From here we retraced our steps back to the start of a five star walkĬlick on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file.Quebec poultry co-operative Exceldor is expanding its westward reach through a merger deal with Manitoba-based Granny’s Poultry Co-operative. We continued through a mixture of pasture, apple orchards, cornfields and quiet country lanes and eventually arrived back at Arthur’s Stone Lane. There were more wonderful views from here, especially those over the meanders in the River Wye below We descended through thick bracken and emerged from it above Woolla Farm. The view from here is slightly obscured by vegetation. Reluctantly we left the viewpoint and visited the nearby OS trig point. Vast areas of the countryside may be seen from the hill: Hergest Ridge and Radnor Forest to the north, the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons south west, the Vale of Usk, the line of the Cotswolds and Monmouthshire south east – and more besides.

The views were superb and we were fortunate that the light, which had been indifferent up to this point, gradually improved. The crowds were soon behind us and from this point we only saw two other walkers during the entire routeĮventually the lane swung left and we continued ahead to reach the top of Merbach Hill. We set off on the walk following a long undulating lane, part of the long distance Herefordshire Trail.

This meant that we couldn’t inspect the site closely but no matter, we’d have a chance to do so at the end of the walk A new excavation by a large team of archaeologists was in progress, and a BBC film crew were in attendance, filming the works for the TV series ‘Digging for Britain’.

We started today’s walk from a car park adjacent to Arthur’s Stone, which is the remains of a burial chamber dating back to the neolithic era over 5,000 years ago. Merbach Hill is the culmination of a long ridge which separates the Golden Valley from the Wye Valley, and is one of the best viewpoints in the region.

Golden valley farms arthur