Royal Road

The **North-South Road**, also known as the **Great Road** and **Royal Road**, was a major road in the Westlands built by the Númenóreans from the Second Age; it linked the northern kingdom of Arnor with the southern kingdom of Gondor.

## Route

It originally ran from Fornost Erain in the far north, southward for hundreds of leagues through Eriador passing by Bree (where it crossed the East-West Road) and through Andrath between the Barrow-downs and the South Downs and crossed the former Cardolan and Minhiriath. Most of this road had fallen into ruins after the Fall of Fornost and the desolation of Eriador. The patch of the North Road around the Bree-land was known as the **Greenway** because of its disuse. It then crossed Tharbad on the Gwathló, where it crossed the river to traverse Enedwaith. From then on, the North Road became the **Old South Road**.

Arching slightly towards the Misty Mountains, it went through the Gap of Rohan (via the Fords of Isen) and then it was known as the **Great West Road**. After two miles it bent sharply to the south-east to meet the Deeping-road and again bent to the east and Edoras. It passed across Calenardhon/Rohan parallel to the White Mountains and eventually Anorien. It passed near Minas Anor and then, the portion known in Minas Tirith as **South Road**, passed over Erui at the Crossings of Erui, and reached Pelargir.

## History

The northern half of the North-South Road was in Eriador. From Fornost, the Road ran south to Bree. Outside the West-gate of Bree, the North-South Road intersected with the Great East Road. At this major crossroads was the inn called The Prancing Pony, where travellers brought news from the south and east.

The North-South Road then passed through the narrow passage called the Andrath between the Barrow-downs and the South Downs. South of the Andrath, a road to the Shire via Sarn Ford branched off the North-South Road. The North-South Road then curved south-eastward through the region of Cardolan.

At the city of Tharbad, the Road crossed the River Greyflood on the southern border of Eriador. Originally, the Road went over the Bridge of Tharbad. On either side of the Bridge, the Road was built up on causeways to traverse the surrounding marshland. However, the Bridge was destroyed by floods in TA 2912 and all that remained was a dangerous ford.

The southern half of the North-South Road passed through Enedwaith, which at one time nominally belonged to Gondor but was essentially a borderland between Gondor and Arnor. East of the Road in Enedwaith was Dunland at the foot of the Misty Mountains.

At the southern end of the Misty Mountains, the North-South Road curved eastward through the Gap of Rohan and ended at the Fords of Isen. Just west of the Fords a road branched north to Isengard. East of the Fords was the Great West Road to Minas Tirith and Osgiliath.

Together the North-South Road and the Great West Road formed the Royal Road, or Great Road, which was the main route by land between Gondor and Arnor. The two Kingdoms were founded in 3320 of the Second Age. Each was responsible for maintaining their own stretch of the Road, and together they built and maintained the Bridge of Tharbad and its causeways.

After the Great Plague of TA 1636, Gondor and Arnor were considerably weakened and could no longer keep the Road and Bridge in repair. The North-kingdom fell in TA 1974 and Fornost at the northern end of the North-South Road was abandoned. The causeways near Tharbad eventually disintegrated and the marshes encroached on the Road. In the spring of TA 2912 after the Fell Winter, floods caused the Bridge to collapse.

Fewer and fewer travellers used the North-South Road and it became overgrown with grass, so that the people of Bree called it the Greenway. However, in the years before the War of the Ring at the end of the Third Age, unwelcome travellers began to come up the North-South Road from the South. Some were honest refugees, but many were troublemakers, including agents of Saruman. Early in 3019, there was fighting in Bree, and the Shire was taken over by Saruman's agents.
The hobbits expelled the Men from the Shire in the Battle of Bywater on November 3, and the Rangers of the North returned from the war and dealt with the other troublemakers. The North-kingdom was re-established by Aragorn, King Elessar, and the North-South Road was open to travellers once more.