The paths and steps were laid down in the early 1800’s, and are set over and around a geological feature known as “scowles”, or a system of irregular hollows in the earth, as well as caves which have eroded over time. The erosion exposed veins of iron ore which were mined by people in the area as far back as the Iron Age. J.R.R. Tolkien assisted with some archeological work in the Puzzlewood in the 1920’s, and the area is said to have inspired the mysterious forests of Middle Earth in his Lord of the Rings series.