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2013 Walking Festival Walks List

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There can be no doubt that Ross-on-Wye is special. It is a town with a history that goes back beyond Roman times. It sits on the banks of the river Wye and is the only town wholly within the Wye Valley AONB.

For a very long time Ross has been known as “The Gateway to the Wye Valley”. This title reflects the fact that Ross and the Lower Wye Valley is the birthplace of the package tour industry. When the Wye was navigable beyond Ross, the “Wye Tour” was an essential part of the Grand Tour undertaken as a right of passage by the gentry of the seventeenth century.

The Lower Wye Valley is probably more beautiful today than it was then as, in those times, parts of the valley were highly industrialised with many forges and furnaces along the river banks.

Today Ross is an ideal base from which to explore the beautiful and varied countryside within easy reach of the town. Walks are many and varied, ranging from flat, easy strolls alongside the river to challenging walks in the local hills or the nearby Black Mountains or Malvern Hills. Two major long distance walking routes pass through the town. These are The Wye Valley Walk and The Herefordshire Trail. In addition The Ross Round Walk circular walk starts and finishes in the town. This walk has options of 4, 7, 11 or 18 miles.

Ross has numerous hotels, B & Bs and self catering establishments in and around the town. There are many food and drink outlets such as top of the range restaurants, pubs, cafes, coffee bars and sandwich bars. Ethnic eating establishments include Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Nepalese.

Ross has numerous historic buildings, most notable being St Mary’s Church and the Market House.

Ross has a reputation for being a friendly town. It has a large number of small, locally owned, specialist shops selling quality goods combined with excellent customer service. In this sector Ross was rated highest in a recent survey of 27 market towns in the West Midlands and the Welsh border. 

Ross is well served by long distance and local bus services. It sits on the motorway network with easy access to the Midlands, North-West England, London and South Wales. 

Visitors to Ross can also enjoy other outdoor activities. The Wye is a Mecca for canoeists with miles of flat water and the excitement of the rapids at Symonds Yat. Cyclists are also catered for with miles of tracks in the Forest of Dean, the easy, off-road Peregrine Path from Symonds Yat to Monmouth and miles of quiet, relatively traffic-free lanes.

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