Photo Comparison: Sights in The Shire

No matter how many times I leave, no matter how bad the day, every time I come back to The Shire I feel like I never left; my mood lifts. Maybe it’s the music, maybe it’s the scenery, and maybe it’s just the happy hobbits bustling to and fro, going on about pies and all sorts of gossip.

There are a lot of things to see in the Shire. It’s a vibrant place. It’s hard to capture it’s essence in one simply photo comparison. So here is just a slice of the sights to behold in the land of hobbits.

Bridges

There are all kinds of bridges, made wood, made of varying types of stone, sculpted this way and that. Still, the bridges that are my absolute favorite are the simple stone ones, crossing small streams and blending seamlessly into the environment.

Bertha Brock Park, Ionia, MI (afternoon)

Bindbole Wood, The Shire (morning)

Water Wheel

Water wheels are all about taking something as simple as flowing water and using it generate power for some other purpose, whether it is powering a machine to mill flour or grind wood into pulp. With rivers and streams throughout the land, The Shire home to a few.

Michigan Renaissance Festival, Holly, MI (afternoon)

Budgeford, The Shire (dusk)

Michigan Renaissance Festival, Holly, MI (afternoon)

Hobbiton-Bywater, The Shire (afternoon)

Signs

Without signs to show the way, adventurers could become very lost. In a community such as The Shire it is important to prominently display all sorts of signs, such as those for the local Inn. Thirst and hunger can come upon a hobbit very quickly.

Michigan Renaissance Festival, Holly, MI (afternoon)

Green Dragon Inn, Bywater, The Shire (afternoon)