Who needs to fly to New Zealand when we have this magical Birmingham suburb? Who knew watching a grown man wallop another grown man with a sword would make me feel better about everything?
A Magical Walk Along the River Cole
Dappled sunlight lit the pathway alongside the babbling River Cole in Hall Green as we skipped along it, stopping to suspiciously survey the tree trunks in case any of them had opened an eye to spy our company. Any walk can be magical if you have the imagination for it, but this waterside stroll was freshly fuelled by tales of Hobbits, elves, wizards, dwarfs, and walking trees as we made our way towards Sarehole Mill.
I had delighted in telling my co-adventurers how the neighbourhood had inspired JRR Tolkien when he was growing up here, wishy-washy recollections that I knew would be explained better once we got to the recreation ground right next to the old mill.
The Sarehole Festival: A Tolkien Celebration
That is where the Sarehole Festival was being held on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31, a two-day celebration put on by the Tolkien Society, of which JRR himself is forever president. Brilliant volunteers in hi-vis steered us safely over Cole Bank Road, past the glorious mill and into the festival which opened out before us, bathed in full sun and filled with cosplayers, wizards, elves, and tiny little Hobbit babies propping themselves up with tiny Bilbo-style walking sticks.
Brummies sat together eating big chunky £5 slices of pizza from 'Helms Deep Pan', a really good price for the size and with extra deals for multiple slices to feed the family. Shops sold beautiful trinkets for pocket money prices, replica rings and Evenstar necklaces. And in one tent, one of the Jewellery Quarter's finest independent craftsmen - Luke Rowan from Rowan Silversmiths - sold his special Birmingham-made sterling silver inspired treasures.
Medieval Battles and Craft Activities
Cheers went up from an area beside a medieval campsite, where strongmen were trying their hand at holding a warhammer at arm's length. In the centre of the open field, warriors walloped each other with weapons in the battle arena near a falconry stand. We had fun making art in the craft tent, trying calligraphy and painting little wooden roundels to take away.
In one marquee, Tolkien's story - that of the man and not his work - was being told while in another, musicians were singing their own tales like ancient bards. We perused second hand books and I got chatting to artist Jay Johnstone, picking up an art print depicting Frodo Baggins' flight from Amon Hen and delighting in trying to spot Gollum's red eyes, carefully hidden in the image.
Affordable Family Fun
We only paid £15 for a family ticket, for two kids and two adults, and that gave us access for the entire weekend and the whole programme of activities within the festival site - not bad given all the fun once you are in there is free, the craft materials and all. You could also pay extra to go exploring Sarehole Mill itself if you fancied it, which is always worth a mosey. We instead sat down near Gandalf the Grey, who wandered (not lost) through the crowd inspiring awe as he did.
A Promising Future for the Festival
There is more that Birmingham could be doing to celebrate its creative heritage and the Sarehole Festival was a perfect example of how that can look. It made me feel better about everything! Birmingham City Council had given the Tolkien Society a grant to make it happen, with the plan to grow for the next two to three years, establishing it as a regular feature of the city's cultural offer.
As kids played in the sun and storytellers weaved tales inspired by our home, I made a promise to make visiting each year a part of my own life story too. Who needs to go to New Zealand to explore Middle Earth when we have it right here in Hall Green?
