Experience the best of Hereford

Hereford sits on a bend of the River Wye in the west of England, a short drive from Wales. Its red sandstone cathedral holds the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world drawn on a single sheet of vellum, along with a chained library of rare books. The compact centre also has the timber-framed Old House, built in the early seventeenth century, and a pedestrian High Town where markets have been held for generations.

The Wye Valley runs south from the city towards Ross and Symonds Yat, with riverside paths and canoeing on the water. To the east the Malvern Hills rise above the fields, and to the north-west a signed trail links the black-and-white timbered villages of the border country. Hay-on-Wye, famous for its second-hand bookshops, lies just over the Welsh line at the foot of the Black Mountains.

Herefordshire is farming country. Orchards feed a long tradition of cider and perry, and the county gave its name to the red-bodied, white-faced Hereford beef cattle. Pub menus lean on local beef, lamb and apple puddings, with cider poured alongside. April brings blossom to the orchards, and autumn brings the apple harvest.