Exactly at the designated time, our entourage of 14 people guided by Kelly, our peppy tour guide took off into the rolling hills on a green bus. The bus ride lasted for about 10 mins and a documentary on the making of Lord Of The Rings Movies and some interviews with the director and the farm owner were played on the entertainment system on the bus. Our tour guide also shared with us some trivia about the making of the movie and the actors. The bus dropped us off at a clearing from where started a well-trodden path, the one leading us into the Hobbit Village. So, that was where our actual tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set began.

The weather played its tricks on us as we walked into the Hobbit village. Drizzling for a moment and sending a gust of wind the other and occasionally letting the warm rays of the sun caress us for a tiny interval. Fortunately, the farm shed at the entrance of the village had many umbrellas enough for everyone on the tour. Equipped with umbrellas and covered in rain jackets, we set out into the manmade wonderland in Middle Earth. What caught our attention as we entered the village were the colorful circular doors embedded in the slopes of sprawling green hills. Flowers of brilliant colors like lilies, roses, tulips, and bluebells adorned the facades of each Hobbit hole.

The effort that went into maintaining the village beautiful and close to reality was quite evident. Every detail was paid attention to. Moss grew on the wooden sills of windows giving a worn look to the homes. The well-painted picket fences in front of the homes, chopped wood kept by the doors, treats and beverages kept on the garden tables- everything gave out vibes of true occupancy in the village. Clothes were hung on laundry lines in front of homes and there was smoke coming out of a few chimneys in the village. If someone with no knowledge of Tolkien’s legendarium were to be dropped into Hobbiton without notice, I m sure they would go knocking on the doors for directions only to realize later that what lies beneath the colorful doors is just a wall of brick and mortar or hard earth.

Right in the middle of the village was a small pond surrounded by many fruit trees. Cherry, apple, plum and peach trees were in their early stage of spring blossoms. Kelly, our tour guide surprised us when she told us that the pristine lake hosted an orchestra of toads and frogs when the weather was warm enough. We were told that when the LOTR was being shot, it was the duty of a team of crew members every morning to catch all the frogs in the pond to move them to another lake nearby. This was because the croaking of the frogs made it impossible for the actors to concentrate on their dialogue delivery.