Hereford & Worcester

The proliferation of ruined Roman hillforts and shattered 12 th & 13 th century castles are constant reminders that for many centuries the western counties of England were places of continual turbulence. These rugged defences were an absolute necessity to combat the frequent violent incursions by Welsh raiders riding out from Radnor, Brecon and Monmouth.

In contrast to its turbulent past the Welsh Marches today could not be more different. The landscape now is one of peaceful tranquillity, a quiet English backwater of handsome timbered houses where leisurely browsing brings its own rewards and will never disappoint. A large county, thinly populated, it remains principally pastoral and is well farmed, which adds to the beauty of its rich landscape.

Local farming ranges from hops and cider apples to pigs and sheep, but more than half the county is grazed by the very distinctive plum-red Hereford cattle with their white faces, legs and chests. This particular breed, developed locally, helped to improve the beef cattle of almost every country in the world. The south-west corner of the county is tucked away in the shadow of the Welsh mountains, fairly remote and off the main holiday routes. For visitors who love walking among hills and meadows, or who enjoy the delights of motoring through sleepy timeless villages and beside narrow, winding rivers there are very few places to compete with the peacefulness of this very English countryside.

The southern fringes of Hereford and Worcester contain one of the most spectacular stretches of the beautiful Wye Valley, where the towering crag of Symonds Yat peers down upon the silken ribbon of the River Wye. The Wye is England's cleanest major river and glides through ever-changing scenery on its long journey from its source in the Cambrian Mountains to its outpouring in the Bristol Channel, flowing over rocky beds, through gorges, meadows and woodland. Above and below the town of Ross, the Wye Valley offers some of the most enchanting walks and vantage points in England. The river has for centuries been a paradise for anglers and is especially famous for its salmon. East of the Wye broad plains reach out between wooded hillsides, forming a landscape that is gently picturesque rather than grandly beautiful. The quiet harmony of the countryside is echoed in the music of Elgar, who was deeply influenced by the county of his childhood - a very English composer raised in the heart of a most English county.

Westward, where the glistening River Dore threads its course for 10 miles through the aptly named Golden Valley, rich green meadows, orchards and cornfields shimmer in the sunlight, providing a vivid contrast with the dark outline of the Black Mountains etched in relief across the Welsh border.

Cruck-framed houses are fairly liberally scattered throughout this county. Cruck-framing is one of the earliest styles of domestic building still seen in Britain. The ‘crucks' are pairs of curved timbers running up from ground level to the ridge of the roof, best seen at the end of a house. Other timbers supported by the crucks carry the walls and roof - these houses date for the most part from between the 11 th and 16 th centuries.