Tolkien walks

Distance: 1 mile / 2 miles | Start:  Memorial Hall Great Haywood | Grid Ref: SJ 99786 22569

Did you know that the famous author JRR Tolkien, who wrote the classic books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, lived on Cannock Chase and later in Great Haywood during The Great War? He would have seen the same locations as there are today, although some have changed by the construction of military camps. He almost certainly drew some inspiration from the geography, landscape features and buildings that appeared in his early poetry and writings such as The Book of Lost Tales, and later works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

These short walks are ones that JRR Tolkien probably undertook whilst he was in the area and which walkers and Middle-earth lovers will enjoy.

Download route guide (16.02 MB)

Useful information

• Walk one (“Hundreds of Chimneys” or “Once around the block”) has a distance of 1 mile and takes approx. 1 hour
• Walk two (“The Sunday afternoon stroll”) has a distance of 2 miles or 2 1/4 miles (alternative) and takes approx. 2 hours.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Route Terrain: Well surfaced tracks, paths & canal towpaths
• Postcode for Sat Nav: ST18 0SU
• OS map: OS Explorer 244 Cannock Chase & Chasewater
• For both walks beware of the narrow entrance and please if possible park at the far end of the car park.

Walk one: Hundreds of chimneys / or once around the block

During The Great War JRR Tolkien was in the army and stayed in the officers’ quarters at the camp at Brocton. He had recently married and his wife was lodging in Great Haywood at Hazel Dene. It seems likely that on visits to see her they would have taken a walk nearby so they could be together.

Directions

1. This walk starts from the Memorial Hall in Great Haywood. This is next to the Reading Room and Library (now Great Haywood Sports and Social Club) where Tolkien would have spent time catching up on war developments in the newspapers or maybe researching material for his later books.
2. It is possible to see Rock Cottage (A – The Cottage of Lost Play), on the left, where Tolkien possibly stayed with his wife on his return from the front. On the opposite side of the road to the Reading Room there is a driveway running between the church and the school, (marked Great Haywood Cliffs). Take this Right of Way (ROW) to pass by the school football pitch on the right and then down and underneath the railway line via the tunnel. Carry on across the metal bridge spanning the canal.
3. On reaching the towpath and whilst facing the canal, turn left and walk along the towpath towards the next bridge, (canal on your right). Upon approaching the canal bridge turn left to cross the stone Essex Bridge (B – The Grey Bridge of Tavrobel), over the confluence of the Sow and Trent (Afros and Gruir) Rivers.
4. After crossing the bridge, walk on along the tarmac path and admire the views of Shugborough Hall on your right. (C- now accepted as the inspiration for Tolkien’s House of a Hundred Chimneys). Continue walking along the path either until you reach the car park and shop (where you can take a break) or turn around sooner and head back to the Essex Bridge).
5. After re-crossing the bridge continue on to cross the canal bridge immediately in front and then pass under the railway bridge to return to Great Haywood and the Memorial Hall.

Walk two: The Sunday afternoon stroll

Imagine you are JRR Tolkien and his wife Edith and it’s a Sunday afternoon. They would most likely have decided to take a stroll after lunch – providing the weather was reasonable and, if so, may well have taken this route.

Directions

1. This walk starts from the Memorial Hall in Great Haywood.
2. On the opposite side of the road there is a driveway running between the church and the school, (marked Great Haywood Cliffs). Take this Right of Way (ROW) to pass by the school football pitch on the right and then down and underneath the railway line via the tunnel. Carry on across the metal bridge spanning the canal.
3. Follow the path off the bridge and down to the canal towpath, then turn right here and proceed along the towpath with the canal to your left and the river (Trent) to your right. Follow this path along the canal until you arrive at Bridge 72.
4. Leave the canal at Bridge 72 by passing under the bridge and then walking back up the ramp on the far side to come out on the road. (Meadow Lane). Turn sharp right here to cross over the canal bridge and then under the railway bridge further on. (Take care here as the road is narrow with no pavements).
5. You are now in Little Haywood and at the end of the road is a junction with Main Road and where you should turn left to follow this road in the direction of the Red Lion PH. Passing by the public house it is now possible to walk back to Great Haywood simply by following main road back to the Memorial Hall, keeping the large estate wall on your left. This wall may have inspired Tolkien’s description of the arrival of Eriol, the wanderer, in Tavrobel in The Cottage of Lost Play. [Look out for a circle of 12 bungalows on the right called The Ring), and further on for Rock Cottage (possible inspiration for The Cottage of Lost Play).
6. You have now covered approximately two miles in the footsteps of JRR Tolkien and can have a rest in the village. However if you want to add a little more to your walk, then reach the Village Hall on the right with its Millennium Gates, turn right through the gates, walk past the hall and toilets and then follow the alternative route back (Steps 7 – 12) as shown below. Alternative route back to the Memorial Hall. (possibly muddy in parts so only try this if you have good walking boot/shoes).
7. So if you fancy a slightly more energetic return journey, then walk on along Main Road until you reach the Playing Fields with Millennium Gates. Turn in here and walk past the toilets and the play area and into the field beyond.
8. Walk to the end of the field, keeping the field boundary on your right to a metal kissing-gate in the corner. Pass through this and go over a farm track to another gate which you also pass through into a further field.
9. Upon entering this field turn sharp left and follow the field edge with the boundary on your left. Upon reaching a stile climb over it and proceed to cross a field to a gate with a stile on the left. Cross over this stile and turn sharp left to follow the field edge with the boundary hedge on your left.
10. Ahead is a wooden gate which you should pass through and then cross the field beyond to a further metal kissing gate in the hedge. Once through this the village of Great Haywood is visible slightly below you and the route is then across this field to another kissing gate behind a row of houses.
11. Pass through this gate, turning sharp right along the ROW behind the gardens to the road. This is Cliff Road. Turn right and walk along this road and around the corner to where Cliff Road joins Rock House Drive. Turn right here and pass through a narrow Right of Way into the Uplands.
12. Turn sharp left here and follow the Uplands to the next junction where the road turns to the left. Follow this down to the school railings and pass by with the school playground on the right. Once past the bars at the end of the path walk across open ground to the shops on the right. Continue past the shops, Trent Close to Main Road and then turn left to return to the Memorial Hall.