Hereford itself was once the capital of Saxon West Mercia founded in a flat river plain surrounded by hills and in a bend of the Wye. There was a church here long before the Normans came. Today a walk across Castle Green and up Quay Street brings you to the magnificent cathedral, home of the Chained Library and the Mappa Mundi. This famous ‘map of the world‘ was saved for the cathedral largely through the generosity of Paul Getty. The cathedral is a wonderful venue for concerts and every third year the Three Choirs Festival is held here, an event shared with Gloucester and Worcester. Within the town there are many places to see and visit not least the museums - including Cider.
Hereford lies to the east of the Welsh mountains and grew to importance as a border town in the thirteenth century. Leominster is about 13 miles and Ross-on-Wye about 17 miles, to the east of which is Junction 4 of the M50 motorway which connects with the M5 motorway. Fast trains to London (Paddington) take about three hours. Trains to Birmingham take a little over an hour and a half.