The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Constructed after the founding of Arnor and Gondor in II 3320; survived into the Fourth Age
Location
Running westwards from Minas Anor through Calenardhon (that is, from Minas Tirith through Rohan) and on towards the far northern lands of the Arnor
Origins
Built by the Dúnedain to connect their Two Kingdoms in Middle-earth
Race
Division
Settlements
Started at Minas Anor (Minas Tirith) and (after the founding of Rohan) passed Edoras; as it went on northwards, the road ran through Tharbad and Bree to reach Fornost1
Other names
The Great Road, The Royal Road, The West Road; after it passed through the Gap of Calenardhon (or Gap of Rohan), it was known as the North Road, North-South Road and (in later times) the Greenway or the Old South Road

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About this entry:

  • Updated 3 September 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

Great West Road

The westward road out of Minas Tirith

An ancient road made by the Dúnedain in the earliest days of the Two Kingdoms to join the great fortresses of their realms. It survived through the Third Age, though by the closing years of that Age its northern reaches had become overgrown. It was known as the Great West Road (or simply the 'West Road') from its beginnings at Minas Tirith to approximately the point where it reached the Fords of Isen and began to turn northwards. After that it was referred to as the North-South Road, or (in its decaying northern reaches) the Greenway.

The road started at the Great Gate of Minas Tirith, and from there led northwards across the Pelennor until it passed through the wall of the Rammas Echor. It then turned northwestwards, skirting the foothills of the White Mountains as it ran through Anórien. In the Firien Wood it passed through a deep cutting, and where it emerged from the trees it crossed a bridge that spanned the Mering Stream. In the days when the road was made, that bridge marked the entry into the province of Calenardhon, but in later times it stood on the border of Rohan.

From there the road ran on westward, past Edoras to Helm's Deep, where it veered away from the Mountains and out into the green plain. Crossing the Isen at its Fords, it carried on through the Gap of Rohan and into Enedwaith. It was here that the road began to turn truly northwards, and became the North-South Road that led to ancient Arnor and the Northlands of Middle-earth.


Notes

1

We know that this road was known as the Great West Road as it passed along the White Mountains as far as Edoras, but it's not clear whether this name was used along its entire length. After passing through the Gap of Calenardhon the road changed its course to run almost directly northward, so the name 'Great West Road' may only have applied within the lands of ancient Gondor. If so, the towns and cities of Enedwaith and Arnor were not strictly on the Great West Road, but more properly on the stretch known as the North-South Road.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 3 September 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

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