Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Herefordshire, The Midlands, United Kingdom

Ross-on-Wye is an historic market town sitting on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Wye Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  This scenic part of Herefordshire is only an hour’s drive from Birmingham and is easily accessible, being just off the M50 motorway.

Market House, Ross-on-Wye
The historic Market House

The town centre, with its attractive Tudor buildings is centred around the 15th century Market House which has its origins dating back to the 12th century when King Stephen granted Ross-on-Wye the right to hold a market in the town.  Nowadays, twice weekly markets take place under its arches with local traders offering a selection of fresh produce and household goods.  The upper floor of the Market House is home to ‘Made in Ross’, a studio and shop where local artisans are able to display their arts and crafts.

High Street, Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye’s High Street

The streets leading from the Market House offer a mix of high street names including several small independent shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants.  It’s a pleasant place for a stroll and a spot of shopping.

View from Ross-on-Wye's Market Hall
View rom the Market Hall

Making our way back up the hill once again we came across mock Gothic walls surrounding the Gazebo Tower which was built in 1833.  It is one of the finest follies in Herefordshire and was originally intended as a viewpoint.

The mock Gothic wall and Gazebo Tower, Ross-on-Wye
The mock Gothic wall and Gazebo tower 

Facing these walls is the Man of Ross pub which seemed popular with groups of people enjoying food and drink on its terrace.  This landmark pub is named after John Kyrle who is noted as being the ‘Man of Ross’ as he spent much of his time and wealth improving the welfare of Ross-on-Wye for its residents.  His portrait and an inscription describing his life can be found above the bar window outside the building.

The Man of Ross, Ross-on-Wye
The Man of Ross public house

Just behind the Market Hall we found another picture of him denoting his former home in the town which has since been divided into two small shops.

John Kyrle's former home in Ross-on-Wye
John Kyrle’s former home in the centre of town

Leaving the pub, we continued along Wye Street which curves steeply down the hillside and is flanked with brightly painted houses, some of which are now attractive guest houses and B & Bs.

Wye Street, Ross-on-Wye
Attractive houses along Wye Street

The path leads down to the Caroline Symonds gardens overlooking the River Wye.  Here we found an attractive wooden bandstand with a small statue of a lion fashioned out of ash next to it, marking the International Lion Clubs centenary.

The Ross-on-Wye Bandstand
The Ross-on-Wye bandstand by the river

Each Sunday afternoon during the summer months ‘Bands in the Park’ concerts take place and I’m certain locals and visitors alike will look forward to them resuming next year.

Lions association centenary statue, Ross-on-Wye
The Lions association centenary statue

Our walk continued as far as Wilton bridge after which we crossed the road to return to the centre of town along the river bank.  Canoes were being unloaded for boat trips as we passed, as this scenic stretch of river is a popular centre with day and shorter trips being available to the beauty spot of Symonds Yat, 12 miles downstream.

Wilton Bridge, Ross-on-Wye
Wilton Bridge, Ross-on-Wye

Strolling through the riverside gardens our attention was drawn to two large bird sculptures and we discovered that in 1997 the renowned British sculptor Walenty Pytel was commissioned to produce three sculptures on the theme of nature and creatures found in the Wye Valley.  The sculpture near here depicts mallard ducks flying with their feet down and along the Rope Walk where we were heading next, the sculpture depicts swans flying in to land.  The third of Pytel’s sculptures is of leaping salmon which we had come across earlier outside the Man of Ross pub.

Walenty Pytel sculpture of two swans landing, Ross-on-Wye
The riverside sculpture of swans flying in to land

It’s a lovely walk along the riverside with its open parkland setting.  Strolling back towards the town centre there are some splendid views of the town which is dominated by the Gothic spire of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin.

The Gothic spire of Ross-on-Wye parish church
The Gothic spire of Ross-on-Wye parish church taken from the Rope Walk

The riverside path leads onto the Rope Walk, an area that was once used to dry ropes as they were produced nearby in the early part of the 19th century.  The rope making process required a long area to lay out the rope, and that is where the path gets its name from.

Along the banks of the River Wye, in Ross-on-Wye
Along the banks of the River Wye,

Our walk brought us back out onto Wye Street not far from where we had left our car.  Ross-on-Wye is an interesting small town to visit and by combining a wander through the town with a stroll along the riverside there is ample to see and do.

 

If you have enjoyed reading this post you may also like:

Exploring Symonds Yat and Monmouth

Exploring Cirencester, Gloucestershire

 

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Ross on Wye

 

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48 thoughts on “Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire”

  1. Pingback: Day 2. Exploring Cheltenham – Love Travelling Blog

  2. I’ve fancied a river walk today and thought what better place to find it, than on your blog … and I was not disappointed 😊.
    So, I’v done some virtual shopping at the beautiful Market House and enjoyed the walk along the river. Love the bandstand – it seems there are a lot of these in the UK.
    Thanks Marion for sharing lovely photo’s of this quaint town.

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  3. Nice to hear about another WYE…I saw your post when I was checking on my post of the Wye River in Maryland that I wrote last summer. When I saw your Little Miss Traveler blog below mine when checking on the WordPress reader, I realized that you were one of the people who “liked” my post on Skellig Michael last month. I’d like to get to Great Britain in the near future, as the only part of U.K. I’ve been to is Northern Ireland so far. I appreciate reading your posts, and it will help me virtually travel until I can get there in person…
    Mick

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    1. Thank you so much for making contact Mick and I’m so pleased that you are enjoying my blog. Let’s hope it won’t be too much longer before you are able to explore more of the UK as I’m certain you would really enjoy visiting here.

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  5. Pingback: A walk around Abergavenny – Love Travelling Blog

  6. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Idling through the lanes | restlessjo

  11. I’ve only just come across your blog and I’m glad I did because this brought back some fond memories! I used to live in Herefordshire & I used to go on occasion to Ross. I had some work colleagues/friends that lived there and used to call it “Ross Vegas” for the evening pub crawls 😆 There’s actually some really nice greeny around, and you’ve got some great photos to showcase the different parts of the place.

    Caz xx

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  13. InsideMySlingBag

    Another one of your articulate posts Marion! I just fell in love with the Lions association centenary statue and the riverside sculpture of swans flying in to land, they are beautiful 🙂

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      1. Oh yes definitely. There are so many towns and villages with the potential to visit, so it’s always a pleasure reading about a particular place, then you can decide whether or not to add it to the list. I’m looking forward to when my grandson is old enough to start travelling with me…I’m going to hire a campervan for 4days and take him places, and for week trips as he gets older. Meanwhile I’m compiling a list of interesting places to go

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