels but a tangible, interactive entity that continues to be experienced well after the author’s passing.
One of the most prominent locations laying claim to Tolkien’s patronage is Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England. The historical school and halfway house has seen many a literary guest; authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Patrick McGrath join Tolkien’s name in the extensive guestbook of the college (“In the Footsteps”). Only one walking tour is offered at the college, however, and that walking tour honors J.R.R. Tolkien. The walk circles the campus, allowing walkers to trace the footsteps of the author himself. The college claims ownership of several iconic Middle Earth locations; they insist that Buckleberry Ferry of Hobbiton found its origins in the ferry at Hacking Hall and that the Shire drew its name from the Shirebourn River that runs through the college. If their claims are true, Tolkien’s many walks through the campus directly influenced his process of creating his fictional world.
Unlike Stonyhurst College, Moseley Bog is not an organized and dedicated walking tour that allows walkers to carefully trace the steps of Tolkien’s creative process. Instead, it is merely a collection of land that is well documented to have been a major source of inspiration for the writer. Tolkien spent his childhood wandering these tracts of land and is often cited as stating that the bog itself played a major role in the formation of Middle Earth: “I lived, for my early years, in the Shire… In a pre-mechanical age” (“Sites”). The bog features many landmarks that bear a shocking resemblance to major architectural icons of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. The bog itself resembles both the Old Forest at the edge of the Shire, but also the overall atmosphere of The Lord of the Rings. Murky, constantly gray, and always providing a sense of foreboding, Moseley Bog sets the mood for the political and personal cesspits that play a monumental role in Tolkien’s trilogy. Also appearing in the bog is Perrott’s Folly, a “lighthouse-like brick structure” that “would have been churning out sinister Mordor-like plumes of smoke from the engine room down below. Today it is dormant, but still doom-laden” (“Sites”). All of these locations and landmarks, both from Stonyhurst and from Moseley Bog, exemplify the nature of psychogeographical walking and inspiration from one’s surroundings. Tolkien spent his childhood wandering these lands and, as a result, was able to take his observations of industrialized England as well as the clam, placid lands of rural England and place them in a greater narrative of social commentary.
In the land just outside of Moseley Bog, Birmingham Repertory Theatre has created an audio-assisted walking tour that explores both Tolkien’s childhood home and the surrounding areas. Titled “Light from Shadows,” the tour has been described as “not so much a tour as an audio experience” (Chambers). The tour blends a series of audio clips with a loosely guided path through the small village and the surrounding wilderness. The combination of free roaming and music, speeches, and ambiance comes together in a medley of sensory experiences designed to place participants firmly in the land of Tolkien’s inspiration: “The audio suggests trying to imagine the smell of fresh bread from the mill and hearing footsteps on cobblestones” (Chambers). These methods of immersing oneself so entirely in the landscape, coupled with audio encouragement, allow the present day walker to simulate the walking that occurred when Tolkien himself wandered the same paths. The audio tour becomes a gateway into the past, which allows walkers to fully immerse themselves in their surroundings. The tour’s carefully constructed journey pushes walkers to find their own enjoyment of nature and to ultimately forge their own experience in the same location that Tolkien forged his own: “The audio walk also seems to heighten my appreciation of the natural sights and sounds of the area, including bird song… The sense of having been on a journey to another world is tangible” (Chambers). The timeless act of walking in nature allows walkers across several generations to take the same environment in and create entirely different experiences.
Tolkien’s walks influenced his own writing and creative process, but they also created a legacy of walkers that has lasted many years after the author’s passing. His adventures in Moseley Bog coupled with his peaceful ruminations in the yards of Stonyhurst College greatly impacted the creation of Middle Earth and, as a result, inspire walkers still to this day. The walks of Tolkien’s day have been “upgraded” to incorporate modern day technology. As a result, walkers experience a much more inwardly focused way of walking as opposed to a signposted tour through scenic locales. Without Tolkien’s explorations and his openness about his sources of inspiration, these locations and opportunities for the appreciation of nature in one’s own life would have remained in obscurity. Tolkien’s walkings opened up a large swathe of land for writers of all ages to explore and be similarly inspired.
Works Cited
Chambers, Faye. “Joining Tolkien’s Childhood Walk.” BBC News. 18 June 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
“In the Footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien.” Clitheroe Tourist Information Centre. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
“Sites That Shaped Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings.'” The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 15 Dec. 2007. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
Interesting Links:
A travel brochure laying out the walking path at Stonyhurst College.
A performance of one of Tolkien’s most famous songs about walking, “The Old Walking Song.”
UM Psychogeography 