Our guide to luxury Herefordshire holidays

There is plenty to write home about, from Herefordshire cider cake to Hereford Cathedral, but perhaps most famous is the county’s abundance of castles. Sitting close to the Welsh border, conflict was rife in eras gone by and great castles were built to defend England. Shrouded in myth and legend, sites like Longtown Castle, Clifford Castle, and Goodrich Castle at the border were often involved in heavy conflict. Mightiest of all is Offa’s Dyke, a 140-mile defensive earthwork built by King Offa of the Mercians, an English warrior tribe, in an act of defence against the Welsh.

Hereford is just over 20 miles from the Welsh border. That said, with beautiful scenery and lush valleys en route, the journey time is likely to take around 40 minutes by car or by train. Once part of Wales, Herefordshire became an English county under Anglo-Saxon rule but many of its street names remain Welsh to this day. Just don’t talk to the locals about it on rugby day – it’s a fiercely debated topic.

Hereford. Its golden-stoned cathedral, mediaeval Mappa Mundi, and Chained Library are the main attractions but this pretty market town is more than just a cathedral city. Half-timbered houses line the streets and independent shops – clustered along Church Street – hide artisan treasures. The River Wye runs peacefully past the city, weeping willows sweeping into the gentle current; no better place for a mindful stroll.

Herefordshire is a rural idyll, and those looking for peace and solitude need not look hard. With only 86 people per square kilometre on average, the county has the fourth lowest population density in England. Rolling hills carry shades of green as far as the eye can see and a patchwork of orchards, meadows, and ancient forests provide serenity from the highlands of the Black Mountains and The Malvern Hills. The dramatic vistas of the Wye Valley and the romantic ruins of The Golden Valley, interspersed with the occasional lively village, are almost guaranteed to be all yours.

Most of the towns and cities in Herefordshire host local artisan markets every week, with stalls ranging from farmers’ produce to arts and crafts, plants, and alcohol. In Hereford, market day is generally on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday with plenty to offer; freshly baked Welsh cakes, fine art, and hand-knitted woollen blankets. At the Welsh border, Hay-on-Wye celebrates Hay Market Day every Thursday and has been doing so for over 700 years. Leominster runs a market day every Friday at Corn Square, and word from the locals says the pies are not to be missed.