[Mithalwen]

I think that it is hard for us to really grasp how hard it was to navigate around Middle Earth even if you were skilful and wise. We live in a world where a taps of a keyboard can bring up a satellite picture of just about anywhere you choose on the planet. My god daughter can monitor the progress of her father in a yacht race from the comfort of her sofa. But take away our technology and how good would most of us be finding our way around?

Middle Earth is a world where most people don't travel further than they have to to meet the necessity of their daily lives - and for most that would be a very small radius from their homes. This would have been true of much of the England, Tolkien grew up in - and not its least densely populated regions. I have account my great uncle wrote of going to visit family on their farm each summer about a hundred years ago - it took all day to travel 20 miles to the other side of Bristol.

Look at Middle Earth, relate the scale of the geography to an area you can relate to. Look at how few major routes there are and bear in mind we would regard them as tracks. Denethor was an educated man and certainly would have known of Imladris but directing someone there is a different thing. It is like being in Cornwall and being told to find a hidden valley in Scotland! Worse since at least on a island you have the sea as reference. Boromir wouldn't even have had a compass to help him keep course over difficult terrain.

If you think of how long it took the Nazgul to find the unhidden Shire with the knowledge of Sauron behind them then it puts it into perspective. And think of the many happless visitors to wilder regions who get themselves bushed in Australia or the states.