Round the Tolkien Train at Stonyhurst

It was a bright early (or even premature) spring afternoon, and the first thing to greet our eyes on the Tolkien Trail was a wonderful, old bridge:

 

 

Have just read that the above is known as Cromwell Bridge (or Old Lower Hodder Bridge), as in 1648, Oliver Cromwell brought his Parliamentary Army and held a war council at the place, on the way to the Battle of Preston.

The late February weather was blowing both hot and cold throughout the walk, wonderful English weather.

The convergence of two rivers, the Hodder with the Ribble, I think (but could be wrong):

 And the river became magically wider:

 Not far off the end of the Trail, we came upon another wonderful bridge:

It was clear that Tolkien had a lot to feast his imagination on during his stays at Stonyhurst during the 1940s.