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Ross-on-Wye
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ROSS-ON-WYE
, perched above a loop of the Wye sixteen miles southeast of Hereford, is a relaxed, easy-going town with an artsy/New Age undertow. It's also the obvious base for exploring one of the more dramatic sections of the Wye River Valley and the Forest of Dean. Ross's jumble of narrow streets zeroes in on the Market Place, which is shadowed by the seventeenth-century
Market House
, a sturdy two-storey sandstone structure that now accommodates a modest
Heritage Centre
(April-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm; Nov-March Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; free), exploring the town's history. Close by, Ross's other noteworthy building is the mostly thirteenth century
St Mary's church
, whose sturdy stonework culminates in a slender, tapering spire. In front of the church is a large and rare
Plague Cross
, commemorating the three hundred or so townsfolk who were buried here by night without coffins during a savage outbreak of the plague in 1637. Inside, the church holds several distinctive tombs, one of which - that of a certain William Rudhall (d.1530) - is one of the last great alabaster sculptures from the specialist masons of Nottingham, whose work was prized right across medieval Europe. Opposite the church,
The Prospect
is a neat public garden offering pleasant views over the river.
If you've strolled long enough around town but still have time to spare, strike out along one of the many well-defined
footpaths
that thread their way through the riverine fields and woods bordering the Wye. A collection of leaflets giving detailed descriptions of several circular routes is available at the tourist office. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United Kingdom,
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