Crickhollow

Location: 32.44S, 62.03W Bree-land >> Buckland

In Buckland, not far to the north of Brandy Hall in the hills rising away from the path of the Brandywine, travelers will come upon Crickhollow, an often-visited retreat for those Hobbits who wish to spend a few days away from their daily routine, or simply rest and eat more peacefully than they are used to resting and eating at home. Those who live near Crickhollow are pleasant enough folk, though generally they like to be left alone to their peace and quiet.

Many of the old-timers in the area tell stories of travelers who have ventured beyond the High Hay and into the Old Forest beyond, many of whom never returned to tell the conclusion of their tales. In these days of the growing darkness in the north, many indeed have been the strangers who have ridden into the region to ask questions, though none can, or will, say what specifically these dark figures pursue.

Crickhollow plays a significant role early in the journey of Frodo Baggins and his companions in The Lord of the Rings. It is here that Frodo buys his house after leaving Bag End, not with the intention to stay in Crickhollow, but with the goal of diverting would-be pursuers from his trail. Adventurers familiar with the tale will no doubt want to seek out Frodo's home, though the locals may tell the travelers that, although the home of Mr. Baggins is filled with his many possessions, he has not been seen in these parts since the day he first arrived. Most doubt he has closed himself in his new residence and believe he has gone off on some personal quest, perhaps to locate his old uncle Bilbo who disappeared so many years ago.

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Crickhollow

Quick Facts

Timeline:
Dates:	Founded no earlier than III 2340, the year of the first settlement in Buckland
Location:	In northeastern Buckland, not far from the High Hay and the Old Forest
Race:	Hobbits
Culture:	Bucklanders
Family:	At least one house was known to have been built by the Brandybucks
Meaning:	crick- was obscure even to the Hobbits1 -hollow indicates a small depression

A village of northern Buckland

A village in the northern parts of Buckland. It lay some two-and-a-half miles to the north and east of Bucklebury, and a similar distance to the south of the village of Newbury. It was also notable as being close to the great Hedge that the Bucklanders had built to protect themselves from the strange trees of the Old Forest.

Crickhollow's closeness to the eastern edge of the Hobbit-lands was part of the reason that Frodo Baggins bought a house there, to cover his secret departure from the Shire. Though Frodo and his friends only stayed in his new house overnight, Fredegar Bolger remained behind in disguise to hide Frodo's departure. This subterfuge almost worked too well: five days after Frodo's departure, three Black Riders raided the house, but Fredegar was able to raise the alarm and they were driven away. Later that same day, Gandalf arrived at Crickhollow in search of Frodo, but found that the new house had been abandoned.

The house at Crickhollow was not forgotten when the Travellers returned from the southern lands. For a time, they even considered resting there before riding on into the Shire itself, but the ruin caused by Sharkey put an end to those plans. After Sharkey was destroyed, Frodo Baggins found himself once more the owner of Bag End. Unneeded by its owner, the house at Crickhollow was shared by Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took for a time².

Footnotes

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