What's the Mata (Mata)

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We had pretty much written off visiting "Hobbiton" on our round-middle-earth-trip because of the weather but the sun was shining today so we followed the tracks of Gandalf's wagon to Matamata and had a guided tour of the movie set. Although many of the structures were intentionally demolished after filming finished, more than a dozen Hobbit holes remain, including "Bag End" (which we went in!!!). The "Party Tree" and field, the lake, "Bagshot Row", and views are all quite clearly Hobbiton and our guide filled in any bits which were missing for us. It was quite a special and unique experience for us both.

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