Hobbiton

Go to Hobbiton.

If you love the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books or movies, you should definitely go to set where Hobbiton was filmed. It’s still there, it’s now a functioning tourist attraction, and it is one of the most magical and nostalgic places I’ve ever been.

My Dad, who is a fan of the franchise to begin with, was ecstatic when it was announced that movies would be made. When they came out we saw each of them in cinema together. Naturally, during my trip to New Zealand, the country where filming took place, I snapped as many pictures as I could of each LOTR location.

Hobbiton in particular is amazing because everything is big. Naturally, it would have to be, to make sure that the actors are proportionate to their surroundings, but it was so shocking to me because it made me feel small. You are, in essence, reduced to the size of a hobbit!

You can’t go into the hobbit holes, but you can definitely wander around Hobbiton and admire the fine attention to detail that Peter Jackson put into it. Our guide noted that in the Fellowship of the Ring there are only a certain amount of hobbit holes shown, despite there being one more mentioned in the books. The guide then motioned behind a hill and said “You can’t see it in the films, but when you round that corner you’ll see the extra hobbit hole. Peter Jackson made sure it was there.”

If you’re a fan I would suggest you go for the entire day. I wasn’t able to because of the nature of the trip I was on, but had I been given the chance I would have explored and photographed every inch of Hobbiton that I could.

Bring a bottle of water and a few snacks if you like, and good walking shoes. In the rain I suspect it can get a bit muddy.

May your road go ever on and on, gentle reader, down from the door where it began. Follow if you can!