Nestled in between the Kootenay Boundary Region and the Okanagan Valley is a little piece of Middle Earth.
“You really are able to get away from the world and have that privacy and intimacy and just be out in nature,” said Christina Le Comte of Hobbit Mountain Hole in Bridesville, B.C.
Modelled after the Hobbit Hole owned by the star of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit — Bilbo Baggins — the earth home is just minutes outside of Osoyoos. It boasts a kitchenette, fireplace, dreamy bedroom and outdoor fire pit where guests can let their imaginations run wild.
“There are people that get pretty overwhelmed coming here. It seems to be meaning quite a lot to them, there are some people who get out of the car they start screaming or crying,” said Le Comte.
“You get some crazy reactions and that is really what makes it totally worth putting all the work in and keeping it going.”
Many people even come in costume as their favourite hobbit, elf, dwarf or character.
Ever since taking over the farm and its mini shire, Le Comte has had a steady flow of fans booking in to stay at the Airbnb Hobbit hole.
“It is very unique and that’s what makes it special,” said Charnley Van Wyk of Boundary Country Tourism. “You can tell that it’s a labour of love.”
Van Wyk says she grew up in New Zealand, where the famous Lord of the Rings trilogy was entirely filmed, including the village of Hobbiton.
“The amount of effort that they’ve literally put in a world away is quite substantial, like the writing above the fireplace,” Van Wyk said of Hobbit Mountain Hole.
“It’s not just unique — you can tell they really love it.”