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In Tolkien’s Footsteps Lord of the Rings Inspired Cotswolds Tour
- 10 hours
- Moderate
- £995
Overview
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5.0 ★★★★★ (8 TripAdvisor reviews)
Follow in the Footsteps of JRR Tolkien and see the source of his inspiration while exploring the beautiful Cotswolds in this literary exploration of the quintessential English countryside.
Step into Tolkien’s world on this magical Cotswolds adventure. Explore the countryside that inspired the Shire and uncover the places that shaped Middle-earth.
Discover the “Hobbit Door” in a traditional market town, said to echo the hidden Doors of Durin.
Walk through shadowy woodland to Broadway Tower, a folly that recalls Amon Hen, the Seat of Seeing.
In Moreton-in-Marsh, the historic Bell Inn is thought to be the model for Bree’s Prancing Pony, while the town’s stone houses mirror Tolkien’s description of Bree itself.
Nearby, beside a country lane, stands the Four Shire Stone, once marking four counties, and believed to have inspired the Three-Farthings Stone in the Shire, where Sam scattered Galadriel’s gift.
The journey ends at the haunting Rollright Stones, a collection of prehistoric monuments long linked to Barrow-downs.
Tolkien wrote “stone rings grinned out of the ground like broken teeth in the moonlight.” Here, history and fantasy meet in the heart of the Cotswolds.
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What to Expect
1. Swinbrook
Pass by
2. Stow-on-the-Wold
A quintessential Cotswolds market town, steeped in old-world charm. Here we’ll discover the curious ‘Hobbit Door’ — a hidden gem said to have inspired Tolkien’s vision of the Doors of Durin, the secret western entrance to Moria.
45 mins
3. Broadway Tower
Walk through a shadowy, mysterious woodland to Broadway Tower, an 18th-century folly rising dramatically above the Cotswold hills. Did this striking landmark inspire Tolkien’s vision of Amon Hen, the ‘Seat of Seeing’? Standing here, with sweeping views in every direction, it’s easy to imagine how such a place could have stirred his imagination.
90 mins
4. Moreton-in-Marsh
In the heart of Moreton-in-Marsh, a traditional Cotswold market town with a history stretching back to the Saxons, stands the historic Bell Inn. Once a bustling coaching inn on the old London–Worcester road, it was here that Tolkien often met with his brother. Many believe this welcoming hostelry inspired the Prancing Pony, the famous inn at Bree in Middle-earth. Step inside for a drink at Tolkien’s old haunt and you’ll find a vast map of Middle-earth celebrating its literary connection. Beyond the inn itself, Moreton bears more than a passing resemblance to Bree: Tolkien described the village as having ‘some hundred stone houses of the Big Folk’ — a picture that perfectly matches Moreton’s stone-built cottages clustered around its broad market square.
40 mins
5. Great Wolford
Alongside a leafy country lane stands the Four Shire Stone, an 18th-century marker that once signified the meeting point of four counties — Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. For centuries, it served as a waymarker for travellers moving through the Cotswolds. Many Lord of the Rings enthusiasts believe it inspired the Three-Farthings Stone in the Shire — the symbolic centre of hobbit country. In Tolkien’s tale, it is here that Samwise Gamgee scatters the dust of Lothlórien, Galadriel’s gift, to restore a Shire left scarred by Sharkey and his men. Standing beside this weathered stone, it’s easy to imagine Tolkien blending real English landmarks with the deep history and myth that shaped Middle-earth.
10 mins
6. Rollright Stones
This mysterious collection of prehistoric monuments is believed to have inspired Tolkien’s eerie Barrow-downs, the haunted resting place of the Dúnedain. As you wander among the ancient, weather-worn stones, it’s easy to imagine Barrow-wights stirring in the shadows. In Tolkien’s words, “stone rings grinned out of the ground like broken teeth in the moonlight.” This haunting image perfectly fits the Rollright Stones.
60 mins
- 10 hours
- Moderate
- £995