The Tolkien Trail is a collection of sites that are relevant to JRR Tolkien’s life in Birmingham. The area is where much of Tolkien’s early life took place and where many ideas formed that would later come forth in his books!
The first place to visit for any Tolkien fan when in Birmingham is Sarehole. This is where Tolkien lived as a young boy when he first moved to England from South Africa.
Not far from the mill is the Moseley Bog and Joy’s Wood nature reserve. It’s where Ronald would play with his brother and have many adventures!
The country park can be accessed from next to the mill and again would be a great place to enjoy on a warm day! It’s full of nature with a small river running through it.
Perrott’s Folly is one of the two towers on the same road right in the heart of where Tolkien grew up and would have spent time exploring.
This tower dates a little later, almost 100 years after Perrott’s Folly was built, in 1870. It would have been only around 30 years old when Ronald was stomping around the place!
While Tolkien didn’t go to the University of Birmingham to study, it’s part of the Tolkien Trail because in the First World War it was used as a military hospital.