The Golden Valley is the name given to the valley of the

River Dore The River Dore (Welsh: ''Afon Aur'' lit: 'the river of gold') is a tributary of the River Monnow in Herefordshire, England. It rises on Cusop Hill, in the foothills of the Black Mountains, close to the border between England and Wales. It fl ...

in western

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The valley is a picturesque area of gently rolling countryside. It lies in the lee of the

Black Mountains, Wales The Black Mountains ( or sometimes ) are a group of hills on the England–Wales border. The Welsh part is larger and located in south-east Powys and north-west Monmouthshire, and the smaller English part is in western Herefordshire. The range ...

. The main villages are

Dorstone Dorstone is a village within the Golden Valley, Herefordshire, England. There is a church and public house with restaurant. The Golden Valley area offers hillwalking and horseback riding countryside and is noted for its scenery. It is within t ...

, Peterchurch,

Abbey Dore Abbey Dore is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, known for Dore Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, which was expanded in the 13th century. The name Abbey Dore came into being in the 18th century, combining the Modern E ...

and

Ewyas Harold Ewyas Harold () is a village and civil parish in the Golden Valley, Herefordshire, Golden Valley in Herefordshire, England, near the Wales-England border about halfway between Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, and Hereford. The population of this civ ...

Origin of the name

The name ''Golden Valley'' probably derives from a confusion of the name of the River Dore with the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

''d'or'', meaning 'of gold'. The

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

might have confused the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

word ''dŵr'', meaning 'water', with 'd'or'. A similar situation occurred with the

Douro The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...

river in

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

(Spain and Portugal) where the

Romance language The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...

s adopted the original Celtic name and changed the meaning to the similar-sounding precious metal.

Local points of interest

Arthur's Stone, Herefordshire Arthur's Stone is a Neolithic chambered tomb, or dolmen, in Herefordshire, England. It is situated on the ridge line of a hill overlooking both the Golden Valley, Herefordshire and the Wye Valley. The tomb dates from 3700 BC – 2700 BC. Locat ...

, located just outside the village of

, is a

chamber tomb A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. In the case of individual burials, the chamber is thought to signify a higher status for the interred than a simple grave (burial), grave. Built from Rock (geology), rock or som ...

from the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

Period, and dates from some time between 3700 and 2700 BC. Arthur's Stone is Herefordshire's oldest man-made structure.

Dore Abbey Dore Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in the village of Abbey Dore in the Golden Valley, Herefordshire, England. A large part of the original medieval building has been used since the 16th century as the parish church, with remaining parts e ...

is a former

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

that during the summer offers a programme of musical concerts. It was built between 1175 and 1220 and restored in the 1630s. Nearby is Bacton Church with the monument to

Blanche Parry Blanche Parry (1507/8–12 February 1590) of Newcourt in the parish of Bacton, Herefordshire, in the Welsh Marches, was a personal attendant of Queen Elizabeth I, who held the offices of Chief Gentlewoman of the Queen's Most Honourable Privy C ...

- she was close to

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

for 56 years. This monument, securely dated before November 1578, is the earliest depiction anywhere of Queen Elizabeth I as an icon, as 'Gloriana'. It pre-dates the paintings showing this theme. Bacton Church also has rare 1914–1918, World War I, medal ribbons depicted in stone on several memorial wall plaques. The diaries of

Francis Kilvert Robert Francis Kilvert (3 December 184023 September 1879), known as Francis or Frank, was an English clergyman whose diaries reflected rural life in the 1870s, and were published over fifty years after his death. Life Kilvert was born on 3 ...

extol the beauty of the local landscape of English river valleys sheltered by the Black Mountains between

Hay on Wye Hay-on-Wye, or simply Hay (; or simply ), is a market town and community in Powys, Wales. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as a "town of books"; it is both the National Book Town of Wales and the site of the annual Hay Festiva ...

and

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

and it is

Bredwardine Bredwardine is a village and civil parish in the west of Herefordshire, England. Significant parish landmarks include a brick bridge over the River Wye, the historic ''Red Lion'' late 17th-century coaching inn, St Andrew's Church, and the site ...

where he is buried. Kilvert was Rector at St Andrew's church, Bredwardine until his early death in 1879. Snodhill Castle is a very early Norman stone fortification.

Ewyas Harold Castle Ewyas Harold Castle was a castle in the village of Ewyas Harold in Herefordshire, England. History The first castle on the site is believed to be one of the very few which were built under the Saxons before the Norman Conquest. This structure wa ...

is an early

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

castle and St Michael's church,

contains a 13th-century or 14th-century

effigy An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...

of a lady holding a heart in the palm of her hand. The last remaining

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...

in Herefordshire at

Whitney-on-Wye __NOTOC__ Whitney-on-Wye is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, and approximately east from the border with Wales. The village is on the A438 road, on the River Wye, and west from Hereford. Parish population in 2011 United Ki ...

leads to

Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye, or simply Hay (; or simply ), is a market town and community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as a book town, "town of books"; it is both the National Book Town of Wales and the s ...

. A plaque written in Welsh and dated 1574 was discovered during renovations in St Margaret's Church, near Newton, and is currently on display within the church. The church also contains a printed notice of the duties of churchwardens in both English and Welsh.

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...

is said to have spent his final years after his disappearance following the eventual failure of his rebellion against King Henry IV in hiding under an alternative identity with his daughter, Alys Scudamore, previously known as

Alys ferch Owain Glyndŵr Alys ferch Owain Glyndŵr was one of the daughters of Margaret Hanmer and Owain Glyndŵr, the disinherited prince of the old Welsh royal house of Powys Fadog, who led a major revolt in Wales between 1400 and ca. 1416 against King Henry IV of Eng ...

, and her husband, a

Scudamore, namely Sir John Scudamore in the Golden Valley. The Golden Valley featured in the 1993 film '' Shadowlands'' in both a painting and as an actual location.

C.S. Lewis CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public se ...

, the film's protagonist, owned a painting of a valley which to him, as a child, appeared to be heaven. The

Herefordshire Trail The Herefordshire Trail is a long distance footpath in Herefordshire, England. Route and distance The trail, running for as a circular tour of Herefordshire, links the five market towns of Leominster, Bromyard, Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye and King ...

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, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exce ...

passes through the valley.

Railway

The Golden Valley Railway Company opened a line from

Pontrilas Pontrilas (') is a village in south Herefordshire, England, half a mile from the border with Wales. It is in the parish of Kentchurch and lies midway between Hereford and Abergavenny. In 2011 the main village contained 66 residential dwellings ...

in 1881 and an extension to

in 1889, but a plan to link to Monmouth was never realised. The line was sold to the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

in 1899. Passenger operation on the line ceased in 1941 and it closed completely in 1957.

Pipeline

During 2008 the Golden Valley saw the construction of the National Grid's 196 km natural gas pipeline from

Felindre Felindre, also anglicised as Velindre, derived from the Welsh place-name "melindref", meaning "mill town", may refer to: Wales * Felindre, Swansea, village in Swansea, Wales * Felindre Farchog, village in Pembrokeshire, Wales * Dre-fach Felind ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

to Tirley in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. The pipeline increases the volume of gas which can be transported from the new

LNG Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volume o ...

terminals at

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was ...

to the rest of the UK.

References

External links

Golden Valley - Visit Herefordshire
{{Coord , 52.016, -2.927, type:city_region:GB-HEF_dim:10000, display=title Valleys of Herefordshire