HEREFORDSHIRE’S GOLDEN VALLEY


HAS THE MIDAS TOUCH


13


At the foot of the Black Mountains in the south west of Herefordshire, the picturesque valley of the River Dore is thought to have become known as the Golden Valley due to Norman confusion with the word Dore (or the Welsh word for water, dwr) and French for gold, d’or. Whether by default or by design, it seems a fitting name for an area of such enchanting natural beauty and is particularly popular with walkers and cyclists.


Taking in the villages of Abbeydore, Pontrilas, Ewyas Harold and Dorstone, with many deeply rural hamlets in between, the Golden Valley is renowned for its hidden gastro-pubs and inns, wonderful farmhouse and self catering accommodation (especially quirky off-grid lodges, yurts and cabins) and historic landmarks.


FILM AND FOLKLORE The area’s dramatic locations have inspired writers such as Lewis Carroll, who’s imaginings for Alice in Wonderlandwere enhanced by visits to his brother, who was a Vicar in the Golden Valley. Famously, CS Lewis featured the area in his 1993 film Shadowlands, with Anthony Hopkins, in both a painting and as an actual location. Even more poignantly, the stone table on which Aslan the Lion dies in Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, is said to be based on Arthur’s Stone at Dorstone. This neolithic tomb, which is open to view, has many stories attached to it and the legend of King Arthur, including that it was built to mark the location of one of Arthur’s battles, while others say the stones were already present when Arthur slew a Giant on the spot, who’s knees left indentations in one of them as it fell, which remain to this day.


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HERE FORDSHIRE GOLDEN VAL L E Y


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