Herefordshire

Landscape, property and character…

Herefordshire has the Black Mountains to the West, the Malvern Hills to the East, the Brecon Beacons to the South and to the north the Shropshire Hills. The land is made up of rolling hills and fertile valleys and is renowned for its fruit orchards and lush pasture, where the world-famous Herefords graze. The River Wye and the River Lugg are the principal rivers with many smaller rivers and streams criss-crossing the county.

The county has several thriving market towns to the north, east, west and south - Bromyard, Leominster, Kington, Ross-on-Wye and Ledbury . People also enjoy easy access just across its borders to Ludlow, Knighton, Hay-on-Wye, Brecon, Abergavenny, Monmouth and Malvern.

The houses in Herefordshire come in many guises, from traditional black and white and ancient stone through to Georgian, Queen Anne, Victorian and twentieth century. In recent years the county has seen the emergence of architect-designed modern houses & apartments and ecologically advanced renovations or new-builds. There are many properties that have been renovated and restored but there are still some ancient and untouched properties in towns, villages and the more remote parts of the county.

The county is attracting increasing numbers of incomers, both those from the cities wishing to change their way of life or commute and those seeking work from other parts of Europe. Herefordshire is also seeking to increase the numbers of tourists to the region and trying to encourage business investment.

Despite these developments, the whole feel of the county is still that of a deeply rural community, where farming and village life is very important to the people who live here. The city of Hereford and the market towns are striving to become places where people can enjoy more urban pleasures and establish thriving businesses but they are equally seeking to remain places where livestock markets and food production remain at the core of the county's economy.

In your spare time…

Sport and recreation are a huge part of Herefordshire life. For those who love traditional country pursuits there is hunting, shooting, fishing, falconry, point-to-point, showing or the races.

For those who engage in outdoor sport you can find mountaineering, rugby, canoeing, rock-climbing, cycling, cricket, football, tennis, gliding, flying and golf.

For those who like more gentle hobbies there are wonderful gardens, antiques and auctions, photography, local history, archaeology, pottery, textiles, arts and crafts, galleries, music and drama.

The county also has a strong conservation and wildlife movement and a growing number of people who are committed to developing and supporting locally sourced produce, farmers markets and high quality eating out.

Whatever your passion you can be sure you will find others in the county who share it.

Transport connections…

Heathrow can be reached in 2 - 3hours, depending on your location. Birmingham, East Midlands, Bristol and Cardiff airports offer national and international flights. Shobdon Airfield in Herefordshire and Staverton Airfield in north Gloucestershire both have private charter facilities.

Fast trains to London and all major cities are available from Malvern, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Newport and Cardiff. Local connecting trains go from Leominster, Hereford and Abergavenny.

Motorway access is excellent with fast roads down to the M4 in south Wales and from Ross the M50 connects the county to the M5 / M42 / M40 / M6 / M1.

To find out more…

If you want to find out more about the county itself or obtain more detailed information about any aspect of life in Herefordshire please go to our Links Page where you can access many other useful websites.