A local artist has taken inspiration from Tolkien to produce a “Middle Earth” style map of the Yorkshire Dales.
Dan Bell, of Crook, has been taking maps of places, including the Peak District and the Lake District, and recreating them in the style of J.R.R. Tolkien’s hand-drawn maps published in The Lord of the Rings series. He’s on a mission to draw one for each of our national parks, and he’s already done ours.
Look closely. Can you find Helm’s Deep? © Dan Turner
The maps focus on the memorable drawings of mountain ranges, lakes and forests done by Tolkien, making them perfect for replicating national parks.
It has long been thought that Tolkien had images of the Dales in mind when writing his famous trilogy. In particular it is believed that our very own Gordale Scar was the inspiration for Helms Deep, a tall and narrow gorge. It’s not difficult to see why.
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- Don’t forget to look up. © YDNPA
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- The Beck carries on out of Gordale and onwards to Janet’s Foss and beyond. © YDNPA
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- The water tumbles down the rocks at the top of Gordale Scar © YDNPA
If you’d like to own your very own handcrafted bit of Tolkien inspired mapping you can find out more on Dan’s website – Middle Earths Maps – or find him on Twitter – @DanBell__