Length: 4 and a half miles including Wye Hill.

We venture just over the Welsh border into Hoarwithy. If you haven’t visited this Church built in the Italianate style, you have missed a treat.

Lapis Lazuli, Tiger Eye, French and Cornish marble have all been used to beautify the original Chapel. Copying styles in France, Florence and Venice, William Poole the vicar in the 1870s, sought to create something beautiful yet not overdone with some areas left plain and simple. Mosaic floors and outside arches with countryside views add to the charm of this place.

We wonder, “What made William Poole invest his own money in improving the church?”

Our walk includes the River Wye, a Toll House, a suspension bridge and Herefordshire countryside. We begin and end at the New Harp Inn!

Crossing the Wye has been of immense importance in this area. From ferries to wooden and iron bridges with toll charges, to the current suspension bridge at Sellack. Stories of floods and crossing the river abound. It was only in 1935 the Hoarwithy Toll House stopped charging its fee.