Herefordshire is a beautiful county on the border with Wales. Known for its orchards and homemade cider, the population swells when the annual visitors to Hay-on-Wye book festival arrive. Hereford is quite demure and quiet for a city, and well worth a visit, even if you’re not normally a ‘city person’.
Wildlife that lives here include common, water and pygmy shrews, whisktered bats and Chinese water deer. Find more ways to help your local wildlife rescue and animal shelter.
Ross-on-Wye is a beautiful town on the river, with indie shops, 19th-century mock Gothic walls and a Gazebo Tower and pastel buildings. Voted England’s best-loved market town by National Express.
Hereford Cathedral (Brandy Wine Art) has been a place of worship since the 8th century, and is a Grade 1 listed building. It houses the largest library of chained books in the world including the Mappa Mundi (a medieval map of the world) and also has many eco policies in place and interesting worships (you can listen to the music of ABBA by candlelight!)
The Malvern Hills (Christopher Hughes) cover parts of Herefordshire, Worcesteshire and Gloucestershire and are home to woodlands with bluebells (toxic to dogs, cats, horses and cattle) and birds (nuthatch, song thrush, pied flycatcher and marsh tit). You’ll also find 13 species of bats, harvest mice, Grayling butterflies, dung beetles, green woodpeckers and meadow pipits. These hills can be steep, so take care especially for old dogs (adders are nearby too as are bluebell woods – these beautiful flowers are toxic to dogs, cats, horses and cattle).
