I was lucky enough to spend some time exploring the county of Herefordshire in the West Midlands of England back in 2017. What follows is a compilation of some great locations for hiking and landscape photography in the county of Herefordshire.
Herefordshire County
Herefordshire is the least populated country in England stretching from the Malvern Hills in the east and bordering Worcestershire, to the Black Hills in the west and bordering the country of Wales. At the time I was mostly using walking guides like the AA books to choose locations. Another method is to use OS Maps on your mobile device and make your own routes to explore.
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills is on the eastern border of Herefordshire with Worcestershire. The Malvern Hills make fantastic walking and a great location for landscape photography.
The sunset shot above was taken on a windy evening, my last on the Malvern Hills and in Herefordshire. On a nice weekend the Malvern Hills can get busy with hikers and tourists but midweek in the evening I had the whole stretch to myself.
Symonds Yat Wye Valley
My first real venture into the county of Herefordshire was through the Wye Valley over Coppet Hill and then enjoying the sunset view from Symonds Yat Rock.
The walk over Coppet Hill and through Wye valley was quite exhilarating and mostly deserted of other walkers. Symonds Yat Rock though is busy with visitors and tourists, not surprising with the views. Needed a tripod to take this sunset scene over the river Wye and Coppet Hill.
Black Hill
The Black Hill also known as the Cats Back lies at the far west of Herefordshire at the border with Wales and leads up into the Black Mountains range.
It was a beautiful day in March when I ascended the Black Hill with great views all around. Up on the summit of the Black Hill you can hike along Offas Dyke Path. It is a very remote and desolate place with snow on the ground. I only made one visit to the Black Hill, would love to return and explore more.
Woolhope
The Herefordshire countryside around Woolhope is quite breathtaking and great for walking and landscape photography. It was a hot day in April when I visited Woolhope and conditions were a little hazy.
Walking many miles through the beautiful Herefordshire countryside with its hills and valleys your rarely come across other walkers. It was in Woolhope that I thought it must be nice to live in Herefordshire. I would love to open my door and have views like this on my doorstep.
Golden Valley
The Golden Valley lies in the west of Herefordshire in the lee of the Black Mountains and on the English Welsh border with the river Wye to the east. Stretching from Dorston down to Abbey Dore, the Golden Valley is a quintessential area of Herefordshire countryside, great for long walks and landscape photography.
One visit to the Golden Valley does not do it justice. As a landscape photographer one needs great light too as well as fantastic compositions. I can only imagine that the golden hour in the golden valley would be well ‘golden’.
Hergest Ridge
Hergest Ridge is another great location for a long distance walk in Herefordshire and for landscape photography. Offa’s Dyke Path runs over Hergest Ridge and through the town of Kingston on the Welsh border. The Dyke marked the ancient Saxon boundary between England and Wales.
Was a beautiful late spring day when I visited Hergest Ridge with the heat could have easily been mistaken for summer. Again one visit does not do it justice.
Abbey Dore
My final hike through the countryside of Hertfordshire was around Abbey Dore. Abbey Dore is located at the southern end of the Golden Valley along the river Dore and has spectacular views all around.
The above landscape photograph of Abbey Dore was featured in a local Herefordshire tourist guide. One of my first landscape photographs published which I was happy to provide.
Leaving Herefordshire
That wraps up my time spent walking and photographing the landscapes of Herefordshire in the west midlands of England. It is a county I intend to return to soon and explore much more. From Herefordshire I then spent a few months in the county of Dorset. Please check out my full gallery of Herefordshire landscape photography. If you would like to download a full resolution image, please check out my Herefordshire portfolio hosted on Shutterstock.