Bywater

The map shown here follows the large-scale map of the Shire published in The Lord of the Rings, but it should be noted that Tolkien did not appear to consider that map completely canonical. In late notes reproduced in The History of Hobbit, he says that 'in that map Bywater and its pool are somewhat too far east'. According to those notes, Bywater lay much more nearly southward of Hobbiton, with just a mile and a quarter between Hobbiton's road junction and the northernmost dwellings of Bywater (including the Green Dragon inn). These comments fit the text rather more easily, for instance making the Green Dragon much more accessible to the Hobbits of Hobbiton who evidently frequented it, but for consistency we maintain the standard map layout here.