Adventures and Deeds in the Yondershire

The Yondershire area is a very good alternative for hobbitplayers (lvls 20-25) who do not want to play the man quests in the North-downs. Just go to Needlehole in the Shire and pick up your first two quests for the Yondershire!

Quests in the Yondershire
The quests in the Yondershire have a very typical 'hobbit' theme. As usual, there are quests that let you run from postoffice to postoffice, avoiding nosey hobbits. And there are also 'search' quests for missing hobbits and objects. Of course there is some mushroom and strawberry hunting, you can feed all kind of animals and at some places you can help with the beer or breakfast preparation. 

You can play a hide-and-seek game with an Gildor Inglorion and the kids, 

Sometimes your quests looks like a job of social worker: you have to calm offended hobbits, must resolve a bullying incident or collect signatures for a petition. 

Some quests are typical slayer-orientated, but most are friendly hobbit quest to help hobbits in need or in distress. If you don't mind slow levelling, than the Yondershire is a great area to have fun with Lotro!

Mischief in the Yondershire with Dinodas Boffin
One of the most funniest quests  (lvl 20) are the quests which let you do some mischief with a very playful hobbit kid: the famous Dinodas Boffin. With him, you will enter a quite hilarious questchain with several quest-assignments! It actually starts with the quest 'A Visit to Yondershire', which was given to you by Bingo Boffin near Needlehole. One of the tasks that you will get, is to find Dinodas Boffin in the settlement of Gamwich. 

At some point, Dinodas Boffin will ask you to help you with a housewarming present, and from than on all the mischief will begin! If you follow the questchain, you will meet up with Dinodas Boffin during the following three quests: 9 Honeymead Lane, followed by Dinodas in Distress and finally with A Caper on Honeymead Lane. After resolvong these quests, you have to do some other tasks, starting with the quest 'Boffins on the Loose'. Please, do all the tasks of this quest, since it will ends with one of the most funniest instances in the Lotro game, called 'A Very Boffin Housewarming'. As you can see, I don't give clues, since it will spoil all the fun of the Dinodas Boffin quests. If you do them, you will remember him forever.

A meeting with Dinodas Boffin, somewhere in Nobottle, to do some mischief...

Sites of Yondershire (Deed)
One of the Deeds in the Yondershire is to visit the Sites of Yondershire. First, you can pay a visit to the hobbit-settlements of Nobottle, Gamwich, Long Cleeve and Tighfield. If you ride quickly along the roads to these places, there are no noteworthy enemies you will meet. If you do it early in the Yondershire area, don't forget to visit the stables, since that will open the travel routes to these settlements.

After visiting the hobbit-settlements, it is time to do some ruins exploration. Troughout the Yondershite area there are 5 named ruins, which are inhabited by quite large groups of unfriendly ruffians, goblins or half-orcs. A rough location of these ruins are given on the map below. I dont give coordinates, since it will spoil all the fun by finding them. The map is accurate enough to find the ruins, althoug sometimes you have to look carefully where the entrance is situaties. Ruins along the road are: Bâr Faroth, north of Long Cleeve, and Tham Amothir, west of Tighfield. The entrance of Bâr Faroth is on the eastside, just circle the stonewall in an eastwards direction and you will find it.The entrance to Tham Amothir is also a bit hidden. Just follow the road westwards until you pass the ruin, which is build high on a hill. After you have passed the ruin, look for a small path going uphill (left of the road, at the southside of the road).

The other three ruins are situated in the wilds, they are Lhúngobel, in the outer northwest, Ost Lagorath above Gamwich and Taerhad, east of Long Cleeve and north of Bullroar's Way. As soon as you have visited these 8 sites, you have completed the Sites of Yondershire Deed. As you can see, I don't give coordinates, just try to find these sites with help of the map below. It is way more fun!

Deeds in the Yondershire: visiting settlements and ruins

Hunting insects: the Insect Slayer Deed of the Yondershire

There are two kinds of insects that will contribute to your Insect Slayer deed in the Yondershire. These are Kneekerbreekers (kind of swamp crickets) and Harvest-flies (kind of sickle-flies). These insect species will remind you of your adventures in the Shire, in Rushock Bog east of Needlehole. Kneekers and Swampflies are also common in Bree-land, especially in the Midgewater Marshes, east of the village of Staddle (near Bree). You can find Kneekerbreekers and Harvest-flies near streams and especially in boggy areas of the Yondershire. On the map below I have added some, but not all, locations where you can find them. Just look at clusters of green squares (Neekers) and lilac diamonds (Flies) on the map. A very good place to go for kneeker-hunting is the bog in the east of the Yondershire, at 35.3S, 88.1W. Lots of Harvest-flies can be found east of Thâm Amothir, at 27.3S, 83.9W. The fly around a stone circle with five ruined pillars.

Many harvest-flies can be found around the stone circle near Tighfield (27.3S, 83.9S)

Note: harvest-flies in the Lotro game do not have a good resemblance to the harvestflies of our human world (real life), which are big cicadas. In the Lotro game they are unique fly-like insects with a sting like a wasp. In the game the harvest-flies are huge and they look a bit like a genetic cross-experiment between a cicada (body, legs and head), a wasp (sting) and a caddis fly (wings and flight behavior). 

Hunting mammals: the Beast Slayer Deed of the Yondershire
Three kinds of mammals will contribute to your Beast Slayer deed in the Yondershire. These are bears, Wolves and Shrews. Wolves and Bears dwell mainly in woods and along forest edges, while shrews can be found in the grassy open fields or along grassy roads. All these mammals can befound scattered throughout the Yondershire. There are two bear-dens and one wolf den with 15-20 animals of these species. They will contribute hugely to the Beast Slayer Deed of the Yondershire if you can locate them. The Wolf den is in the woods northeast of Gamwich, around 23.4S, 81.2W. Just look at your radar if you are level 20-25, and as soon as you see a cluster of red dots you have found the den. The bear den in the West, at 23.3S, 85.6W, can be located using the same technique. However, you have to go into the wilds and cross one of the streams to reach the den. Is is at a somewhat higher location, with trees and boulders. The other bear den is harder to find. It is located at the south side of the road from Nobottle to Bullroarer's Way. Look for a gap in the stone wall, along the road. This gap is is located at 25.5S, 76.1W. Cross the gap in the wall southwards, walk a little bit higher, to the southeast and look for a narrow valley between two rocky outcrops. Around 25.7S, 75.4W, many red dots on your radar will appear: you have found te well hidden Bear den of Bullroarer's Way!

Deeds in the Yondershire: Beast Slayer Deed

Pass the stone wall and go up between the rocks to find the Bear Den of Bullroarer's Way

The hidden Bear Den of Bullroarer's Way: look at the red dots in the radar!

Hunting for the bad guys & girls: the Enemies of Yondershire (Slayer Deed)
Enemies of the Yondershire can be easily found by using your rader (at level 20-25): if you sea many read dots around the below depicted places on the map, you have found them! The bad guys and girls of the Yondershire are thieves and ruffians, and they live in derelict places like the elven ruin of Ost Lagorath, north of Gamwich. Another concentration of thieves and ruffians lives east of Tighfield, just west of a straight and low stone wall, with some ruined pillars. This ruined place with no name, I call it 'The Straight Wall'), is around 26.6S 84.5N. It lies a bit west of the harvest-fly concentration at the pillared stone circle (see pictures below). To enter this place, you have to go uphill at the road between Tham Amochir and Tighfield. Just look for a straight stone wall with an arched stone gate. You can see the straight wall as a thin black line in your radar, with lots of red dots behind the wall (see picture below). The wall can even be seen on the map, if you look careful you see a very thin and straight line, pointing northwards. 

The other baddies are goblins and halforcs. Lots of halforcs live in the elven ruins of Tham Amothir, in the southwest, and also in the ruins of Tearhead, north of Bullroarer's Way. Goblins dwell in two other elven ruins. One is situated in the far northwest, and is called Lhûngobel. The other goblin infested ruin is Bâr Faroth and lies north of Long Cleeve. 

Deeds in the Yondershire: the Enemies of the Yondershire

Thieves and ruffians at the Straight Wall. Look at the radar and you see the wall.

Cowardly Boggarts
Throughout the Yondershire, there are also small roaming bands of Cowardly Boggarts. These small goblins comes in groups of 4-6, and they run like madman through the countryside - even along the road from Nobottle to Bullroarer's Way. I have not included all of these roaming Boggarts, the map depict just some of them I have met on my travels. You can recognise these mad goblins in your radar: look for a small moving cluster of 2 or 3 red dots. Just point your mouse above such a red dot, and you will find out if it is a group of Boggarts. They are usually level 20-21, but can be a nuisance if they popup screaming while you are fighting other creatures in the Yondershire.

Four Cowardly Boggarts attack with their pointy spears

Travelling to the Yondershire

 The Yondershire is the new north-western hobbit-region added to The Shire in April 2022 (update 33). In fact it is the same area as The Shire, and you can see this clearly when you make use of the stables for travelling within The Shire. Access to the quests requires the Yondershire quest pack, but is free for players with a VIP account. Quests in the Yondershire are mainly intended for toons of level 20 - 24. You can also start at level 18 or 19, but at these levels most of the quests will be red. 

The Yondershire area (the red dotted line is the boundary between The Shire)

Lore of the Yondershire
The Hobbits from Bree got official permission from the high king of Fornost (Argeleb II) in T.A. 1601 to settle the land between the Brandywhine River and the Far Downs. The total area was about 21,400 square miles and was divided into four subregions of the Shire: the four farthings. There were cooler and drier fields in the Northfarthing; downlands in the Westfarthing; sheltered coplands in the Southfarthing and the mixed lands in the Eastfarthing - consisting of woods, marshes, croplands and quarries. A little east of Bywater there is an official 'three farthings point', where the three borders of the West-, East and Southfarthing come together into one single point. On this  location, the Hobbits have erected the Three Farthing Stone. This landmark can be seen at 32.2S, 69.6W near Bywater, near Tom Cotton's farm. The location and a scenic view of this landmark is presented below.  (Note: actually there is another three farthings point, just east of Overhill. At this place the borders of the West-, North- and Eastfarhing come together. However, the hobbits have not erected a special landmark on this spot).

Location of the Three Farthing Stone in The Shire

The Three Farthing Stone as seen from Tom Cotton's Farm

Enjoying a close view of the Three Farthing Stone

Later in history, the Eastmarch (Buckland) and the Westmarch were added to the Shire. The Eastmarch was occupied in T.A. 2340, almost 700 years before the War of the Rings. The Westmarch was granted by Aragorn, 32 years after the end of the War of the Rings. 

By playing Lord of the Rings Online, the Eastmarch is the area east of Combe and Staddle. The Westmarch is situated east of Gamwich and Tighfield, and only a small part is accessable in the game. South of Foxden Heath and the Shire Homesteads - near Michel Delving - lies the Southfarthing. Since the start of LOTRO in 2007, this particular area of the Shire is still inaccessible. In the map below you see the boundaries of the Northfarthing and the Westfarthing.

In the Tolkien's books, and especially in 'The History of Middle Earth' by Christopher Tolkien, there is no mention of the Yondershire. So, this area should be interpreted as the lands, ruins and settlements 'beyond' the Hill, west of Bilbo Balings home. If you look at J.R.R. Tolkien's maps, and especially at the maps in the Atlas of Middle Earth by Karen Wynn Fonsted & Christophor Tolkien, you will see that the Yondershire contains both the Northfarthing and the Westfarthing. A correct picture of the boundaries of these farthings in the LOTRO game can be seen below:

Farthing boundaries within the Yondershire (S = Southfarthing)

As you can seen on the map above, the Westfarthing contains not only the Yondershire area, but also a small partion of LOTRO's 'The Shire' area, with Needlehole, Little Delving and Michel Delving.

Traveling to the Yondershire
If you are in the Shire, and you have never visited the Yondershire, you can enter this area by following the road westwards from Needlehole. Just pass through the Rushock Gate and you will enter the Yondershire.

If you are in the tiny settlement of Little Delving, you can enter the Yondershire by following the road in north-western direction. You will soon enter the Yondershire and arrive at the settlement of Foxden Road. If you want to travel through the wilds, you have to go to Rushock Bog. Go to the centre of this boggy place ant travel in a western direction: you will soon enter the wilds of Yondershire, east of the Foxden Road settlement. Another option, is travelling from Ered Luin. Go to Duillond, cross the high bridge across the river and go in eastern direction. After a while you will enter the Yondershire, but it will take a while before you will reach the first settlement: Tighfield.

If you have already visited one of the stables of the Yondershire, the most convenient way to travel to this region, is by hiring a horse at a stable from Michel Delving in the Shire. Just choose one of the stable destinations in the Yondershire, like Nobottle, Tighfield, Foxden Road or Gamwich.

Starting the questline for the Yondershire

As soon as your adventurer reaches level 19 or 20, you can start with the first quest 'To Yondershire' in Needlehole, in the northwestern part of The Shire. Travel to Needlehole, pass the hedge gate and find Bounder Chubb next to the corner of the gate. Pick up your first Yondershire-quest: Bounder Chubb will ask you to pay a visit to the dwellings of Nobottle and Tighfield in the Yondershire. 

Bounder Chubb in Needlehole

After you got the quest from Bounder Chubb, follow the road westwards, cross the two stone bridges, and go through the Rushock Gate. After passing this gate, you will find Bingo Boffin along the road. Bingo will give you the second Yondershire quest,  'A visit to Yondershire', which directs you to Tighfield. Go through the stone gate which can be seen behind Bingo and turn left, e.g. westwards: your adventures in the Yondershire (aka the North- and Westfarthing) will begin!

Below is a graphic report of my travel to the Yondershire, picking up quests from Bounder Chubb and Bingo Boffin. I came from the road northy of Rushock Bog and arrived at the little settlement of Needlehole. Directly after passing the Hedge Gate, I found Bounder Chubb.

Location of Bounder Chubb in Needlehole

After I got the quest, I travelled westward, following road which is directly adjacent to the river, which is simply called The Water. The Water is actually a short name for Shire-water, a river which runs through both the Shire and Yondershire areas. It is feeded by two streams at Tighfield and Long Cleeve, their waters joins at Nobottle with 'The Water'. From Needlehole, 'The Water' runs eastwards into Rushock Bog, then it flows to Hobbiton, Bywater abd the marshes of Frogmorton. Finally it joins the Brandywine river near Stock, north of the Brandywine Bridge.

To enter the Yondershire, I followed the path westwards along The Water, first crossing a high stone bridge. After a while I crossed The Water again, now travelling over a low stone bridge. Shortly after, I arrived at Rushock Gate, which is also a Hedge gate - like the one in Needlehole.

From Needlehole to Rushock Gate

The high stone bridge across The Water, near Needlehole

The low stonebridge across The Water, near Rushock Gate 

At Rushock Gate, I saw Bounder Dogberry, who waved me goodbye when I travelled through the beautiful ivy hedgegate.

Bounder Dogberry at Rushock Gate

After passing the hedgegate, I entered the Yondershire. Soon I saw a low stone fence, with an arched stone gate. A friendly hobbit in a green jacket was standing near the road. It was Bingo Boffin, who gave me a quest to visit hobbits in the settlement of Tighfield.

Bingo Boffin and the stone gate to the Yondershire

The Dutch Maps of Middle Earth, made by Cees Kelfkens

For all players who love the maps in the game, this blog is dedicated to three Dutch maps, drawn by the Dutch artist Cees Kelfkens (1919-1986). 

The story goes as follows....

I have three old dutch Lord of the Rings Prisma pockets from 1976. From the moment I got these books, I loved the map art of three maps, which were enclosed in these pockets. In part I (The Fellowship) there is a beatiful map of the Shire by Cees Kelfkens, based on Tolkiens own map. You can see the name of the artist in the left bottom corner of the map, just by a capital 'K' or - on the Rohan map - by his family name, Kelfkens.

Map of the Shire

Dutch map of the Shire ('De Gouw'), drawn by Cees Kelfkens

As you can see, all the topographic names were translated in Dutch. For a young Dutch reader this was great, but years later - when the movies and LOTRO were released, it was a bit difficult to translate them directly into the original English name, devised by Tolkien. You need the original Tolkien Map to know which Dutch name refers to which English name.

For comparison: here is the original map made by Tolkien of the Shire:

Original map of the Shire, as drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien

Map of Rohan

In part 3 of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (Dutch version), there was an intricate map of Rohan. It was republished in the one volume collectors edition in 2003. Unfortunately, the reproduction of the map had a fold in the middle, which makes the map not very easely readable in the centre parts. I made a scan of my 1976 pocket book and reworked it in Photoshop. Here is the final result:

The Lord of the Rings: Rohan map by Cees Kelfkens

As you can see this is a great map, drawn in the cartographic tradition of the old Dutch map makers, like Joan Blaeu in his Atlas Maior. This map was already enclosed as a folded map in the first Dutch edition, which was released in 1956-1957. Below is an impression of the first printed Dutch Rohan map, as photographed by the Tolkien shop, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Gondor map in the first Dutch edition of Lord of the Rings (1956-1957)

Most of the names on the Dutch map are recognisable, but some are lost in translation. For easy comparision of the English names, you can look them up on the original map, drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien, see the map below.

Original map of Gondor, as drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien

Map of Middle Earth

I do not remember in which volume the big folded map was enclosed, since I have used it over and over to look at all the details. It was first published in 1956-1957 as a big, folded map in the first Dutch edition of the Lord of the Rings. In the pocket series it was enclosed as a white, folded map, sized between A4 and A3. As you can see clearly by the 'K', this map was also drawn by Cees Kelfkens. I have scanned the map and reworked it, to remove the folds (and their shadows). The result of the scanned and enhanced Kelfkens map is presented below:

The Lord of the Rings: Middle Earth map by Cees Kelfkens (1976 printing)

Below a picture of the original 1956-1957 map, as can be seen at the Tolkien Shop, Leiden, The Netherlands:

The Kelfkens Middle Earth map of 1956-1957 (Tolkien shop, Leiden, Netherlands)

As you can see on the scanned map above, the map is a real beauty of art. I love the Dutch map, even if the names where translated in Dutch (and sometimes got lost in translation...).

Below you see the original map of J.R.R Tolkien, which is preserved in the British Library:

Original map of Middle Earth, drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien