Although Herefordshire was merged with Worcestershire in the 1970s, anyone will still know whether they live in Herefordshire or Worcestershire. This is a county neglected by overseas tourists and by many Britons. Yet it has a large stretch of the beautiful river Wye, some wonderful old towns and the picturesque villages of North Herefordshire as well as Hay (see books page and Hereford itself whose cathedral is one of the three on the cathedrals page). It is a large county, I do not know all of it and this should be treated as what it is, a selection of places worth a visit.
To start with the Wye downriver from Hay and Hereford, Ross on Wye is many people's introduction to this lovely river - for much of its length forming the border between England and Wales. Ross, reached by the Ross Spur - a motorway off the M5, is an ancient market town rising steeply and looking very picturesque above the bridge.
From here it is easy to reach one of the best known bits of the Wye, Symmonds Yat. This is a beautiful wooded stretch where the Wye meanders round a great bend with Yat Rock forming en exquisite viewpoint from a hill above the valley. Symmonds Yat itself is divided between the two sides of the river and there is a ferry across operated by hand and a rope. It is an unabashed people magnet and the delightful pubs do a roaring trade.
Of the other towns worth visiting I know two, Leominster and Ledbury, and to be honest I get them mixed in my mind as I have not been to either for a bit. I know that timber framed houses occur pretty prolifically and my main, distinct memory of Leominster is antique shops and narrow streets.
Lastly I mention the villages of North Herefordshire, the Black and White villages as they are known. It is even longer since I went around these villages but they are quite a wonderful grouping and there is a drive, the Black and White Villages trail which links them. The timbered houses date from the 16th and 17th centuries but the villages each have distinctive features of their own. The only one I really remember is the coracle making and using at Leintwardine [a coracle is an ancient basketlike river boat]. However the villages are excellently covered on
http://www.welcomevillages.org/frame.html