J.R.R Tolkein, when writing his masterpieces Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, never mentioned how adept the pint-sized fellows were at climbing.

Keen to prove that Hobbits could in fact make it up a cliff-face, Croz, Paz, Jesse and Stu ventured out towards Hobbiton to rock climb and chase farm animals.

Click read more to see the pics, and check out the results of the our fact-finding mission.



A road-trip from Hamilton led the crew to a farm and crag called Bayley Rd, which closely resembled The Shire from Lord of the Rings.

After jumping a fence, avoiding cows and sheep, the team walked alongside a stream through some beautiful countryside towards the crag for the day, Monday Wall.

With the cows watching on, Paz harnessed up for the first climb, a grade 15 sport route, which, in all honesty, sucked.





Hobbiton:




Croz, Jesse and Stu all tackled the route and then a 16 soon after, and Paz, Stu and Croz went up a 17 after that, and while the climbs were less than memorable the surroundings were beautiful, and with the prospect of a Hobbit sighting, everyone was buzzing.

Croz climbing:





Yes, Paz was wearing a bike helmet:





Stu laybacking a climb that was, apparently, not supposed to be laybacked (it worked though). Note Paz's awesome belaying, reading the guide instead of watching:





Croz reaching:





After three climbs the team was losing faith after some average rock and zero hobbit sightings, but when all seemed lost Paz stepped up to the plate, tackling a grade 20 sport route called, wait for it, 20/20. Original.

The climb itself was on a beautiful piece of rock:





But when Paz got on it, bike helmet and all, the rock seemed to lose some of its beauty.









He eventually made it, and the crew hit the road back to Hamilton, and on the way back Jesse even managed to snap a hobbit basking in the final rays of sun for the day: