The Herefordshire Trail is a

long distance footpath A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

, England.

Route and distance

The trail, running for as a circular tour of Herefordshire, links the five

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

s of

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster is t ...

Bromyard Bromyard is a town in Herefordshire, England, in the valley of the River Frome. It lies near the county border with Worcestershire on the A44 between Leominster and Worcester. Bromyard has a number of traditional half-timbered buildings, inclu ...

Ledbury Ledbury is a market town and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills. It has a significant number of timber-framed structures, in particular along Church Lane and High Street ...

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye (Welsh: ''Rhosan ar Wy'') is a market town in England, near the border with Wales. It had a population of 10,582 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 11,309 in 2019. It lies in south-eastern Herefordshire, on the River Wye and ...

and Kington, and includes some of the smallest villages of the area, such as

Kilpeck Kilpeck ( cy, Llanddewi Cil Peddeg) is a village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England. It is about southwest of Hereford, just south of the A465 road and Welsh Marches Line to Abergavenny, and about from the border wit ...

Leintwardine Leintwardine ( ) is a small to mid-size village and civil parish in north Herefordshire, England, close to the border with Shropshire. History Roman A popular misconception is that the Romans called the village ''Branogenium''. Branogenium in f ...

. The route encompasses historic churches and

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

s. The terrain varies from panoramic views – at Harley's Mountain (376m, the highest point), Garway Hill Common (366m), Merbach Hill (318m), and Golden Valley below the Welsh Black Mountains – and river valleys, including the

Black and white village The term black and white village refers to several old English villages, typically in the county of Herefordshire, West Midlands of England. The term "black and white" derives from presence of many timbered and half-timbered houses in the area, ...

s trail passing through

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

orchards and lesser-known places. Landmarks on the route include

Wilton Castle Wilton Castle is a 12th-century Norman castle located in south-eastern Herefordshire, England on the River Wye adjacent to the town of Ross-on-Wye. The castle is named after the manor associated with it. This castle in Herefordshire, st ...

at Ross-on-Wye, the wooden toll bridge at

Whitney-on-Wye Whitney-on-Wye is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, roughly a mile east of the border with Wales. The population of this civil parish at the 2011 census was 117. It is on the A438 road, and on the River Wye. The village is ...

, the 1895

Louis Harper Louis Harper (23 April 1868 – 26 January 1940) was a civil engineer from the north-east of Scotland who designed a number of suspension footbridges towards the end of the 19th century. Harper was born in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, to John Ha ...

pedestrian suspension bridge at Sellack Boat, Arthur's Stone tomb near

Dorstone Dorstone is a village within the Golden Valley, Herefordshire, England. There is a thriving community with a church and public house with restaurant. The Golden Valley area offers excellent hillwalking and horseback riding countryside and is no ...

, sculpted hedges at

Brampton Bryan Brampton Bryan is a small village and civil parish situated in north Herefordshire, England close to the Shropshire and Welsh borders. Brampton Bryan lies midway between Leintwardine and Knighton on the A4113 road. The nearest station is Buc ...

, and the short Kingfisher Line railway near Titley.

Connecting trails

The Herefordshire Trail links with the Birmingham and Aberystwyth Walk,

Black and White Village Trail The term black and white village refers to several old English villages, typically in the county of Herefordshire, West Midlands of England. The term "black and white" derives from presence of many timbered and half-timbered houses in the area ...

, Clun Valley Walk, Elan Valley Way,

Geopark Way The Geopark Way is a waymarked long-distance trail located within the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, England. It runs from Bridgnorth to Gloucester. Connecting trails The Geopark Way links with the ...

, Leadon Valley Walks,

Marches Way The Marches Way is a partially waymarked long-distance footpath in the United Kingdom. It runs for through the Welsh–English borderlands, traditionally known as the Welsh Marches, and links the cities of Chester in the north and Cardiff in th ...

Monnow Valley Walk Monnow Valley Walk is a long-distance footpath in north-east Monmouthshire, South Wales, with short sections in Herefordshire, England and Powys. It links Monmouth and Hay-on-Wye, following the River Monnow and the foot of the Black Mountains ...

Mortimer Trail The Mortimer Trail is a waymarked long-distance footpath and recreational walk in the counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire in England. The route The route is named after the Mortimer family of ruling Marcher Lords, often titled Earl of Mar ...

, Offa's Dyke Path National Trail, Ross Round, Teme Valley Walk, Teme Valley Way, Upper Lugg Valley Walk, Vaughan's Way and the

Wye Valley Walk The Wye Valley Walk ( cy, Llwybr Dyffryn Gwy) is a long distance footpath in Wales and England following the course of the River Wye. History In 1975 the Wye Valley Walk opened with a stretch between St. Arvans and Monmouth. Further stretches ...

External links

The Herefordshire Trail websiteHerefordshire Trail - LDWA Long Distance PathsHerefordshire Ramblers websitePhotos of the Herefordshire Trail on geograph.org.uk
{{coord , 51.9144, -2.5865, type:landmark, display=title Long-distance footpaths in England Footpaths in Herefordshire County-themed walking routes in the United Kingdom