We discovered the inspiration for Tolkien's Middle-earth and Lord of the Rings universe at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Country Park, near Bury St Edmunds

Lord of the Rings is the greatest film trilogy of all time.

You may disagree with this bold statement but I firmly believed this as I underwent an experience uncovering the historical origins of J.R.R Tolkien's famous three novels.

At West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Country Park near Bury St Edmunds, I took part in the Real Middle-earth tour to find out how, why and where The Lord of the Rings ‘legendarium’ began.

Our group of 15 people was led by Alan Baxter, a member of The Tolkien Society and Middle-earth enthusiast who did a very impressive job explaining the many links between Tolkien and the Anglo-Saxons.

Formerly the manager of West Stow until 2014, the 66-year-old’s claim to fame is appearing in Born of Hope, an award-winning fan film and independent Lord of the Rings prequel from 2008, where he fought against orcs as a ranger alongside Aragorn’s father Arathorn.

The fantasy adventure was filmed at West Stow Anglo Saxon Village, giving an insight into Aragorn’s upbringing and has now been watched by millions of people on YouTube and Amazon Prime TV.

It’s safe to say that I wasn’t even remotely jealous. It doesn’t take a genius or the Eye of Sauron to know that line was absolutely dripping with sarcasm.

To kick off the tour, Mr Baxter showcased some special Lord of the Rings replicas including swords and daggers, alcohol free beer from New Zealand where the trilogy was filmed, and a piece of rock from Mount Doom.

I did have to do a quick head swivel to check Gollum wasn’t lurking somewhere before I held it, but thankfully as it’s not as precious as the One Ring is to him, he didn’t show up.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, Mr Baxter gave many interesting insights into Tolkien as a person such as his love for trees, as well as the links from his childhood and the Anglo-Saxons, which led to his inspiration for his epic fantasy trilogy.

I also came face-to-face with a hobbit hole where some more brilliant Easter eggs were revealed, making me want to travel to the Shire instantly.

By learning a lot more about the context of where the idea for Lord of the Rings originated from, I can confidently say I now appreciate the films more than ever.

Mr Baxter was also absolutely brilliant throughout. Not only was his knowledge and understanding of Tolkien inspiring, but he also delivered it clearly with regular flashes of comedic timing and amusing jokes.

Formed from his passion for the author’s work, he founded Arnor Heritage Projects in 2014, which hosts longbow and archery courses and also hosts Middle-earth related adventures.

Mr Baxter said: “For me, it’s always a great feeling doing this guided tour as it’s a way of relieving something that I really, really like.

“It’s kind of a recreation for me and it's particularly nice to talk to other enthusiasts and fans and find out that I’m not the only one that likes it, there are others. I enjoy that very much.

“I’m not a religious person but it does feel a bit like a crusade, in that you want to spread the word. People know a bit about it, but they want to find out more because there’s more to know.”

The Middle-earth enthusiast who has hosted Ring Quest at West Stow annually since 2002, revealed his favourite aspect of the tour and why he loves taking it.

“In many ways, the tree is my favourite part of the trail because there’s so many things to say about it. It’s such a fantastic symbol and it’s the thing that Tolkien absolutely loved.

“It’s about that link between history and the natural world combined and that’s something that I really like.

“When I give out the information, everybody always reacts to it in a different way and that’s wonderful. It’s about the reaction as I love talking and sharing with different people from all ranges of ages, interests and backgrounds.”

As a Lord of the Rings fan, I simply had to know more about his appearance in Born of Hope, but also what his thoughts were on the first season of The Rings of Power that dropped this year on Amazon Prime.

“Fighting and being involved in the film as a ranger alongside Aragorn’s father with orcs and elves, was just insane and absolute bliss.

“All of that happening in one place was very exciting and allowed me to fully immerse myself in Middle-earth. Fighting against orcs was really quite something too.

“With The Rings of Power it’s too early to say, but I thought the first season was a bit too gimmicky, as in you’re guessing who someone is and so on but in the modern world today I understand why.

“I am looking forward to future seasons though as it’s any excuse to visit the world of Middle-earth for me, whether it’s top quality or a bit in the middle. I’m always happy to visit that world.”