The Wye must be a bilingual river. Its source is unambiguously Welsh, rising high on the slopes of Pumlumon, just half-a-mile from the Severn’s birthplace. It tumbles through mid Wales and into the fertile lowlands of Herefordshire. But its lower reaches have forced a passage through sandstone and limestone hills to form a spectacular gorge of exceptional beauty. In these last miles the Wye returns to mark the border before being reunited with its erstwhile sibling just below Chepstow. The Lower Wye Valley is cherished for its dramatic and captivating landscapes, turbulent history and varied wildlife. The area has drawn visitors since the dawn of tourism, among its more famous suitors the ubiquitous Wordsworth and Turner. Ten walks explore these lower reaches of the Wye valley. Despite its renown, you will find plenty of quiet glades and tranquil viewpoints. The Forest of Dean spreads across a wedge of elevated ground between the Wye and Severn. It was established as a royal hunting forest in 1066, though there are remains from Bronze and Iron ages and traces of Roman occupation. In more recent centuries, timber, charcoal, iron and coal production have been the mainstay of the Dean’s livelihood. This has bequeathed an intriguing blend of industrial history and great natural beauty. The Royal Forest of Dean has always been a place of spirited independence. Strictly speaking it encompasses just the wooded areas between Lydbrook, Parkend, Coleford and Cinderford. Native born foresters still have rights of pasture and prospecting. This is border country where Wales and England are both divided and fused. The old bridge at Redbrook once carried the Wye Valley Railway across the river’s swirling waters and the border itself. The footbridge now clamped to its side epitomises the relationship between these two diverse but closely connected regions. To the east rises the great plateau of Dean, to the west the hills of Gwent. You will encounter human attempts to harness and develop the great natural resources of ‘Wyedean’: coal and iron in the Forest; railways and tram roads; water and wire at Tintern. There is much history to enrich magnificent walking: a Cistercian Abbey at Tintern; a Georgian dining house at the Kymin; a medieval castle at Goodrich; a megalithic standing stone at Staunton; and the line of the eighth century Offa’s Dyke. But above all the splendour and variety of forest, heath, hills and gorges makes this a superlative walking area. This is a great area to explore, with much to see on wet days as well as fine ones.
