What do you "assign" to the Shire?

[Melilot Brandybuck]

Wow, a lot of you have described Exmoor, where I live. For those of you who aren't from the UK, it's a small protected National Park and AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in the SW of England.

I reckon Jackson could have filmed the Shire scenes here. We have beautiful scenery, green rolling hills, moorland covered in heather, and we have real honest-to-goodness barrows here too. I walk my dogs past a series of these burial sites nearly every day. I always imagine the creeping hand under the soil guarding hoards of treasure.

Exmoor is full of tiny communities, like the shire. Exmoor even has Shire-ish sounding villages and places: Wootton Courtenay, West Buckland, Withiel Florey, Aldermans Barrow, Elworthy Barrow... I could go on and on.

The pace of life is so gentle here. It's full of old farmhouses, old fashioned people, tiny village shops. Little bakeries full of cakes, pastries, good breads. Butchers shops selling locally produced meats. Cosy little pubs with open fires selling ales by the pint. It's as close to the Shire as you're ever gonna get. I sometimes wonder if Tolkien ever visited here, the way he describes the Shire is pure Exmoor through and through.