Last updated: August 6, 2007
Middle-earth Distances Table
Made by Ardamir
Distances in Middle-earth taken from Tolkien’s texts rather than from maps
Approx. Along Starting point Destination distance in roads? miles Bree-land and surroundings 1 Bree Brandywine Bridge yes 50 2 Bree Osgiliath yes 1176 3 Bree Rivendell yes 348 4 Bree Eastgate Last Inn (Forsaken Inn) yes 20 5 Bree Eastgate Weathertop yes 100 Last Inn (Forsaken Inn) Bree Eastgate yes 20 6 Last Inn (Forsaken Inn) Weathertop yes 80
Gondor Osgiliath Bree yes 1176 no 7 Osgiliath Rivendell at least 924 (mostly) 8 Osgiliath Rivendell yes 1523
Rhudaur Last Bridge (Bridge of 9 Ford of Bruinen yes 80 Mitheithel) point along the East Road 10 Ford of Bruinen yes 60 where trolls were (III 2941-) 11 Ford of Bruinen Rivendell, entrance to yes 22 point along the East Road high bank above the East 12 where there were trolls (III yes “a few” Road, top of 2941-) Last Bridge (Bridge of Ford of Bruinen yes 80 Mitheithel) Last Bridge (Bridge of narrow ravine to the North of 13 no 1 Mitheithel) the East Road point along the East Road Last Bridge (Bridge of 14 where there were trolls (III yes 20 Mitheithel) 2941-) Last Bridge (Bridge of 15 Weathertop yes 110 Mitheithel) Last Bridge (Bridge of 16 Weathertop, eastern side of yes 109 Mitheithel) Approx. Along Starting point Destination distance in roads? miles Rhudaur Last Bridge (Bridge of 17 Weathertop, western side of yes 111 Mitheithel) narrow ravine to the north Last Bridge (Bridge of no 1 of the East Road Mitheithel) point along the East Road where there were trolls (III Ford of Bruinen yes 60 2941-) point along the East Road high bank above the East where there were trolls (III yes “a few” Road, top of 2941-) point along the Road Last Bridge (Bridge of where there were trolls (III yes 20 Mitheithel) 2941-) Weathertop Last Inn (Forsaken Inn) yes 80 Weathertop Bree Eastgate yes 100 Last Bridge (Bridge of Weathertop yes 110 Mitheithel) Weathertop, eastern side Last Bridge (Bridge of yes 109 of Mitheithel) Weathertop, western side Last Bridge (Bridge of yes 111 of Mitheithel)
Rivendell Rivendell Bree yes 348 18 Rivendell Cave of Goblins yes > 100 no Rivendell Osgiliath at least 924 (mostly) Rivendell Osgiliath yes 1523 19 Rivendell, entrance to Bywater yes 412 Rivendell, entrance to Ford of Bruinen yes 22
Rhovanion Cave of Goblins Rivendell yes > 100 20 Enchanted River Forest Gate yes 150 21 Enchanted River Thranduil’s Halls yes 150 Forest Gate Enchanted River yes 150 22 Mirkwood, edge of Thranduil’s Halls no ”some” Thranduil’s Halls Enchanted River yes 150 Thranduil’s Halls Mirkwood, edge of no ”some”
The Shire Brandywine Bridge Bree yes 50 23 Brandywine Bridge Far Downs no 120
Approx. Along Starting point Destination distance in roads? miles The Shire Hobbiton, roadjunction to the 24 Brandywine Bridge yes 50 south of 25 Brandywine Bridge Whitfurrows yes 12 Bywater Rivendell, entrance to yes 412 26 Bywater, last houses Hobbiton bridge yes at most 1.25 Hobbiton, to the right of the 27 Bywater, last houses yes at most 1 roadjunction to the south of Crickhollow, house nearest Crickhollow, Frodo’s 28 to Frodo’s house at (from the no > 1 house at back) Far Downs Brandywine Bridge no 120 Hobbiton bridge Bywater, first houses yes at most 1.25 Hobbiton, roadjunction to Brandywine Bridge yes 50 the south of Hobbiton, to the right of the roadjunction to the Bywater, first houses yes at most 1 south of 29 marshes in the south North Moors no 150 Crickhollow, house Crickhollow, Frodo’s house nearest to Frodo’s house no > 1 at at (from the back) North Moors marshes in the south no 150 Whitfurrows Brandywine Bridge yes 12
Other points of interest
In the ”A Part of the Shire” map Bywater and its pool is somewhat too far east.30 16 miles a day by ponies is slow.31 The Road through Mirkwood is only 175 miles long in the Wilderland map but should be 300.32
Sources used
The History of The Hobbit (HarperCollins hardback edition 2007, abbrev. HotH) – ‘The 1960 Hobbit’ The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings (abbrev. LR) - Prologue ‘A Long-expected Party’ ‘A Knife in the Dark’ ‘Flight to the Ford’ Unfinished Tales (abbrev. UT) – ‘The Disaster of the Gladden Fields’
References and notes
1 league = 3 miles
1 HotH p. 815. Note also: “called (L.R. I. 162 ‘not much [further] than a day’s riding’ but that refers to quick
2 “These roads crossed at a point [Bree] west of Amon Sûl (Weathertop), by Númenórean road- measurements three hundred and ninety-two leagues from Osgiliath …” [UT, ‘The Distaster of the Gladden Fields’, note 4] Note that leagues here are by Númenórean linear measures (see ‘Númenórean Linear Measures’); one Númenórean league, a lár, is 5277 yards, two feet and four inches, not 5280 yards, as our league is. However, this affects the distance converted to miles very little.
3 “…by Númenórean road-measurements three hundred and ninety-two leagues from Osgiliath, and then east to Imladris one hundred and sixteen…” [UT, ‘The Distaster of the Gladden Fields’, note 4] See also note 2 above regarding the Númenórean league.
4 HotH p. 815
5 HotH p. 815
6 HotH p. 815
7 “He therefore determined to make his way north from Osgiliath up the Vales of Anduin to Cirith Forn en Andrath, the high-climbing pass of the North, that led down to Imladris.” [UT, ‘The Disaster of the Gladden Fields’] and “The journey was probably at least three hundred and eight leagues as marched...” [UT, ‘The Disaster of the Gladden Fields’, note 9] See also note 2 above regarding the Númenórean league.
8 “…the only Númenórean roads were the great road linking Gondor and Arnor, through Calenardhon, then north over the Gwathló at Tharbad, and so at last to Fornost; and the East- West Road from the Grey Havens to Imladris. … five hundred and eight leagues in all.” [UT, ‘The Disaster of the Gladden Fields’, note 4] See also note 2 above regarding the Númenórean league.
9 HotH p. 815
10 HotH p. 815
11 HotH p. 815; however, 20 miles according to p. 826 and 833.
12 “[Strider and the Hobbits] were probably following the very track that Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves had used many years before. After a few miles they came out on the top of a high bank above the Road.” [LR, ‘Flight to the Ford’]
13 “[Strider and the Hobbits] crossed the [Last] Bridge in safety, hearing no sound but the water swirling against its three great arches. A mile further on they came to a narrow ravine that led away northwards through the steep lands on the left of the Road.” [LR, ‘Flight to the Ford’]
14 HotH p. 815
15 HotH p. 815
16 HotH p. 816
17 May be deduced from the distances given above and below in the table.
18 HotH p. 821
19 HotH p. 815; however, according to p. 826 412 miles is the distance between Hobbiton and Rivendell.
20 HotH p. 821-2
21 HotH p. 821-2
22 “In a great cave some miles within the edge of Mirkwood on its eastern side there lived at this time their greatest king.” [The Hobbit]
23 “Forty leagues it [the Shire] stretched from the Far Downs to the Brandywine Bridge…” [LR, Prologue] Note also: “As first published this passage read: 'Fifty leagues it stretched from the Westmarch under the Tower Hills to the Brandywine Bridge…' … Its revision in the second edition (1965) has at least two possible explanations (or both): because the Westmarch was not added to the Shire until after the events of the story (though its addition must predate the Prologue); or because on the scale of the 1954 general map of Middle-earth, 50 leagues (150 miles) from the Brandywine Bridge extends beyond Westmarch, even beyond the Tower Hills, and it was easier to alter the text than to redraw the map.” [The Lord of the Rings – A Reader’s Companion]
24 HotH p. 815
25 HotH p. 816
26 It was not more than a mile and a quarter from the footbridge just south of the Mill to the first houses of Bywater, among which was the ‘Green Dragon’ Inn. [HotH p. 814]
27 “At the time of L.R. (‘Scouring of the Shire’) there should be a small block of ‘new houses’ to the right of the roadjunction, ‘a mile beyond Bywater’” [HotH p. 814]
28 “And run [Fatty Bolger] did, out of the back door, through the garden, and over the fields. When he reached the nearest house, more than a mile away…” [LR, ‘A Knife in the Dark’]
29 ”Forty leagues it [the Shire] stretched from the Far Downs to the Brandywine Bridge, and fifty from the northern moors to the marshes in the south.” [LR, Prologue] Note also: “As first published this passage read: '…nearly fifty from the northern moors to the marshes in the south.' … Tolkien had wished to retain 'and nearly fifty' for the north-south dimension, but it was wrongly typeset in the Ballantine Books edition (1965) and the error was continued in the Allen & Unwin second edition (1966). Tolkien noted the error and accepted it…” [The Lord of the Rings – A Reader’s Companion]
30 “But note ** in [the Shire-map] Bywater and its pool is somewhat too far east.” [HotH p. 814]
31 HotH p. 815
32 HotH p. 822